Saturday, April 05, 2014

Detroit: Then and Now


An interactive look at the growth, decline, and revival 
of the city of Detroit 
through historic and present-day pictures. 


                           1950-2000s - Deindustrialization
                           1940s-1970s - Unrest
                           1970's-Today - Decay
                           Revival

A project of DETROITURBEX.COM

Detroit Tigers History: An Interactive Timeline




A LIFE REMEMBERED

PHILIP NYE

Famed Radio & TV Newsman


Philip Nye was the news director at the legendary WKNR Contact News in Dearborn/Detroit in the mid-1960's working with names like Bill Bonds and Eric Smith as well. Phil made it to several of the Detroit Radio Reunions.
He passed away peacefully on March 20, 2014.  He was 87.  Born in Newark, Ohio on March 1, 1927, he was a proud graduate of The Ohio State University where he studied theater and journalism.  He had a long and distinguished career in radio and television.  Mr. Nye worked actively as a broadcast journalist until the age of 86.

Other highlights of his career include News Director of legendary radio station WKNR Keener 13 during its 1960's heyday; investigative reporter and anchor for KTLA-TV in Los Angeles; and most notably News Director for WXYZ-TV where he built one of the best news teams in the country. He went on to head news departments at WABC in New York and KGO in San Francisco before joining ABC as Vice President of their owned and operated news division. He later became a partner in Burnham Broadcasting, managing television stations in Green Bay, WI, Bakersfield, CA and New Orleans, LA.

He was an avid reader and loved old movies, enjoyed cooking, playing golf and watching his beloved OSU Buckeyes play football.  He is survived by his daughters Jo-Allison (Jeffry) Floyd, Kimberly McMahon, Tracey Millard and Cindy (Mark) Malin;  eleven grandchildren  Megan, Matthew, Tyler, Ryan, Colin, Christopher, Scott, Kelsey, Meredith, Allie and McKenna. And one great grandchild, Jayden. He was predeceased by his wife Joanne Phillips and daughter Pamela (Michael) McGillivary.

Most recently Phil lived in West Bloomfield and Shelby Township, Michigan and worked on local cable productions at Comcast.

Memorial donations may be made to Special Olympics.

There is a phenomenal amount of news, photos and airchecks on the web site: Motor City Radio Flashbackshttp://www.mcrfb.com/?cat=19

A LIFE REMEMBERED

WILLIAM CLAY FORD

March 14, 1925 - March 9, 2014
William Clay Ford, the Detroit Lions owner 
and last surviving grandson of Henry Forddied at 88 of pneumonia.
He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Martha Firestone Ford
daughters Martha Ford Morse (Peter), Sheila Ford Hamp (Steven), 
and Elizabeth Ford Kontulis (Charles); son William Clay Ford, Jr. (Lisa); 
14 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

READ MORE in The Detroit Free Press

READ ABOUT MR. FORD on Wikipedia

Photo Gallery: Remembering William Clay Ford


Photo Gallery: Martha Firestone Ford

Alice Cooper documentary

Legendary Detroit rocker Alice Cooper is the subject of documentary that will be screening in April at the Tribeca Film Festival. 

“Super Duper Alice Cooper”
will have its world premiere at the prestigious New York City event. The film uses rare archival footage to track how Vincent Furnier went from Detroit rocker to heavy-makeup heavy metal superstar in the 1970s. It’s part of the festival’s Spotlight section co-sponsored by the Lincoln Motor Company.


The Tribeca bash runs April 16-27. For more information, go to the festival’s website.

