“Fueled by boundless enthusiasm” — Dennis Skupinski of the Michigan WWI Centennial Commission

Many of us who have worked with the World War One Centennial Commission and the Doughboy Foundation were saddened with the news that Dennis Skupinski, the Michigan State Commission Chair WWI amateur historian, passed away suddenly in his home.

Dennis Supinski frequently appeared in podcasts and YouTube videos about Michigan in World War I. Click the image above to watch one of his podcasts.

Among State Commission Chairs, Dennis was among the most active and engaged executives, ceaselessly promoting the Michigan and Michiganders contributions to the Great War.  His service to Michigan and the National Commemoration effort began with a lobbying effort to the State Legislature and Governor Rick Snyder to create a Michigan State Commission.  As a reward for his advocacy, he was appointed Michigan State Chair.

Fueled by boundless enthusiasm, Dennis crisscrossed the state, promoting the commemoration and speaking to veterans, communities, and civic groups to energize efforts to observe the 100 year anniversary.

Dennis was instrumental in organizing and promoting a centenary exhibition at the Michigan military Heritage Museum in Grass Lake to showcase the many contributions of Michiganders, both in uniform and at the home front.  Dennis, an avid collector of WWI uniforms, donated the collection to the museum for the special exhibition.  Dennis also donated hundreds of hours to the museum.

As Chair, he took to the internet producing over 100 YouTube videos about Michigan and WWI.  He arranged for the National WWI Memorial “maquette” to come to Grass Lake so the citizens of the Great Lakes State could see a replica of the 58-foot bronze wall (“A Soldier’s Journey”) to be commemorated in Washington DC later in 2024.  He planted dozens of “Liberty Gardens” with his own funds and donated the harvest to local food banks.

The Centennial Commission and the Doughboy Foundation salute and honor Dennis’ selfless service to his beloved Michigan and the cause he loved so much.   May he rest in peace.  His online obituary can be found here.

Dennis Skupinski (third from right) joins members of the band Sabaton onstage during their concert in Grand Rapids, MI on on February 26, 2018. Skupinski presented Sabaton with an official Certificate of Excellence at the event.

A noteworthy event that Dennis organized in Grand Rapids, Michigan during the Centennial Commemoration was an event honoring the Swedish metal band Sabaton for bringing the history of World War One alive for their fans.  Read the all about the event on the Life in Michigan web site.

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