As sunrise approached on the 998th day Friday, about 130 Lake Linden-Hubbell Public Schools and the community met for a group photo at the district’s athletics field to pay tribute to Sailor’s tenacity.

“It’s a great way to reset and spend time with those that you work with and the kids that you serve, and to do something a little unique,” said Superintendent Brad Codere. “…It worked out really, really well.”

The photo was the idea of Maureen Shick, a math teacher at Lake Linden-Hubbell. She issued a sunrise challenge to all Upper Peninsula schools.

For years, she’d been following the sunrise photos by Sailor, a Baraga native who now lives in Marquette.

Photo provided by Walter Dennis Left: The crowd saluting Busy Sailor’s 1,000th sunrise photo is seen in an overhead shot in Lake Linden Friday.

A group photo would be a good way to build community spirit, she thought. And for students, Sailor’s example also reinforces the value of setting a goal and reaching it.

“Last year, they got kicked out, they got masked, they showed up every day,” Sailor said. “So they did their part.”

Sailor learned of the tribute through the school’s Facebook page. As thanks, he sent over a package with stickers, a postcard of the Sept. 24, 2019 sunrise, and cards with “sunrise pledges” — vows to watch more sunrises this year than last year and not to be discouraged by adversity.

He also included a thank-you note. Whether one person showed up or the entire school, he said, he was grateful.

“I nearly cried reading the school’s post on Facebook,” he wrote. “It’s such a great way to bring people together. If the sun fails to show, if it rains or snows, remember, the sun still rises.”

Sailor’s words were prophetic, as Friday’s sunrise was obscured by a layer of fog. But students still enjoyed the experience.

“I think it’s a nice gesture for everyone to come out and celebrate the guy who took the pictures,” said 12th-grader Troy Corrigan.