by Franco Tarsitano
This is the second in a series of interviews with people in Kenosha who may not necessarily be artists, but through their life experience, actions, and their dedicated work ethic make this a better place for the artist community. David Hankins and Mark Wistar have a rich historical ancestry which they shared with me for the first time. Like their families before them, they have the heart, courage and drive to create change for Kenosha and particularly the artistic community.
FRANCO: Are you native to Kenosha…tell me where you’re from etc., or even your families…any artists in the group?
DAVID: I was born in Waukegan, Illinois; my folks were from Alabama and Georgia. Father is son of Cherokee Indian which settled in Alabama after they returned from Oklahoma during the the Trail of Tears*. My mother’s father was Geech African (Geechee from the West Coast of Africa, were brought over in the 1600’s by English slave traders), captured off the once Ivory Coast now the Gold Coast of Africa. After being freed and given land they lived in Ohio. I have five brothers and. two sisters. All attended college and graduated…. father insisted we own our land.
* In 1838 the Cherokee were stripped of their rights and forced to move against their will on “The Trail of Tears” by the governments of Georgia and United States …About 4000 Cherokee died as a result of the removal. The route they traversed and the journey itself became known as “The Trail of Tears” or, as a direct translation from Cherokee, “The Trail Where They Cried”
MARK: I am from Mt Prospect, Illinois. My family moved to Wisconsin in 1969, to the Milwaukee area where I went to school. I moved to Pleasant Prairie the first time in 1978 thru 1983. I moved back to Pleasant Prairie in 1988 and have lived there ever since.
My mother and father are from the Philadelphia area. The Wistar family emigrated there from Heidelberg Germany in 1717. My ancestors built the first glass factory in the colonies. This factory was destroyed in the Revolutionary war.
The Wistar’s are still prominent, in the legal and medical fields. They started the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia, and today it is a great research facility. On my mother’s side of the family, my grandfather was a famous architect in Philadelphia. He designed many cathedrals, and taught as a professor at Drexel University. My mother’s side of the family had the artistic talent.
FRANCO: …a bit about your education
MARK: I have a diploma in mechanical design and a B.A. in business and communications from Concordia University. I also have had an active Realtor’s license in both Illinois and Wisconsin as well as my Wisconsin Home Appraiser Certification in Wisconsin.
DAVID: Let’s see, attended Southern Illinois University for my Associate Degree in Business, B.S. in Elementary Education, / Special Education from Eastern Illinois University and a M.S, in Education from Eastern Illinois University and have enough credits for another M.S. in Administration and Supervision.
FRANCO: Show off…
MARK: I have a diploma in mechanical design and a B.A. in business and communications from Concordia University.
FRANCO: David what do you do now?
DAVID: Retired. Turn down a job With Carson Perri Scott as a buyer, took a management job with F.W. Woolworth, Chicago then went into the military and boot camp in San Diego. Did two tours in Viet Nam, and Yeoman to Admiral of the Seventh Fleet, transferred to the Pentagon, Washington D.C., and worked for the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and the Joint Chief of Staff as a reader of Top Secret Msg. form our Agent in the Field, routing them to the President and people with a need to know.
FRANCO: Are there any secrets you’d like to share with us from those days? Barbara Walters would expect me to ask.
DAVID: I was restricted from traveling out of the U.S. and not allowed to leave the U.S for five years after I left service in 1984. Now I travel when ever I get a chance.
FRANCO: Mark, tell me you don’t do anything that scary.
MARK: I’m celebrating my 24th year of employment at the company this year. I am a Commodity Specialist for the Optical and Imaging Division for a company in Illinois.
FRANCO: You have two property development companies, is that right?
MARK: WI-star Daimar was started in 1986, and consisted mainly of apartments in Illinois and Wisconsin. This grew to include single family homes, condos, and vacation homes in Nevada and Arizona. WI-Star Inc was created once we started to acquire commercial type properties as we wanted to keep the business units separate. We also created a third company called III Imagine Investments. Imagine purchased homes in nice areas, restored and enhanced them with the help of a designer, then re-sold them.
FRANCO: Why move to Kenosha?
MARK: My family lived in Kenosha, and I wanted to spend more time with them. I always liked the Kenosha area, and thought it offered the best quality of life in the area. I am glad I lived here between 1978 and 1983, as I saw the Downtown area deteriorate and the vacancies in buildings increase there. I am lucky to see the contrast between then and now, where the downtown area is once again becoming a viable and upscale area. A lot of people that live in west areas of Kenosha do not realize this yet, but they need to come back downtown for shopping and entertainment.
Dave and I believed in the Downtown area, and started to buy property there. We fixed our properties up and encouraged others in the area to do the same. We have a lot of friends in Chicago and Milwaukee that we invited to Kenosha to show them what a great area it is.
Our friends are really impressed with the area, and I am sure they relayed this to many other prominent people. I can’t tell you what affect this has had over the years, but I am sure it has been a positive contributing factor.
DAVID: We were looking for a better way of life and a chance to expand our business opportunities.
FRANCO: What is BID’s involvement in Bloomin’ Days…why is there a blooming days?
DAVID: Bloomin’ Days was set up to officially open the summer festivals with the hanging of the Flower Baskets and the placement of barrels on the corners of the streets.
I was appointed by the Mayor to head BID in 2007. BID board members work to recruit new businesses, retain the existing businesses, and improve street maintenance and the beautification of the Downtown Harborside and with an ultimate goal of improving real property values. Maria Caravati developed the idea for Bloomin’ Days in 2007 and this will be our 2nd year.
