Culver Inn  

1954 - 10 March - Culver citizen - Edwin W. Dybing Changes Name of the Maxinkuckee Inn to the the Culver Inn.

New Highway Signs At Strategic Points Over State Stress Community As a Ideal Convention Site

It's the Culver Inn! That's the new and more appropriate name for the famed hostelry and resort center adjacent to the campus of the Culver Miltiary Academy which has been operated for the past 20 years as the Maxxkinkuckee Inn.

Built in 1880, the spacious and colorful inn, which abounds in treausred happy memories, was known as the Palmer House for several decades


Edwin W. Dybing, who come here from Cape Cod, Mass., last October to take over the 84-room establishment (all with private bath), today makes formal announcement of the change in name to the Culver In.

Culver, because of the renown of the Culver Military Academy, is a familiar word throughout the entire world. On the other hand the Indiana word, Maxinkuckee, although beautiful and intriguing, is hardly known beyond the Midwest

The Culver Citizen Press changed its name to the Culver Press last November for the same reason since tis job printing comes from all over the United States. Moreover, the word Citizen was simply a carry-over from the local newspaper which it publishes.

An Astue Hotel Man

Already Mr. Dybing, an astute hotel man, who readily feels the pulse of the traveling public, is placing handsome and impressive directional signs pointing the way to Culver and the Culver Inn at strategic points near Indianapolis, Rochester, Plymouth, and South Bend. The "Buy In Culver" movement, sponsored by the Culver Chamber of COmmerce, also is bound to b enefit from Mr. Dybing's forsight and aggressiveness.

Currently he is preparing a pictorial folder, to be printed at The Culver Press, which will point out the attactions and advatanges of the Culver Inn as a concention site.

There will be plenty of innocation at the Culver Inn when the summer season opens. Its hugh pier will welcome all power boats and sailing craft. Buffet suppers will be served on the spacious lawn nightly

Native of Norway

Mr Dybing, prominet New England innkeeper and widely known in Eastern hotel management circles, is a native of Norway. He has been in hotel management work for the past 22 years and has operations in New England and Florida. He is owner of the Wequassett Inn on Capr Cod.

Mrs Dybing and their 10-year old daughter, Sally are presently in Flordai

A director of the Massachusetts Hotel Association and the American Hotel Association, he is a member of Boston Epicurean Club and Vatal (Epicurean) Club of New York City. He is also a member of the St. Martin F. & A. M. of Chatham, Mass.

Edwin W. Dybing Help's Publicae Culver and Lake Maxinkuckee - Edwin W. Dybing, agressive new manager of the Culver Inn (formerly known as the Macinkuckee Inn), is doing his best to put Culver on the map. Nine of these hugh and attracively painted highway signs with night reflectors have been erected at strategtic points troughout Northern Indiana. Coupled with the signs, soon to be erected by the up-and-coming Culver Chamber of Commerce, our town and Indiana's most beautiful lake will soon be towo of the most publicized spots in the entire state of Indiana.

1954 - Jul 7 - Claude V Deering Joins Staff of The Culver Inn

Claude V. Deering, a native of Germany, is the new assitant manager of the Culver Inn, serving as right-hand man to Edwin W. Dybing. He succeeds RObert Grimes in ths cpacity.

Mr. Deering has had wide experience in the hotel, club and restaurant business, and comes here from the Boston suburb of Cambridge where he manafed the Lincoln's Inn Society at the Harvard Law School.

On July 15, he will be joined here by Mrs. Deering and theiri two children Christopher, 9 and Claudia Louise, 7

1954 - Jul 14 - DiSciullo, Chef At Culver Inn, Dies Suddenly

Anthony Joseph DiSciullo, age 41, died of a heart attack at 7:45 p.m. Monday in Plymouth as he was enroute to South Bend hopital. He had been ill for about 24 hours.

Born in Boston, Mass, on Oct 23, 1912, he spent his entire life there coming to Culver last April where he was employed as Chef at the Culver Inn.

He was a member of a Catholic church in Boston and was a veteran of World War II.

Surviving releative include his wife, Josephine; a daughter, Gilda, a son, Dominic; and two sisters, Mrs. Mary
Bosotto and Mrs. Josephine Simmetti, both of Boston.

The Rosary will be recited at 8 p.m. today at the Easteday Funeral Home with services at 9 a.m. Thursday at St. Ann's Catholic Church at Monterey.

Rev. Joseph A Lenk will officiate and burial will be at the Culver Cemetery.

1955, Jun 15 - Claude V. Deering Returns to the Culver Inn for Summer - Claude V Deering of Boston and Cape Cod, Mass. has returned to the Culver Inn for the summer to asume his former important assignment as assitant manager to Edwn W. Dybing. Mr. Deering's famil will join him here shortly and will remain until mid-September.

