As executive director of Westminster’s Wellness Center, Kim Lorentz works in the basement of Westminster Hall, caring for the well-being of Westminster students, faculty and staff. This summer, however, Lorentz found herself 112 feet above the Lake Michigan shoreline, caring for Big Sable Lighthouse.
Employed by the College during the months of August through May, Lorentz finds time to travel extensively with her husband, Dave, in June and July as well as on many weekends throughout the year thanks to Dave’s pilot’s license.
“Travel has become a big part of our lives given both of our children have finished college,” Lorentz explains. “Plane ownership has allowed us to visit all of the lower 48 states.”
The adventurous empty nesters discovered lighthouse keeping on a trip to Michigan last fall. Volunteers at White River Light Station in White Hall introduced them to Lakeshore Keepers, an organization that manages five lighthouses in the area.
“With the advent of GPS, lighthouses are no longer necessary for maritime navigation,” Lorentz says.
Yet the structures remain fascinating to locals and visitors alike. And they need dedicated people like Lorentz to care for them.
June 8-14, Lorentz and Dave welcomed between 200 and 300 guests to Big Sable each day, answering questions and repeatedly climbing the steps of the 159-year-old lighthouse located near Ludington State Park.
Lorentz is unphased that her summer vacation involved work and rigorous exercise. That’s just the kind of person — and Westminster employee — the nurse practitioner is.
As she prepares for the next semester, Lorentz will trade lighthouse stairs for the familiar stairs of Westminster Hall, returning to the work she loves. The College looks forward to welcoming her back for the 2026-2027 academic year!
Sarah Rummel Backer is the Director of Media Relations and Senior Writer at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. A proud Westminster graduate, Sarah has more than 20 years of experience in marketing and strategic communications in the areas of higher education, medicine, agriculture, and the private business sector.
