Our Living Legend Award celebrates remarkable individuals or groups whose efforts and commitment have significantly enriched the preservation and protection of Lake Leelanau. It honors those whose enduring contributions have left an indelible positive mark, preserving the spirit and beauty of our lake for generations.
2025 Recipient
Wayne Wunderlich is our founding member who served as president of LLLA for ten years, guiding the Association through its formative stages and beyond. In 1980, he placed an advertisement in the Leelanau Enterprise urging lakeshore property owners to unite and advocate for their shared riparian rights. Thirty charter members joined, and the Lake Leelanau Lake Association was born.
2024 Recipients
Lonnie Rademacher has exemplified servant leadership. Few individuals involved with LLLA have worked harder than he has. He has driven boats, loaded burlap, helped place burlap barriers, coordinated the pea gravel bag-filling team, and always been available to help the EWM team in any capacity at almost any time. In addition, he has built the Association’s Stewardship committee from scratch. He has led with passion and humility, found, engaged, and motivated new committee members, and solved sticky problems, always with the long-term interests of the organization foremost in his mind. He is a rock.
Carol Rademacher is a force of nature. She has been an incredibly hard worker for both LLLA, where she has helped organize events and coordinate mailings, and for Friends of Lake Leelanau, where she has served in the role of Campaign Coordinator. For Friends, she has carefully logged all gifts and pledges and made sure each gift and pledge was promptly acknowledged. She has maintained complex spreadsheets, written hundreds of thank you letters and emails, printed and organized mailings and meetings, and made herself completely indispensable. She has also been a key player in raising funds for the Association's spring auction. She is a star.
2023 Recipients
Brian Price, formerly LLLA's Lake Biologist, researched EWM when it was first discovered and approached the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians for collaboration. That began LLLA's long and successful relationship with the Band. Brian’s quick response to the threat probably saved the lake.
Darlene Doorlag, a resident of South Lake Leelanau, has hosted the Association's boat and equipment since 2020. Without Dar, it would be impossible to tackle EWM.
2022 Recipients
Carolan Sonderegger, Dan Mays, and the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, partnered with LLLA in their joint battle to combat aquatic invasive plants in Lake Leelanau. Carolan (the Natural Resources Department Manager), Dan (Inland Policy Biologist), and other members of the Tribe have devoted many hours, both on and off the lake, as our partners in protecting Lake Leelanau from current and future threats. We would not be where we are without their partnership and dedication.
Wayne Swallow, who previously served as the Lake Association’s Lake Biologist, established LLLA’s water quality monitoring program and focused on the causes and prevention of swimmer’s itch. Wayne continues to stay involved in our Water Quality Monitoring Program.
Steve Lindo, who led LLLA’s Community Engagement Committee, raised the organization’s visibility and financial stability. Steve was instrumental in increasing the Association’s presence in the community.
Annie and Bill Hostetler were among the earliest advocates of the idea of creating a public foundation to provide a long-term source of revenue to protect Lake Leelanau from its current primary threat. Their support provided great momentum to the fundraising campaign of Friends of Lake Leelanau.
Jennie and Darren Keller led the charge to create Friends of Lake Leelanau and underwrote LLLA’s current program to prevent, monitor, and control aquatic invasive species in Lake Leelanau until the public foundation was up and running. Jennie serves as President of Friends of Lake Leelanau and has put in a great amount of time and effort for the cause.
