18 June 2022

The Gift of an Autobiography: Junior High Friendships and Sports

I will continue sharing my dad's autobiography with some of his writing about Junior High at Lacey Junior High School, in Hazel Park, Michigan. If you haven't figured it out yet, sports played a HUGE role in my father's life. His autobiography takes you back to 1938.

In 1938, I entered Lacey Junior High School, located on the main corners of Hazel Park at 9 Mile Road and JOHN R which was about the same distance as Hoover, only in the opposite direction. It was at Lacey that I was first introduced to basketball as a sport which I immediately became addicted to. I played on the 7th and 8th grade first teams. This was still in the days when the one hand shot was unheard of at this level. The games we played were low scoring usually ending with both teams score somewhere in the teens. I compare our team then with today’s junior high teams and I’m sure we would be blown off the court. I was never a scorer, but surprisingly good defensively and usually was assigned to guard the opposing team’s high scorer, a trend which continued for me on JV and Varsity later in high school.

     In the spring, we still played softball and I continued my participation in that sport. Nothing, I can recall about my academics at Lacey that stand out. I continued to get above average grades and did my studying in study halls, so I didn’t have to lug books home after school or practice. My mother had other ideas, however, and insisted I bring homework home with me, so I always lugged a book or two home, but didn’t get a lot of studying done because I had already studied for next day in study hall. I do remember a pretty classmate catching my eye, a girl named Shirley, and would talk to her occasionally when opportunity presented but was too involved in athletics to have time for girls.

     In the summer, I didn’t have any chores to do so I spent a lot of time with my buddy’s playing softball and developed an interest in tennis. A buddy and I frequently would have our mom’s pack a lunch and we would take off with our bikes and tennis rackets and head for Palmer Park which was at least a six-to-seven-mile ride.  When arriving we had to sign up to reserve a court for an hour at a time. After playing for an hour, we would bike over to a concession stand get a bottle of pop, find a park bench or table, and eat our lunch.  When finished eating, back to the courts for another hour of tennis and then the long ride home.  Another summer activity was golfing in a vacant lot, two lots to the north of our house.  My brother Hank was a caddie at Red Run golf course at the time and got me interested in the game.  I had a 7 iron and a couple of golf balls and would dig a couple holes about 20-25 yards apart and play hours at a time always trying to better my score.

    

Bill Fisher and Bruce Glover

Bruce's friends are in the front row: Standing, Don McIlviride, Bruce, then the last two seated on the right, Bill McIlviride and Roy Wallace.


I met some boys who turned out to be particularly good friends throughout the rest of my high school days and even during and after the war and into college.  Three of the McIlvride boys were especially close to me, Don, Bill, and Gord.  Bill and Gord were brothers, whose dad was Robert.  Robert knew Charley Gehringer, the Tiger 2nd Baseman.  Don was the son of Harry and Birdie.  Harry was a brother of Robert.  During high school, Gord and I golfed together a lot in the summer.  Don and Bill were teammates of mine throughout high school. Bill Fisher was another good friend I first met at Lacey.  Although not an athlete Bill and I remained good friends throughout high school and both of us served in the same Infantry Battalion in World War II in Europe.  Another good buddy I met at Lacey was Roy Wallace a little guy, but an outstanding athlete. 

     In the summer between Junior High and High School I caddied for the first and only year at Red Run, a private course located in Royal Oak MI near 12 Mile Road and Woodward Ave.  In those days we made something like 75 cents for carrying a bag that seemed to weigh as much as I did and if lucky might be tipped a dime. I didn’t particularly enjoy caddying as a lot of the golfers, in my opinion, were jerks that treated us like dirt. The main reason I stuck it out was that on Mondays the caddies could play the course free of charge. We would get to the course at the crack of dawn and sometimes before and get in 36 holes before noon. I don’t remember too much about my scores, but it was usually under 100, which is good for a beginner.


03 June 2022

Crowd Sourcing the Tinder Postcard Collection at Clements Library

I am actively participating in this new project from the Clements Library at the University of Michigan. It uses crowd sourcing to help transcribe information about historic postcards in Michigan. It is easy and doesn't take too much time. If you are worried about accuracy, each postcard will be viewed six or seven times before posting digitally. 

The screen shot below gives you a glimpse of what you have to do to transcribe. Each screen walks you through the process. If you aren't sure what to do on each screen there is a tutorial that will help you. Information you provide includes title of postcard, date, if known, where you found the date, and category the card would be placed in which you chose from a list. 



I have really enjoyed participating. I even found a genealogical aspect to it. My great uncle, Burt Watt, was Vice President and Mechanical Draftsman of the Lake Shore Engine Works in Marquette, Michigan. I have found a number of advertising cards from his company. The screenshot above is one of the advertising cards. Sorry for the blurry writing, my fault not Clements library's, but it says "Built for FORD MOTOR CO. BLUEBERRY MINE, ISHPEMING, MICH, by the LAKE SHORE ENGINE WORKS, MARQUETTE, MICH.  More information of an advertising nature is on the back side of the postcard.

