The Bass Lake History Committee’s six members are connected in unique ways yet share a common heritage—two are sisters, two are married, and two are third cousins. Collectively, they represent more than 500 years of family history at west Michigan’s Bass Lake. 

Barbara Barrow Achenbaum lives in Connecticut but is happiest at Franklin’s Folly, her grandfather’s cottage purchased seventy-five years ago. Her professional experience includes brand management, communications, and grant writing. She now helps preserve stories of family and friends for future generations. 

Carla Barrow resides in Illinois. Her lifelong passion for Bass Lake made her a logical fit for this history project. As a teenager, she developed an interest in storytelling through interviews and photography. Today, she’s a self-taught archivist preserving memorabilia through scrapbooks she gifts to volunteer organizations. 

Kyle and Pam Chapman live in Indiana and spend retirement summers at Bass Lake. Kyle’s family history with the lake goes back to 1896 and his great-grandfather Gilbert’s Bass Lake vision. A past president of the Bass Lake Property Owners Association, Kyle currently leads the Bass Lake Improvement Board. Pam has a communications background and now pursues her interest in genealogy and historical preservation. 

Wendy Wanzer Jonkers resides in North Carolina and is a fourth generation Bass Laker. Growing up, she loved hearing stories of her parents’ childhood Bass Lake summers. As president of the Bass Lake Property Owners Association in 2021, she cast the vision of preserving and sharing more than a century of stories. 

Charity Gilbert Monroe lives in Illinois and vacations at her cottage built by her great-grandmother. Charity’s family has enjoyed Bass Lake sailing and boating since 1902. A retired engineer and avid photographer, she’s self-published three books of family history.