Clarence Monette was born on January 13, 1935 in Lake Linden, Michigan, and spent his childhood in that community. Following his graduation from Lake Linden-Hubbell High School in 1953, he enlisted in the United States Army and his service included a tour to Germany where he served as an administrator, field artillery man, and specialist in medical and operating room procedures. He returned briefly to civilian life in 1956, taking classes at Suomi College (now Finlandia University) in Hancock. Monette returned to the military in 1956, taking employment the Army ROTC Department at Michigan Technological University. Before his retirement on April 29, 1988, he served as an instructor, finance officer, manager, medic, and also attended classes as a student. Monette retired from the U.S. Army Reserves as a Sergeant First Class (E-7) in 1995. Monette has been active with many local and regional organizations. He has worked with a number of youth organizations, including the Boy Scouts of America (Monette served as area scoutmaster), the Adventure 4-H Club, the Houghton County 4-H Council, and the Keweenaw County 4-H Council. More significantly, Clarence Monette has been actively involved in a number of local historical societies and heritage organizations. He was a founding member of the Copper Country Heritage Council and the Keweenaw County Historical Society and has served as an executive board member for the Copper Range Historical Society, the U.P. Fire Fighters Memorial Museum, the Norwegian Lutheran Church Historical Society, and the Keweenaw County Historical Society. Monette also served as editor for The Superior Signal, the newsletter of the Keweenaw County Historical Society and The Champion Line, the newsletter of the Copper Range Historical Society. In addition to writing content for local historical society newsletters, Monette is author of more than fifty small volumes examining aspects of Copper Country history. Monette’s first work, Cor-Ago: a Lake Linden Medicine Company, began as a term paper for a local history class he attended at Michigan Tech. The book was made available to the public in 1974 with an initial print run of 100 copies.