 
Jimb
Member
Username: Jimb
Post Number: 66
Registered: 09-2008
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 28, 2009 - 6:05 pm: |    |
Freckleface, sounds like you were over near Schoolcraft, maybe by Acacia or Kendall (can't remember which was which)? I think the Kennedys may have lived on Saint Marys just south of Grand River - John was in my class in grade school and junior high. The Mullins and Zink families were over on Mettetal in that same area. From what I remember the addresses went to the 13s by the time you got south of Schoolcraft. I was in junior high when you were in your short stint at SMR. It's a shame what happened to that neghborhood back then. Some of the homes are still in great shape, but there's quite a few here and there in disrepair. The house I grew up in (14624 Prevost, just off Eaton, born there, lived there til 1983) has been abandoned for some time, or at least it still was back in the late summer. Sounds like maybe you don't live in the area any more. If I had a digital camera I'd take a picture for you! I'm still not far from there, still take a drive through the old neighborhood once or twice a year. Good to see another 'alumni' checking in. Amazing what you can come by just doing a simple web search, huh? |
Daddeeo
Member
Username: Daddeeo
Post Number: 426
Registered: 09-2008
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 28, 2009 - 9:26 pm: | |
Old alum Fr. Paul Berg died on Monday. His obit is in the daily papers. Visitation tomorrow at Sacred Heart on Chicago Blvd.
He was at St. Kenneths in Northville Twp. this evening. He said mass on the weekends up until this fall. He was 86 and had been a priest for 60 yrs.
He was a civil rights pioneer and a cerebral priest. |
Olaim
Member
Username: Olaim
Post Number: 12
Registered: 12-2008
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 04, 2009 - 9:21 am: | |
This weekend on TNT the film "Gifted Hands" the life story about Dr. Ben Carson - nationally known pediatric neurosurgeon is on February 7th at 8pm. They filmed at SMR grade school and the convant back in Sept. Should be at least 3-4 scenes for SMR.
Nice article in the September 19th issue of the Michigan Catholic.
http://www.aodonline.org/AODOn line/News+++Publications+2203/ Michigan+Catholic+News+12203/2 008+15937/080919Gifted.htm |
Jimb
Member
Username: Jimb
Post Number: 70
Registered: 09-2008
| | Posted on Sunday, February 08, 2009 - 12:36 pm: | |
Watched the first hour or so of 'Gifted Hands'. There was even more SMR footage than I had expected. Great shots of the inside of the old gym, the grade school hallways (and those old lockers), the classroom (wonder which room that was?), the playground and that side of the gym and the school, the front of the school (the Mansfield side), and the alley and church and rectory, which were supposed to be the outside of a medieval castle. Strange seeing the church and school in that context. The grade school served as both a grade school and high school - they just changed the hallways they were using. At least the parish got something out of it, financially speaking (from what I read in the Michigan Catholic article). |
Daddeeo
Member
Username: Daddeeo
Post Number: 449
Registered: 09-2008
| | Posted on Monday, February 09, 2009 - 1:59 pm: | |
Loved the shots inside the old gym. Went to many a sockhops there. |
Olaim
Member
Username: Olaim
Post Number: 13
Registered: 12-2008
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 10, 2009 - 11:06 am: | |
How did that little gym accomendate the visiting teams crowd and the home crowd for Varsity Basketball games back in the 50's and 60's prior to the new school being built? |
Jimb
Member
Username: Jimb
Post Number: 71
Registered: 09-2008
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 10, 2009 - 2:40 pm: | |
The new gym wasn't built until several years after the high school was built - I think the high school opened in the early 60s (62 maybe?), the new gym opened in 68 or 69. I went to a high school game or two in the old gym but was just a youngster. People probably sat up in the balcony? My dad started taking me to a lot of games after the new gym opened. They still packed the house even in the new gym, which had a pretty good seating capacity.
Before the fall festival became the big event it was for a while there, with all the rides and everything, they used to have it inside the old gym (no rides then obviously!). I have some vague memories of going to the festival in the 60s in the old gym and playing some games. I think they may have started the larger version after the new gym opened up maybe? |
Daddeeo
Member
Username: Daddeeo
Post Number: 459
Registered: 09-2008
| | Posted on Friday, February 13, 2009 - 9:58 pm: | |
People were just jammed in there in the old gym.
Visiting teams would be by their team. Everyone else piled where ever they could find a seat in the bleachers.
I remember that the balcony connected to a class room. It was my General Business classroom in Freshman year.
There wasn't a lot of extra room in that gym. Wall to wall people for big games. |
Nwkid
Member
Username: Nwkid
Post Number: 10
Registered: 04-2007
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 18, 2009 - 11:23 pm: | |
Somebody mentioned mini-bikes in this thread. I remember building them out of old bicycle frames and lawn mower engines with my friends. Cutting the pedals off the bike frame with an old hack saw. We rode through the alleys so the police wouldn't catch us.