FRANCO: We have a serious issue with non-resident downtown landlords asking high prices and who are just letting their buildings go to ruin. What, if anything, is BID doing, or can do about this problem? Is anyone doing anything about it?
Yes, we do have a lot of non-resident landlords asking higher prices for their buildings. The City and BID are attempting to make the landlords more accountable for their buildings. In January of this year we enacted an ordinance where city inspectors will inspect all vacant building and present the owners with a list of violations. Then give time to make the repairs and then start fining them for their violations. This is an attempt to get the landlords to start looking for tenants and or make repairs to their buildings. We are hoping this will get the owners to start fixing up their property and or sell them to waiting businessmen who will help establish viable businesses downtown. We are hoping with the new administration we will work together getting building issues on the docket of many of the city meeting and continue the growth and development of downtown.
FRANCO: Do you make art? Are you artists?
DAVID: No, just buy it !! I have always had an appreciation of beauty. My appreciation really developed when I met Mark. I was amazed as how many talented people were in his family. They all had the ability to paint and do creative artistic thing. This sparked my interest and desire to try to capture what little talent I had and try to express my self artistically.
MARK: Yes. I have painted in oil, watercolors, and acrylics. I have been involved in ceramics and pottery. I love to create and view others art. I guess my interest in the arts comes from my exposure to it from my mother’s side of the family. I was encouraged to paint, and also did pottery.
FRANCO: What are your visions for downtown?
MARK: How much time do I have? Lol. The short answer is a dynamic community that is closely linked with the arts. Kenosha has the opportunity to become a destination point for fine dining, wine bars, theater, and galleries. This would have been laughed at when I first moved here in 1978, but today it is definitely moving in that direction. The momentum is moving forward and it is increasing in speed. My legacy is to be a part of this renaissance, and be a part of the group that helps recreate the downtown area.
DAVID: My vision for downtown is that of vibrant thriving bustling hub of activity. I want to see as much diversity in shops and Ideas, all working together offering the public a variety of items to choose from. I am looking for a harmonious atmosphere of artist and business shops.
FRANCO: How did you get involved with Lemon Street and why?
DAVID: I got involved with Lemon Street for the Money!!!
FRANCO: You’re holding out on me…what money!
DAVID: No, I just love the creative atmosphere and the people involved with Lemon Street. I just walk through the gallery and wonder how people can be so creative!!. I am always awed and amazed by the creative artist that display there work in the gallery
.
MARK: I met Melanie and Steve Hovey and they became personal friends. I started to come to the gallery and was exposed to all of the wonderful artwork, and got hooked on Lemon Street. I think Melanie and Steve have created a fantastic place to inspire people into the arts, and cultivate established artists.
They did this for our community, and went to great lengths to make sure that Lemon Street will be here long after they are gone. What an incredible legacy for the Kenosha community! I was honored earlier this year when Melanie and Franco asked me to be a party of the Lemon Street board as Vice President. I love to just be around Franco, Melanie, and Steve. They are so creative that the ideas on any subject just flow!
Subscribe by Email
Follow EK in twitter
6 comments ↓
What a great interview! Nice job, Franco!
I enjoyed learning more about two of my very favorite people. Mark and David’s vision for Downtown is heartfelt, and the time and talent (and financial support) they put toward making Kenosha a creative community is inspiring. Their dedication and hard work paves the way toward a strong Kenosha that supports the arts, commerce, tourism and creates a participatory government. Kudos, you two!
Gush! What nice things to say about Stephen and me… Really, 9 years ago, Kenosha was so ready for an organization like Lemon Street Gallery. Stephen and I were just in the fortunate position to facilitate its development. It’s not often in life people find a way to truly feed their passions. We just jumped on an opportunity that was presented to make something remarkable for our community. Thanks for being Board members. Your involvement will surely bring us to the next level.
It’s people like Mark, and David that make me proud to work and live in Kenosha. The downtown and harborside areas are just bursting with potential, and we will continue to value the contributions that these men are making here! Thank You! And thank you to Franco for another great interview!
I should jump into “Expose Kenosha” more often. The article is so interesting and reflective of two great gentlemen and writer Franco. Thank you to all three of you. Kenosha wins! See you in the heart of the city. Judy
These two guys make me proud to live in Kenosha. they are what is helping our city become the “pearl on the lake”.
Nice interview Franco. Mark and David are prime examples of doers in this community. They have a plan and implement it. That same attitude permeates KUPP, can’t say how proud I am of their improvements to Union Park. At one time they benches were beat up, trash was strewn on the grass and it got to be rather dangerous to be around. Now it’s clean, there’s a beautiful garden on the east end, along with the mosaic planters. What a nice job!! It really makes me proud to be part of Harborside. My wife, Jayne Herring and I have lived her for 23 years, they will have to take us both out by ambulance before we move. Keep up the good work, Mark and David. I’ve come to know Mark through circuit training at The Source of Training, he has really gone out of his way to help me learn the ever-changing exercises. The one downside in following him around the circuit is that he has way too much weight on the machines!! But nobody’s perfect!!
I have enjoyed working out with Gary and Jane very much at the Source. I wish that Dave and I could take credit for what is going on at Union Park, but this really has been something that Franco and Melanie started and many others in the area are working on. I hope to put more effort into Union Park in the near future and we are trying to find some property in that area so we can spend more of our efforts there. Thank you all so much for the wonderful comments. Peace!
Leave a Comment