Our Story

Gov's Training Academy

Walt Gawkowski was born in Muskegon on May 4, 1921. He attended Muskegon public schools and graduated from Muskegon High School in 1941. After graduation, he worked at Central Market before joining the United States Army. Walt served as a company clerk and traveled to France for much of his active duty.

After his honorable discharge in 1946, Walt returned to Muskegon and continued in the grocery business. Later that year, he and childhood friend Orie Panici purchased Campus Market across from Muskegon High School. A few years later, Walt ventured out on his own and purchased a small neighborhood store on Henry Street, naming it Walt’s Henry St. Market.

In 1962, Walt purchased a larger store in Roosevelt Park known as McClary’s Market. At the urging of his wife Rose, it was renamed Gov’s Market. “Gov” was Walt’s nickname, given to him by friends and family because they said he resembled a former Michigan governor. Gov’s Market became a major part of the Muskegon community, known especially for fresh meats and groceries.

Walt operated the store until his retirement in the mid-1980s, when he sold the business to his eldest son Pete. The Gov’s Market name remained until 1987, when Walt and his sons purchased two Subway Sandwich franchises and named the new corporation Gov N Sons Subway Inc.

Today, the business is run by Walt’s grandchildren. Naming the baseball and softball facility Gov’s Training Academy is a tribute to their grandfather, Walt — known to the family as Papa Gov — and the legacy he created.