Jimb, I was a very good friend of Ron Jackson back in the day. We were pretty crazy back then. Ron passed away in 2001, a real shame. Are you the brother of Mary Burke? She was good friends with Mary Johnson, I think she lived on Prevost as well, had a brother named Greg.
Somebody mentioned Winter Wonderland on Schoolcraft and Grandmont. It used to be an outdoor rink and was owned by the Griffin family. They sold the facility sometime in the mid to late 60's and that's when the indoor rink was built. I also recall the Roller Rink on Greenfield just to the north of Grand River. That place was always packed on the weekends.
Anyone recall the "Back to School Movie" the Great Lakes Theater used to host. The poster sized tickets were given out by Montgomery Wards and would get 4 kids into the show. It was always a mad house. Great Lakes was $.25 to get in and Nortwest was $.35. Always a hard choice to make depeding on what was showing. That extra 10 cents made a difference at Perks or Buds party store on the way to the theater.
I roamed all over those neighborhoods in the 60s and early 70's, from Lahser to Schaeffer, 6 mile to Fullerton. Great memories and some bad ones, but wouldn't trade them for anything. |
Brougham
Member
Username: Brougham
Post Number: 72
Registered: 01-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, February 19, 2009 - 8:12 am: | |
Nwkid, lot's of similar memories, especially the Great lakes, I do remember the back to school Movie day. I seem to recall Crowleys was involved, maybe as a sponsor ? But I saw lot's Sat afternoon movies mid-late 60's. The creature features and Shock pictures like "The creature from the black lagoon (rerun)" and "Hush-Hush sweet Charlotte". And of course the early Bond movies and spaghetti westerns of Clint Eastwood. |
Jimb
Member
Username: Jimb
Post Number: 72
Registered: 09-2008
| | Posted on Thursday, February 19, 2009 - 10:40 am: | |
Nwkid, I am Mary's brother (she's been living in Montana since 1982). I was best buddies with Ricky Jackson, from kindergarten or so up until the high school days - they were our next door neighbors, so I knew them all well. I heard about Ron. They don't know what's happened to Rick - hasn't been heard from in years, they're afraid he may have met the same fate as Ron. I saw Dennis Jackson last summer, see one of their cousins quite a bit. The Johnsons lived on Forrer, between Eaton and Chalfonte. I still see Mary and Marie now and then, saw Mary and Greg last summer.
The home-made mini-bikes and go-karts were a big thing back then. The Meads (they were brought up by someone earlier in this thread, lived on Rutherford near Eaton) were always doing that, taking old lawnmower engines and building a mini-bike or go-kart. I can remember the engines typically being mounted on a block of wood, if I remember right.
I was a Norwest guy. I think the Great Lakes closed down by 1970 or so, which was around the time I started going to lots of movies. Used to love going to the Norwest for the matinees and watching some of those old, creepy Vincent Price movies. I do remember seeing Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte on TV as a kid, scared the crap out of me. Still remember that theme song, seeing that head roll down the stairs.
I remember the roller rink by GR and Greenfield, but never did skate there. Northland roller rink became the place to go in the early/mid 70s, on 8 mile near Evergreen or Lahser. |
Daddeeo
Member
Username: Daddeeo
Post Number: 467
Registered: 09-2008
| | Posted on Thursday, February 19, 2009 - 12:31 pm: | |
The roller rink on Greenfield burned down. It was replaced with a tire store.
The Winter Wonderland ice rink is a roller rink now over on Schoolcraft. |
Nwkid
Member
Username: Nwkid
Post Number: 11
Registered: 04-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, February 26, 2009 - 12:32 am: | |
Funny, there was a tire store across the street from the roller rink on Greenfield. I worked there as a teenager. I had the Detroit Free Press paper route on Greenfield between Grand River and Fenkell for a short time. It was a coveted route because of all the apartment buildings. In the winter I used to finish the route by getting a bear claw and a cup of coffee at the hamburger stand on the corner of Fenkell and Greenfield next to the fire station. |
Daddeeo
Member
Username: Daddeeo
Post Number: 492
Registered: 09-2008
| | Posted on Thursday, February 26, 2009 - 10:26 am: | |
That burger stand is still there although it doesn't sell burgers. I used to have a route on Winthrop and Forrer by there.
Did you go to Red Devil pizza or Al's Alcove down towards Grand River?
You're right about those apartments. You could get rid of a lot of papers in a short time. Plus it was out of the weather. |
Jimb
Member
Username: Jimb
Post Number: 73
Registered: 09-2008
| | Posted on Thursday, February 26, 2009 - 12:58 pm: | |
I remember that hamburger place - wasn't it called Elmers or Alberts or something like that? Used to go there every once in a while and get a chocolate shake.