Preserving The History of Metro Detroit's Catholic Schools

Dominican High School - 1962

Mike Butler, a 1971 graduate of all-boys Detroit Catholic Central, is an attorney is real life, and an archivist in his down time. In exploring the artifacts from his own family's past, he discovered the genesis of a project to preserve Detroit-area Catholic school history. Butler, 60, of Livonia, founded the Detroit Catholic School Heritage Project in late 2011 and its website, www.bishopgallagher.orgThe website has historical information and some 300 photos from long-gone, as well as still-thriving, Detroit-area Catholic schools. 
Mike is accumulating photos, scanning yearbooks and compiling history. With other volunteers and Catholic school alums, Butler is planning to establish a nonprofit and find a site to display the artifacts from an era when the six-county Archdiocese of Detroit boasted 360 Catholic schools, compared with 95 now. The website’s name honors Detroit Bishop Michael Gallagher, who presided over a Catholic school building boom in the 1920s and was the namesake for a high school in Harper Woods, which is now closed.
READ MORE in The Detroit Free Press
Metro Detroit Catholic schools, past and present

Vernors: Good for What Ales You


From the website
www.downwithdetroit.com

BOOK ~ From Soupy To Nuts!

  CONDITION:  NEW!  

FROM SOUPY TO NUTS! 
BY TIM KISKA

$35 ea. plus shipping

I have three NEW copies of this terrific book for sale.
It has been out-of-print for several years.
On Amazon, this book in new condition is $85.
The reviews about it are outstanding.
______

Here's a description of what's inside:

Back in the 1940s – before coaxial cable from the 
East Coast reached Detroit – television was as local as 
Vernors, Sanders Hot Fudge and Hudson’s. There was room 
for clowns, bowlers, philosophers, journalists, adventurers, 
movie mavens, wrestlers and magicians.

The people who put these shows on were drunks, geniuses,
thugs, heroes, artists, craftsmen, hustlers and poets. 
Some were all of these things at times. 
A few were all these things before lunch.

As the medium grew, thousands of Detroiters visited Channel 4 
to see Milky the Clown, danced on Channel 62’s The Scene 
or tuned in to watch bombastic anchorman Bill Bonds
With the evaporation of distinct local television, a piece 
of Detroit’s character disappeared.

From Soupy to Nuts! is a snapshot of Detroit TV history – 
from Sonny Eliot, Bozo the Clown, Bill Kennedy, 
Lou Gordon and Gil Maddox to Al Ackerman, 
Sir Graves Ghastly, Dick the Bruiser 
and Mr. Belvedere.

Monday, March 03, 2014

PHOTOS: Where We Ate

Burger Chef

 
Greenfields

Howard Johnson's

Huck's Lakeshore

Machus Red Fox

Stockholm's

 Stouffer's

  Susie Q.

Ted's

Sunday, March 02, 2014

DOCUMENTARY ~ MC5: A True Testimonial


The absolutely terrific documentary MC5: A True Testimonial was made in 2002 but never had a theatrical run and has never been released on DVD. Other than screenings at film festivals, the movie has mostly gone unseen despite receiving stellar reviews. The reasons were legal entanglements that often cripple or doom rockumentaries to obscurity, the details of which I’m not going to get into because they involve friends I don’t want to piss off.

Here’s a rare chance to see MC5: A True Testimonial. It may not last long on YouTube so I suggest watching it now. A finer film on the Motor City 5 will doubtlessly never be made.

Marc Campbell, www.DangerousMind.net

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Johnny Ginger still gettin' out there!

Robin Seymour and Johnny Ginger in 2006

Detroit television star entertains fans in Livonia

Detroit television icon Johnny Ginger was in his element earlier this week as he sang and joked his way through a free public performance at Marycrest Heights, a senior independent living center in Livonia.

He easily drew laughs, applause and eventually a standing ovation as he entertained with songs, a running gag, and jokes, bringing back memories of his wacky kids’ shows, Curtain Time Theater, which ran from 1958-60, and The Johnny Ginger Show, from 1960-68, both on WXYZ-TV Channel 7.

READ MORE in the Observer & Eccentric

Sanders Newest Bumpy Cake

CHECK IT OUT:

A LIFE REMEMBERED


ANNA GORDY GAYE

The funeral for music entrepreneur and Motown executive Anna Gordy Gaye was on Feb. 12 at Forest Lawn in Los Angeles. Gaye died Friday in L.A., age 92, of natural causes.