1957 - Aug. 7 - New Culver Inn Sign - The Culver Inn has erected an attractive ne directional sign of impressive size at the corner of Lake Shore Drive and Academy Road.

1957 - Dec 25 - New 76-Room Inn Will Be Erected On CMA Campus

Modern Hotel In Building Program

A new ultra-modern hotel to repalce the present Culver Inn was approved by the board of directos of the Culver Educationa Foundation at its annual meeting held recently in Los Angles, Calif.

The present Culve Inn, located on lthe lake shore adjacent to the Culver Military Acasemy campus, has long served patrons and vistitors to the Academy and the Summer Schools. Through the years it has also been operated under the names of the Palmer House and the Maxinkuckee Inn.

Tenatives plans call for a modern 76-room structure. W. B. Ittner, St. Louis, Mo. architect of Gignilliat Memorial Quadrangle and the Eugene C. Eppley Auditotium-Theatre, now under construction has been retained to draw up detailed plans for the new hostelry.

Announced plans came after months of study of the proposal. Complete and modern hotel facilities are to be provided including lounge, dining room, air conditioning, and ample parking space. No date has been set for start of construction.

Under the expert and astute management of Edwin W. Dybing, the Culver Inn has become one of the most popular concention sites in the Midwest.

1958 - The Club was razed

1958 - Dec 31 - The Culver Inn Wins Award From Duncan Hines

Edwin W. Dybing is Manager

Ithaca, N. Y. - The Culver Inn had received the national recognition in the new (1969) edition of "Duncan Hines Lodging for a night" just off the press.

It is the only lodging place in the Culver area included among a 500 selected establishments "Recommeded by Duncan Hines" out of nearly 100,000 in North America.

Edwin W. Dybing is the well known manager of the Culver Inn. He also manages the famous hostelries at Cape Cod Massachusetts, and in the Virgin Islands.

Roy H. Parks, vice-president of the Duncan Hines Institute, said: "We are happy to five deserving recongnition to this establishment and Mr. Dybing by including it in a selected group. This establishment is one of 4 out 100, for our listings of selected lodging places represent only 4 persent of the total in America."

This marks the beginning of the third decade of publishing "Lodging for a Night" (384 pages). The other new Duncan Hines book just out is "Adventures in Good Eating" (383 Pages. which lists 3,500 of the best place to eat.

In 1959 the Culver Inn Motels were built and they officially opened in 1960.

1959 - Sep 30 - Edwin E. Dybing Quits As Manager of Culver Inn

Stouffer Corp. To Take Over

The Culver In on the campus of Culver Military Academy will be operated by Management Food Service, Inc. a subsidiary of Stouffer Corporation, it was announce this morning by Maj. Gen. Delmar T. Spivey Academy suoerintendent.

The appointment, effective immediately, follows the resignation of Edwin E. Dybying who has managed the Inn so ably and efficiently for the last six years.

The Inn at present consists of 56 guest rooms and two dining rooms. Under construction and due for completion by early Novemeber ia a 64-rrom motor lodge addition.

The Inn is operated primarily for the convenience of parents and friends of boys attending Culver Military Academy and Culver Summer School and for the general public.

Management Food Service also operates the Dining Hall facilities at the Academy and Summer schools.

In commnenting on the change in the Inn management, General Spivey said, "We greatly regret loding the services of Mr Dybing, who has done a marvelous job of managing the Inn.

"However, we feel fortunate in obtaining the services of Management Food Service. The organization has provided excellent food in the Dining Hall for the last year. We are confident Management Food Service will provide equally outstanding services in the manafement of all Inn functions."

Management Food Service operates dining facilities for colleges, hospitals, offices and financial institutions throughout the nation. The Stouffer Corporation operates restaurants in leading cities, including New York, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Detriot and Chicago.

1959 - Culver Alumnus magazine from fall, 1959

Management of both the present Inn and the new motel has been turned over to Stouffer Corportation's Management Food Service, Incorporated, (the same people who have been managing the Dinning Hall for more than a year) as administrated by their representatives Wilbert H. Schutte and James P. Schall.

Mr. Schutte, executive manager of Management Food Service facilities at Culver (both the Dining Hall and the Inn), has been with Stouffer's for twenty-two years. Beginning as a beverage checker and auditor at the Statler Hotel in Cleveland, he has been a executive manager for stouffer's in Chicago and managed restaurants in Minnneapolis, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia. He has hepled open and redecorate restaurants in Chicago, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. He was president for two years of the Westen Pennsylvania Restaurant Association and was a director of the Minnesots Restraurant Association in Minneapolis.

