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Tuesday July 1, 2025
Escanaba Celebrates Best Athletes; Bernstein Visits

ESCANABA---The Escanaba High School held its annual senior athletic awards banquet on Wednesday, honoring the top athletes for this season...and their careers.

And they were treated a visit from Michigan Supreme Court Justice Richard Bernstein.

The prestigious Gessner/Pfotenhauer Award went to C.J. Barron and Jeny Brandt. Barron has been a member of the Eskymo football, baseball, and basketball teams.

Brandt has starred with the Eskymo volleyball and basketball teams, and is a qualifier in two events this year in track and field.

Both received their award at Wednesday evening's event (pictured above).

The Gary Abrahamson Scholarship Award was also given out for earning the most varsity letters through their high school careers.

Those winners were Chris LeMire and Micheala Bougie (pictured below).

Justice Bernstein is 90% blind, but that didn't stop him from being elected to the highest court in Michigan. He talked with the Escanaba student body during an assembly in the afternoon, then gave a speech at the EHS athletic banquet.

Besides being a judge and a lawyer in one of Detroit's most well-known law firms, Bernstein is also an avid marathon runner, having completed 20 of them.

Bernstein has also completed the Ironman competition, and he told the Escanaba students that athletics are much more than just going to the field, playing a game, and heading home. He encouraged all young people to get active in sports.

"Sports and athletics teaches you every life lesson," Bernstein said. "It teaches you struggle. It teaches you challenge. It teaches you hardship. It teaches you pain. But it also teaches you discipline. It teaches you the idea that no matter how hard things get, a lot of us have bodies that are mortal, but we have spirits that are all-powerful. Anyone who participates in sports and athletics learns the true lesson of resilience."

Bernstein came to town on the invitation of Escanaba Athletic Director Nick Nolde, who became friends with the justice after meeting him at Detroit Metro Airport in March.

Click the AUDIO button above to hear our interview with Bernstein, and click the two video buttons to see clips from his presentation.












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