The former Detroiter is defined in headlines by her relationship to powerful men — her brother was Motown founder Berry Gordy Jr., and her husband Marvin Gaye. But just like all of Gordy’s sisters, Anna was a memorable, entrepreneurial woman in her own right, integral in the founding of her brother’s Detroit company, and in the revolutionary “Motown sound.”

READ MORE from The Detroit News: 


A LIFE REMEMBERED

GARY GRIMSHAW
Poster artist and Minister of Art for the White Panther Party 
has died after a long illness at the age of 67.
 

READ MORE:
http://www.retrokimmer.com/2014/01/sad-newslegendary-poster-artist-gary.html


A NIGHT OF GRANDE LOVE 
A benefit was held to celebrate the life of iconic poster artist Gary Grimshaw

A LIFE REMEMBERED

WILLIAM A. MOSS

Detroit Artist

Bill Moss was born on Detroit, Michigan’s east side November 20, 1943 the youngest child of the late Joseph Allen Moss and Helen Dyer Moss. His daily commute to Detroit’s Cass Technical High School heightened his interest in the history and architecture of his home town. He graduated from Cass Technical in 1962 and continued his education at Wayne State University, receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in 1966.

KEVIN MAYER'S VERY OWN BOBLO



Kevin Mayer loves everything Boblo. So much so that he created his own miniature Boblo Island Amusement Park in his home. The detail is astonishing. You're sure to recognize many of the rides.

Thursday, January 02, 2014

GoDaddy drops the ball...and not on New Year's Eve

My apologies to all of the Yahoo!, Comcast, Cox or other email service subscribers who didn't receive the December 2013 Detroit Memories Newsletter

The software I use for the broadcast email notice is supported by GoDaddy. Until recently, after 10 years of being their customer, I haven't experienced any problems. But lately, it's been one thing after another.

Over 400 emails bounced last month. I submitted an Inquiry about the problem and was told that it was being sent to a higher level resolution team. That's pretty much where it stands. No word on whether the problem has been fixed. I can only cross my fingers that this month's issue reaches everyone...or most everyone.

Also, several subscribers have reported receiving the notice for the Newsletter in ASCII instead of HTML. If that's happening to you, I'll need a copy of the source file or an .EML file. Please send it to me at: info@detroitmemories.com

In the future, if you don't receive the notice about the Newsletter by the 7th of the month, you can always come directly to this blog by using this URL:
detroitmemories.blogspot.com

My sincere wishes to you for a happy and healthy 2014! And thank you all for your terrific support of Detroit Memories!

Eileen

UPDATE 1/6/2014: It appears the problem with the email accounts has been fixed.

Cinderella Photos and Story


A big thank you to Sarah Sobczak for sharing the Cinderella's Glass Slipper 1960 photos and story (July 2013). I remember those events; after reading the article I see I was one of the 6,000+ little girls who waited in line to try on the glass slipper

I had thought the event was held at J.L. Hudson, as I remember standing in a line which wrapped around several blocks and buildings downtown maybe Hudson's was one of those mammoth buildings.  I remember walking into a large auditorium and sitting down to be "fitted with the shoe." I was only 4 or 5 years old at the time, so my memory wasn't detailed. I do remember the consolation gift was a 9" beautiful doll encased in a plastic bell shaped enclosure. Those are still keepsakes, five years worth that I do cherish.

I would love to hear or read an even more detailed account of this event in Detroit's history. 

Thank you to Eileen for continuing to compile these fond Detroit memories, they truly are treasures to maintain.

Dianne Zak
St. Ladislaus HS, 1974

CLICK HERE to view the photos of the Cinderella's Glass Slipper.

NOTE: A consolation prize of an 8" doll 'dressed to the nines' enclosed in a plastic bell-shaped container was given to those whose foot did not fit the shoe. 

