DOWAGIAC — A year marked with triumph and tragedy, of new beginnings and fond farewells, of unity and conflict, 2017 was littered with unforgettable moments in the history of Dowagiac.

Before we flip the calendar to yet another New Year, our newsroom will be taking a look back at the seminal events of the past 12 months, as we count down the 10 stories of the year, as determined by our staff. We will recap several stories per day over the next several issues, culminating in our top story of 2017 Friday.

We will kick off our countdown with stories 10 through eight:

10. Longtime educators, community fixtures retire

After dedicating decades of their lives to bettering the lives of members of the community, a group of beloved Dowagiac fixtures decided to take their final bows this year.

Several Dowagiac Union Schools educators, including Dowagiac Union High School art teacher Dean Hill, choir director Jeff Robinson and Patrick Hamilton Elementary School instructor Gloria Staten, retired from the local district at the end of the 2016/17 school year in June. The trio of educators had 96 years of experience working with Dowagiac students between them — Hill with 45, Staten with 36 and Robinson with 15.

Judging by the response the stories of their retirement received on social media alone, it was obvious that the retiring educators had made a massive impact on the lives of the many students they took under their wings the last several decades.

Outside the hallowed halls of the city’s schools, several other fixtures of Dowagiac decided to stop out of the public spotlight this year.

In April, longtime Treasurer Robin Coffey closed the book on her tenure with city hall, retiring after 20 years on the job. In December, another prolific public servant, Dowagiac Police Officer James Kusa, retired after 40 years protecting residents.

Several members of the city’s business community also said their farewells this year. Local dentist Charles Burling retired from his practice after spending 41 years caring for the teeth of local residents, while optician Alan Montgomery retired from his practice after 40 years of helping his neighbors see more clearly.

9. SMC professor accused of sexual assault

A former psychology instructor at Southwestern Michigan College found himself embroiled in controversy this past September, after authorities charged him with several counts of criminal sexual conduct.

George Field, 57, of Dowagiac, was arraigned on Sept. 27 on charges of first-degree, second-degree and fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct, along with a count of practicing psychology/counseling without a license. His case is currently pending in Cass County Court.

Police accused Field of having sexual intercourse with a 20-year-old former student of the college between September 2015 and June 2016. The victim was coming to Field, a professor at the college, for counseling at the private psychology practice he was working at the time, the Family Center in Dowagiac.

According to Cass County Prosecutor Victor Fitz, at some during their sessions together Field began “grooming” the victim, taking advantage of her vulnerabilities to victimize her. Eventually, he began kissing and groping the woman, and invited her over to his residence located next to the business, where they engaged in intercourse on at least three occasions, the prosecutor said.

Earlier this year, the victim reported Field’s actions to the college, whose administration told her to report the incident to police. The police’s investigation culminated in Field’s arrest in September.

SMC officials conducted their own investigation into Field’s conduct, resulting in his termination shortly before his arraignment on the CSC charges. According to the school, Field’s actions seemed “out of character,” as he had received positive evaluations from students and was a finalist in 2016 for the school’s part-time instructor of the year award.

8. Tornado touches down in Dowagiac

March got off to turbulent start — literally — as an EF1 tornado ripped through parts the Dowagiac during the late evening hours of Feb. 28.

Winds as fast as 70 mph, intense rainstorms and hail pellets as large as 1 inch in diameter pelted several Dowagiac neighborhoods that evening, falling many trees and damaging several homes in the process. The storm left many without power, though its impact was felt most in a 10-block area, from Riverside Cemetery to the railroad crossing on High Street.

Meteorologists with the National Weather Service initially believed the storm was a series of intense thunderstorms, though further investigation into the matter determined that the damage was caused by one of three EF1 tornadoes that spawned in the area that evening, along with ones in Niles and Vandalia.

In spite of the power of the storm, by 10 a.m. Wednesday morning, most residents had their power restored to them. Most importantly, there were no reported injuries.