Page 3 - The Wayne Dispatch

A tale of love for city and each other

By Carolyn Marnon Cage), Someone to Eat Cheese With
He met his sweetheart in high (with Jeff Garland) and so much
school, but she wasn’t his high more. His largest role you might
school sweetheart. It took 30 years know of is as Bunkie Williams on the
for Wayne Memorial High School Fox show “Empire.”
alumni Antoine McKay and Michelle The couple reconnected at a
Guernsey to reconnect. Now they are Champions of Wayne program
on a journey to bring Wayne more being held at the State Wayne The-
recognition as the fabulous hidden atre on September 25, 2019. “The
gem that it is. more we got to know who we are
While attending WMHS, the two now, we were checking boxes off,”
were involved in choir, forensics, stu- Michelle said. Because Antoine lived
dent council, and theatre together. in Chicago where he has owned a
After high school, each went on to theatre for the past three years, the
pursue different careers. pair had to commute if they wanted
Michelle, whose grandfather de- to see each other. She would drive to
signed the City of Wayne seal, at- Chicago or he would take the train
tended Wayne State University before here.
getting married and having kids. She Michelle decided it was time to
found her way back to WSU where Antoine McKay and Michelle Guernsey on their wedding day July 18, 2020. stop teaching. She was doing well
she earned a bachelor’s degree in with her stained glass business.
Dance Education. She went on to her creativity, Michelle started a writing and written communications. April 30, 2020 was going to be her
teach a creative dance lab. After fur- stained glass mosaic business. She From there, he went to New York to last day at Burger. Before she could
ther education, Michelle found her- has taught classes at Helium Studio act and do a few other things. He get to that date, COVID-19 hit. She
self at Burger School in Garden City in downtown Wayne numerous has appeared in over 20 shows on made the bold decision to travel to
teaching special education. She even- times. Second City’s Main Stage, both in De- Illinois to hunker down along with
tually got a Master’s Degree in Spe- Antoine received a scholarship to troit and Chicago. He has had roles Antoine.
cial Education and also earned study at Eastern Michigan University on Detroit 187, ER, Prison Break,
Trauma Grief Certificates. To fuel where he took classes in imaginative The Weatherman (with Nicholas See Love, page 4

The Wayne Dispatch · January 2021 · 3