A LIFE REMEMBERED

Yusef, performing at the Detroit Jazz Festival in 2007

YUSEF LATEEF

Legendary tenor saxophonist, oboist, flutist and composer Yusef Lateef, whose 75-year odyssey in music took him from the jazz clubs of Detroit to the fields of Africa, the world of classical music and the halls of academia, died Monday at his home in Shutesbury, Mass, near Amherst. He was 93.

READ MORE

January 2014 Newsletter Sponsor

This month's 
Detroit Memories Newsletter
is sponsored by:
Bill Haffner
Divine Child HS, 1969
________________________

Sponsor this monthly
Detroit Memories Newsletter
reaching more than 3,000 subscribers in the
U.S., 
Japan, U.K., Israel, Canada and more
for as little as $20!

Kevin Mayer's Boblo

Kevin Mayer is an avowed Boblo Island fanatic and an ex-employee of the now defunct amusement park. He has assembled a miniature version of the parks rides in detail. You can view a Facebook video of his working model when you CLICK HERE.

He also has The Bug ride in his backyard!

Saturday, December 07, 2013

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Christmas Carol (Maureen Bailey)
puts the finishing touches on a model car.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Celebrate the Holidays with memories of
Detroit during the Holiday Season.



~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Wishing you and yours a wonderful Holiday Season!

REMEMBERING WHEN...



DETROIT'S HOLIDAY TRADITIONS
by William Moss

The 36th Annual J. L. Hudson Company Thanksgiving Day Santa Parade started at 9:25 a.m. on November 22, 1962.  At 10:53 a.m. Santa arrived at the Ice Castle and was greeted by Christmas Carol and Channel 4 weatherman Sonny Elliott.  Mayor Jerome Cavanagh presented Santa the nicest key of all – the key to the hearts of good boys and girls. Notice the yellow fork lift that brought Santa from his Reindeer Float to the Ice Castle.


Reprinted with permission. 
See more works by William Moss




~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

William Moss has captured Detroit's past in his limited edition lithographs, along with a DVD which brings to life the memories of the city that he knew. 

Bill has a passion for Detroit and shows it in his work - you can almost feel the vibrations from the passing street cars on the brick streets, taste a Boston Cooler at Vernors, or hear the roar of the crowd at the corner of Michigan & Trumbull.  Remember standing on the deck of the Bob-Lo boat in a balmy breeze, or feeling the blustery winds while watching Santa arrive to receive the Key to the City of the Straits?

Bill was born on Detroit's East side in 1943. His daily commute to Cass Technical High School heightened his interest in the history and architecture of his home town. He graduated from Cass Tech in 1962 and continued his education at Wayne State University, receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in 1966. His highly detailed style of painting is a result of combining extensive historical research with a career as an architectural delineator.

OUR HOLIDAY PHOTOS


Karen Vander Putten (nee Kloss), age 5, 
at J.L. Hudson's in 1955. 
Pershing 1968 graduate.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~



~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Like to have your photo added to the Holiday Photo gallery?
Email it to me at
info@detroitmemories.com

LUNCH with ROBIN SEYMOUR

Saturday, Dec 7, 2013
Sunshine's Motor City Cafe
Tempe AZ

What a fun time we had with Robin!

A LIFE REMEMBERED

DWAYNE X. RILEY

Longtime Detroit broadcaster Dwayne X. Riley, a 35-year veteran of Channel 4 (WWJ-TV, then WDIV) died Wednesday after heart surgery at St. Johns Hospital in Detroit. He was 84.

Riley was one of the dwindling number of TV anchors who came to the medium from radio and print and were more prized for their writing ability and unflappable delivery than for on-camera pizzazz.


READ MORE From The Detroit News, Susan Whitall

December 2013 Newsletter Sponsor

This month's 
Detroit Memories Newsletter
is sponsored by:
Ron & Nancy Gosselin

________________________


Thank you, Ron & Nancy!

Sponsor this monthly
Detroit Memories Newsletter
reaching 3,000 subscribers in the
U.S., 
Japan, U.K., Israel, Canada and more
for as little as $20!

