MARINE CITY — Gary Kohs' legacy will live on in Marine City, not just at the Mariner Theater upon which he lavished so much care, but in a humanitarian award from the Marine City Chamber of Commerce.
The Gary Kohs Humanitarian Award will honor the late businessman and the city's biggest cheerleader. He died Dec.15 at the age of 73.
Erika DeLange, the chamber's executive director, said the inaugural award went to Laura Scaccia, Kohs' fiancee and partner at the Mariner and in other endeavors.
"He did so much for Marine City in such a short time," DeLange said. "We wanted to continue that drive throughout the residents and area businesses. Just to make sure to carry on that legacy going forward."
In 2015, Kohs and Scaccia renovated the Mariner, a theater built in 1925. It had been converted over the years to offices, at one time even housing the chamber office.
The theater received a new marquee in 2015. It also houses several galleries, including the only official Titanic ship scale model, which is 18 feet long and weighs 10,000 pounds.
Kohs and Scaccia quickly became part of the fabric of downtown Marine City, spearheading several events to draw attention to the area. They organized Guinness Book records for the longest string of popcorn between two countries and the most pumpkins carved simultaneously.
"He was a huge ambassador for Marine City, everywhere he went," DeLange said. "He had such a huge love for this area that everywhere he went he talked about it.
"He had people coming here from all over the world."
Scaccia said the award was wonderful.
"He really has been one of the catalysts for change in Marine City," she said. "I think it was a huge honor. I think he would have been pleasantly surprised to have received it."
She said Kohs had a unique way of looking at things.
"Going back to Gary’s marketing days, he was in some ways they used to call him a marketing genius," she said. "He saw things other people didn’t.
"He saw the potential in the town and all the gems and jewels that it had. He took it on as a challenge."
She said Kohs wanted to make Marine City, and the surrounding area, the top destination for people in Metro Detroit.
"His thing was to make it the No. 1 destination one hour away," she said.
DeLange said the award was presented Jan. 13 during the chamber's annual recognition banquet. Terry Filo, of the Marine City Lions Club, was named the chamber volunteer of the year.
DeLange said the chamber and the city will put together a committee that will evaluate nominees for the Kohs award. The award will be given to a resident of Marine City or surrounding communities who has been personally and visibly involved in humanitarian activities.
According to Scaccia, there should be plenty of nominees.
"As we go forward there are a lot of great people who are doing great things for Marine City," she said.
Contact Bob Gross at (810) 989-6263 or rgross@Gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @RobertGross477.