Mr. Schall, manager of the Inn (both dining and motel faciilities), is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University with a major in hotel administration. Anexecutive assistant manager of Stouffer's for four years, he was most recently catering manager for the Leland Hotel Corporation of Richmond, Indiana. He s member of Hotel Greeters of America.

Plans for Inn Changes

Plans for extensive changes of the present Inn are being formulated. First of the changes are those that have come to the Dining Room

Reorganized along Stouffer Restaurant lines, the menu is being varied and broadened. Such Stouffer standards as sirloin, strip, fourteen-ounce steak; swiss steak; broiled swordfish steak with lemon butter; sugar baked ham with spiced crabapple; choice broiled lamb chiops with mint jelly; roast prime ribs of beef, aujus; marinated herring in sour cream; and Gulf shrimp cocktail (quality and value similar to that of Stouffer's Lamp Light Service) are already offered.

"These changes", explains Mr. Schitte, "are being made to make the visits of Culver's alumni, patrons, and friends to the Academy as pleasant as possible. However, these changes, in order to become a possiblitiy, have had to be based on the assumption that there would be an increase in the year-around business. Any aid these people can give to increase the number of winter and weekday guests at Culver will gratly help our continuing to make these services available at Culver".

1960 Jan 13 - The Cuver Inn Denied 3-Way Liquor License the same license was denied several businesses in Culver.

1960 - Mar 23 - The Culver Inn's Beautiful Dining Room Getting Face Lifted

The Culver Inn dining room famed for its charm and atmosphere, is being revamped. Old tile is being scraped from the floors which willl be re-covered, and the walls are being patched. They will be re-painted. The fork is excpected to be completed by the end of the spring vacation.

Plans are also being made to fully air condition the Inn's lobby and dining room and the Shack by summer.

The East Lodge was demolished in 1960 the West Lodge remained being used first for the band and then was remodeled in the 1970's and became " Linden Hall" which was razed in 2000

1961 - Apr 26 - The Culver Inn to Be Honored by Duncan Hines

Frank B. Krimmel it its Manager

The Culver Inn, so capably managed by Frank B. Krimmel, will be honored as a member of the Quarter Century Club of the Duncan Hines Family next month in Chicago, it has been announced by Roy H. Park, editor-in-chief of the Duncan Hines Institute, Ithaca, NY.

Twenty-five year members are those extablishments where were listed in the first edidition of Duncan Hines "Adventures in Good Eating" in 1936 and still listed in the 1961 editions of the Duncan Hines Travel Books.

Park made known the awards in announcing the annual Duncan Hines Family Dinner, which will be held at Chicago Pick-Congress Hotel on Monday evening, May 22.

"We are happy to single out and honor such establishments, for theirs is a remarkable record in that over the past quarter of ca century they have provided the traveling public with consistently outstanding service", Park said.

This year's dinner will mark the beginning of the second quarter of a century of service to the traveling public. Just 25 years aggo this year the first adition of Duncan Hinea "Adventure of Good Dining" was published.

The Duncan Hines Family includes all the eating, lodging and vacation places listed in current additions of "Adventures in Good Eating", "Lodging for a Night" and the "Art of Carving in the Home". All are published by the Duncan Hines Institute at Ithaca, NY.

The Culver Inn Wins A Ducnan Hines Silver Service Award. - Roy H. Park, editior -in-chief of the Duncan Hines Institute, Ithaca NY presents a Duncan Hines Silver anniversary Service Award to Helen Anderson Chicago's Miss Photoflash of 1961". She accepted the award on behalf of the Culver Inn, Culver, Ind. The only other Indiana presentation went to the Terrace Room at Fort Wayne. The award termed an "Oscar" in this industry, is in recognition of "excellence in service and hospitality over a span of 25 years" to the taveling public. This is the first year the award was presented. It was given only to thos establishments which ere liste in the first Duncan Hines book, "Adventures in Good Eating", and the companion travel books "Lodging for a Night" and "Vacation Guide". - 7 Jun 1961

1962 - Dec 19 - Schutte Named To Head CMA Food Services James C. Kurz To Manage The Inn

Wilbert H. Schutte has been named general manager of The Culver Inn and the dining hall at Culver Military Academy, Fred Vollmer, president of Management Food Service, announced today.

In addition, Vollmer announced that James C. Kurz will become manager of The Culver Inn as of March 1, 1963. Management Food Service is a subsidiary of Stouffer Corporation, Inc., national restaurant chain which operates both The Culver Inn and the dining hall under a joint agreement.

Schutte, who has been senior member of Management Food personnel since the agreement was made with the Academy in 1958, succeeds Donald H. Ralph, manager of The Inn since last March. Ralph has left the campus to take a new position with Michigan State University.

Academy Superintendent Delmar T. Spivey said the changes in management of The Inn will bring a closer working relationship between the Academy and The Inn.