Friday, December 06, 2013

Upcoming Class Reunions


Saturday, March 24, 2014
Warren Fitzgerald High School is having a 40-year reunion for members of the graduating class of 1974. The reunion will begin at 6 p.m. at Club Monte Carlo, located at 50265 Van Dyke Ave. in Shelby Township. Tickets are $45 per person. For more information, call (586) 291-7998 or (248) 496-8916.

Tuesday, November 05, 2013

Hudson's Thanksgiving Day Parade 1962


Detroit Remember When: The History of Detroit Television

Detroit Public TV Fundraiser
Monday, December 2, 2013
8 PM

Celebrate Detroit’s legacy with The History of Detroit Television, a Public TV documentary detailing our contribution to media in the 20th century and beyond.  

The History of Detroit Television is more than just a film. It’s a living museum, a monument to a time that could easily be forgotten. This program is a salute to a time when TV was as local as Vernors, Sanders Hot Fudge and Hudsons. The stars of the day were Soupy Sales, Van Patrick, Lou Gordon, George Pierrot, Bill Kennedy, Milky The Clown and host of other colorful characters. Their influence was enormous and they contributed to Detroit’s sense of community. We remember a time when a cub scout troop could visit Sagebrush Shorty while future stars such as Stevie Wonder and Bob Seger made their first television appearances on Robin Seymour’s Swingin’ Time


Using rare footage and clips as well as conversations with many of Detroit’s television pioneers, The History of Detroit Television goes back to the day Detroiters saw their first television programs in 1947 and shows how local television became an important part of the fabric of Detroit’s unique identity. This exciting nostalgic program will make its debut as part of Detroit Public TV’s fundraising efforts and will be replayed multiple times over the course of the year. 


Join us as we introduce a chapter of Detroit history to new generations and provide a nostalgic look back for those who enjoyed these personalities and programs when they first appeared.

Monday, November 04, 2013

Sunday, October 06, 2013

October Newsletter Sponsor

This Newsletter is Sponsored by

TOM RYAN
St. Gregory HS, 1960

on behalf of 

Sgt. SactoCount Scary and Hudson's Thanksgiving Parade Santa

________________________

Thank you, Tom!

Sponsor this monthly
Detroit Memories Newsletter
reaching 3,000 subscribers in the U.S.,

Japan, U.K., Israel, Canada and more
for as little as $20!

A LIFE REMEMBERED: Gates Brown


Tigers great Gates Brown,
master of the lost art of pinch-hitting


Gates Brown, an outfielder who played his entire 13-year major league career with the Detroit Tigers, has died. He was 74.
Brown played on Detroit's 1968 team that won the World Series, and was part of another title with the Tigers in 1984 as a batting coach.
READ MORE by John Lowe, Detroit Free Presss Sports Writer

Milky the Clown


What’s the magic word?
If your answer is “Twin Pines” you’ve probably spent countless
Saturday afternoons in front of the family TV enjoying the
mystifying magic of Milky the Clown. Milky is one of the legends
of Detroit TV. Clare Cummings was the man behind the legend.

to read more about Clare Cummings
by Ed Golick, www.DetroitKidShow.com
__________________________


This Twin Pines milk bottle from the estate of Clare Cummings
recently sold on eBay for $154!

Detroit's Mayors


ALBERT E. COBO 1950-1957

LOUIS C. MIRIANI 1957-1962

JEROME P. CAVANAGH 1962-1970

ROMAN S. GRIBBS 1970-1974

COLEMAN A. YOUNG 1974-1994

READ MORE: 

VIDEO: WXYZ Reunion History by Megan Saunders and Erik Smith



Read the article
about the WXYZ Reunion held Sept 28, 2013.

VIDEO: The Long Career of TV Anchor Erik Smith in 3.5 Minutes

Detroit Telephone Exchanges






Check out the discussion and view photos of the various
Michigan Bell buildings in the Detroit area.

http://atdetroit.net/forum/messages/6790/63149.html

Thank you to Mike Meredith for the above photos.