The project is broken down into sections of Michigan. I chose Upper Peninsula. Other areas include Northern Michigan, Western Michigan, Central/Mid Michigan, and Southeastern Michigan. Recently added, is a handwriting transcription where you would transcribe what is written on the back of the postcard. 

I hope you will join me with this project. Here is an email I received about joining this great historical project. 

"A postcard just arrived for you! Straight from the American Midwest. Check out our latest project, Picturing Michigan's Past, to learn more. 


This new project from the William L. Clements Library at the University of Michigan asks volunteers to help make more than 60,000 real photo postcards from the David V. Tinder collection more accessible.

The Tinder collection paints a detailed portrait of everyday life in Michigan in the early 20th century. Images of industry, agriculture, town-life, wildlife, local disasters, entertainment, recreation, transportation, and individuals from many different walks of life make this a captivating collection for both casual enjoyment and the avid researcher. By utilizing Zooniverse, the collection can be made searchable and sortable, not only by location, but by date and descriptive subject categories, turning this collection into a more accessible and powerful research tool.

Get involved at 
Picturing Michigan's Past.

Take care and have a lovely week!

Cheers,
Mary & the Zooniverse Team"

01 June 2022

My June Ancestor's Celebrations

 


1 June 1855

Philippina "Benia" GRAF (167)

2 June 1831

Samuel S. MAUST (191)

2 June 1895

Fay Inez KECK (127)

3 June 1890

Harry KLINGELSMITH (132)

5 June 1774

Mary POWERS (248)

5 June 1894

Mary Ann GRAF (128)

6 June 1738

Elizabeth HOPKINS (284)

6 June 1864

Hattie Lodema FENN (158)

6 June 1905

James Burnett CHALMERS and Emma Louise FREDRICK (117)

7 June 1866

Emma OTTO (156)

7 June 1894

Charles George ZOBEL (128)

8 June 1820

Timothy LARRABEE and Orpha Maria ROWLEY (202)

9 June 1773

Maria Anna WEBER (249)

9 June 1889

Warren Orlo "Warny" FENN (133)

9 June 1945

Otto Robert FREDRICK and Faye Lorraine NELSON (77)

10 June 1782

Philander GLOVER (240)

10 June 1945

Walter Fredrick BROWN and Lola Mae FREDRICK (77)

12 June 1677

Abigail GLOVER (345)

12 June 1862

Mary MAST (160)

12 June 1866

William Clarency CUMINGS and Mary Eleanor BEGOLE (156)

12 June 1874

Ottilie ZOBEL (148)

13 June 1742

Jonas POWERS (280)

13 June 1813

Lois Turrill LAWRENCE (209)

14 June 1842

Amalia FREDRICH (180)

14 June 1855

George Begole POOR and Julia CLERRY (167)

15 June 1901

Otto ENGELHUBER and Hulda SCHULTZ (121)

16 June 1617

Edmond FREEMAN and Bennett HODSOLL (405)

16 June 1888

William August TRITTEN (134)

16 June 1922

Robert WAGONER (100)

16 June 1932

Ray Edwin FREDRICK (90)

18 June 1729

William SALISBURY and Lydia THOMAS (293)

18 June 1738

Moses POOR (284)

18 June 1895

William Henry TYSON (127)

19 June 1536

Thomas LOWTHROPPE (486)

20 June 1639

Isaac SHEPARD (383)

20 June 1706

Rebeckah WEST (316)

20 June 1707

Henry GLOVER (315)

20 June 1936

Kenneth WATT (86)

21 June 1769

Anna LIVENGOOD (253)

22 June 1667

Prisilla POOR (355)

22 June 1832

Anna Nancy LIVENGOOD (190)

22 June 1858

Jeremiah "Jerry" MAST (164)

22 June 1860

Etta L. KLINE (162)

22 June 1889

Eva May WATT (133)

23 June 1868

Magdalena MAST (154)

23 June 1868

Anna MAST (154)

23 June 1903

Daniel J. CAMPAN and Mary GUHSE (119)

23 June 1912

Ruby TRITTEN (110)

23 June 1923

Otto Robert FREDRICK (99)

25 June 1663

Thomas GLOVER (359)

26 June 1763

Sarah SALISBURY (259)

26 June 1767

Rachel SALISBURY (255)

26 June 1914

Boots GRISCHOW (108)

27 June 1883

Evan J. POOR and Almira M. OSBORN (139)

27 June 1900

Edward Leroy DYER and Cidney E. AIKENS (122)

28 June 1700

Sarah WEST (322)

28 June 1753

William SALISBURY and Elizabeth BEAL (269)

28 June 1894

Hal Willis GLOVER and Annie Overton CRARY (128)

30 June 1673

Nathan WEBSTER and Mary HASELTINE (349)