"The elevation of Wilbert Schutte as head of both The Inn and dining hall, and the addition of James Kurz to the Inn management will result in improvement in the services offered visitors, parents, alumni, and cadets," he said. "Schutte's long experience in the food business and Kurz' many years in the business world will be combined for a better relationship between the Academy and The Inn and excellent services for guests."

Although Schutte's primary training was in business administration, he has spent 28 years in the foods business. He spent three years with Statler Hotels, Inc., and in April of next year he will celebrate his twenty-fifth anniversary with the Stouffer organization.

Schutte began with Stouffer as a student manager in Cleveland, and then was made executive assistant manager of the first Stouffer Restaurant in Chicago, opened in 1941 at Randolph and Wabash. He was manager of Stouffer operations in Pittsburgh, Minneapolis, and Philadelphia before taking over as manager of the Academy dining hall in 1958. Scliuttc served as president of the Western Pennsylvania Restaurant Association for two terms.
,br> Kurz, who joined the administrative staff in 1961 to work on the Program for Excellence fundraising campaign, will continue as secretary of the Culver Summer Schools Alumni Association when he takes over as manager of the Inn under Schutte in the spring. Kurz is a graduate of Beloit (Wis.) College and the Culver Summer Schools. Before joining the Culver staff Kurz was engaged in advertising, public relations, and fund-raising activities.

The Culver Inn and Motel are located on the shores of Lake Maxinkuckee and on the campus of Culver Military Academy, nationally known college preparatory school.

In taking over The Inn management, Schutte and Kurz will arrange for conventions and business meetings. The Culver Inn has 14 rooms, while the complete air-conditioned Motel has 64 units. Available for conventions, business meetings, parties, and receptions are many of the facilities of the Academy. These include the 1,550-seat auditorium, a smaller 200-seat theater, complete dining facilities, meeting rooms, and such recreation activities as tennis, golf, swimming, and boating.

The dining hall serves 850 cadets who attend the Academy from September to June and 1,600 boys who are enrolled in the Culver Summer Schools during July and August.

The Maxinkuckee Inn changed its name to the Culver Inn in 1954 and remained under that name until it was razed in 1991:

The main dining area was known as the Payson Room. This is the cover of the last menu used at the Culver Inn, the entire menu can be seen here.

A typical Culver Inn ad

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here are the matches advertising the Maxincukee Inn:

the scenic walkway - past the Culver Inn on the lakefront from a postal card booklet

here is the front of a promotional brochure (can be seen here)

1967 - Sep 21 - James G. Kiurz Resigns As Culver Inn Manager

Mrs. Paula Paine To Fill Post

Mrs. Paula C. Paine has been named acting manager of the Culver Inn following the Resignation of James C. Kurz, who served as manager since 1963.

Kurz will join the staff of a national organization of motels and restaurants and, after additional training, plans to assume the managership of a motel in New York state.

As acting manager of the Culver Inn, Mrs. Paine will be in charge of booking conventions, business meetings, and seminars for the 65-room motel located on the campus of Culver Military Academy.

The Inn and motel are operated by The Culver Educational Foundation. Mrs. Paine has been assistant manager of the Inn since September, 1966, and will serve as acting manager until the appointment of a new manager.

Along with the 65-room motel unit, the Culver Inn includes a dining room, snack bar, small gift shop, and 10 additional room in the main Inn building. Mrs. Paine will coordinate the use of the Eugene C. Eppley Auditorium and other Academy facilities that are made available for conventions and business meetings. - SEPTEMBER 21, 1967 - Culver Citizen

During the late 1970's and early 1980's two very local artistic women done their own rendition of the Culver Inn. Below are snapshots of them.

The first was Barbara Meeker's and she was a summer resident for years on East Shore Dr.

The second was done by Esther Powers now Miller. She has been a member of the Culver Community since the 1950's moving away to the Plymouth area briefly for a few years - but returning to Culver . I am the proud owner of one of these limited prints - as well as many others that Esther has done of the academy, Lake and Culver - some of them are even her original watercolors - that I purchased before 1992. Their website: The Painter & Poet Gallery (please Google)

During the late 1970's. and the 1980's it was let go into a into a state of dis-repair. - slowly If you look hard you an see the paint peeling on the outside of the building in the picture; just under the roof peak on the upper level below.

The Shack was a popular hang out for cadets and employees alike

Even tho in much need of repair - many felt that it was torn down needlessly and could of been re-modeled and brought up to date and still have been a useful building but instead it was torn down some sources say 1989 & 1990 for the Huffington Library.

1991 - January 23 - It was revealed that the Culver Inn was to be demolished sometime in the spring



Maxinkuxkee Inn ~~ Culver Inn ~~ Culver Motels ~~ Candy Shop / Shack

Palmer Housee ~~