Never went to Al's Alcove much, since we had Bud's right around the block from us. For some strange reason I seem to remember that Al's sold ice - don't think we had any other stores in the immediate area that did.
If I remember right the tire store was on the same side of Greenfield as the rink, between the rink and the Shell station. Wasn't it a Goodyear store? I seem to remember a big Goodyear sign over there. I remember Wards having an automotive section and selling tires, I think it was in the back area by the parking lot. Thinking about all this stuff makes me almost feel like I'm back in the old neighborhood sometimes.
Doubt if any of you remember these places, but when I was a kid (mid to late 60s) our family doctor had his office on the east side of Greenfield, I think it was right by Eaton. His name was Dr. Staff. I still remember sitting in that waiting room reading Highlights magazine. And our dentist for a while was Dr. Geese. He was on Grand River just west of Prevost, he had an entrance to his office in the alley. He was on the 2nd floor and you went up an outdoor stairway that was in that alley. In the 70s that alley had some vicious dogs that were kept behind a very flimsy fence. I remember a few of us walking through that alley one time and the dogs got loose and chased some of the guys in the group. I think I was with Ricky and Ronnie Jackson that day. |
Brougham
Member
Username: Brougham
Post Number: 73
Registered: 01-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, February 26, 2009 - 2:27 pm: | |
Nwkid, Daddeeo, Jimb....others
Were any of you still around to enjoy Duffy's on Grd River just west of Greenfield ? A lot could be learned about life in and out of that place on weekends in the early 70's. Also, we spent time at the American Legion hall on Greenfield next to Wrigleys. Our parents were members and they had all kinds of family related stuff going on. Good old days for sure... |
Vetalalumni
Member
Username: Vetalalumni
Post Number: 1297
Registered: 05-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, February 26, 2009 - 4:09 pm: | |
The burger place on the southwest corner of Greenfield and Fenkell was called Alberts. Better than White Castles IMO. Grilled onions - yummy. AIR, a lot of hip young people (under 25) resided in the apartments along Greenfield in that area. Bought a lot of gas from that station on the northwest corner of Greenfield and Fenkell. |
River_rat
Member
Username: River_rat
Post Number: 356
Registered: 02-2006
| | Posted on Thursday, February 26, 2009 - 4:38 pm: | |
Duffy's Bar on Grand River just west of St. Mary's is where I celebrated every birthday from 17 on with a few beers with friends. And Brougham is so correct when he says you could get a great education on life there. The place was a favorite watering hole for everyone after Mass. It was also a stopping point before Confession. |
Jimb
Member
Username: Jimb
Post Number: 74
Registered: 09-2008
| | Posted on Thursday, February 26, 2009 - 4:59 pm: | |
River_rat, that was Dooleys just west of St. Marys. Duffys was on the south side of GR, I think between Montrose and Forrer. I don't think I ever went into Duffys. Some of my older sisters and brothers did. I spent many a St.Patricks Day at Dooleys, though, from the late 70s to probably the late 80s. They really packed em in on St Pattys Day. They removed most or all the tables so that they could cram as many people in there as possible, some people would be hanging out in front of the bar on Grand River. The night before Thanksgiving was another busy night at Dooleys back then. We would always bring our own beer with us, then resort to their beer when we ran out of ours. Those were some fun parties!
Jordans on the River was another hangout over there, still kept a good businees going well after most folks had moved out of the immediate area. I think they lasted til some time in the 90s. Used to go there lot on Thursday nights. |
Brougham
Member
Username: Brougham
Post Number: 74
Registered: 01-2007
| | Posted on Friday, February 27, 2009 - 6:51 am: | |
That's right Duffys was on South side of Grd River just a couple blocks west of Greenfield. I think it may have been closed by the late 70's. |
65memories
Member
Username: 65memories
Post Number: 456
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Friday, February 27, 2009 - 1:57 pm: | |
"Jordans...still kept a good business going well after most folks had moved out of the immediate area."
What does that mean? I'm still in the area and so are a lot of folks. The area in Rosedale/Grandmont has not lost population. Jordan's closed because it started catering to teeny-boppers...under-age drinking became a problem. |
56packman
Member
Username: 56packman
Post Number: 2428
Registered: 12-2005
| | Posted on Friday, February 27, 2009 - 3:47 pm: | |
I was a lunch time regular at Jordan's up until it closed. T'was a good place. |
River_rat
Member
Username: River_rat
Post Number: 358
Registered: 02-2006
| | Posted on Friday, February 27, 2009 - 3:56 pm: | |
How could I have mistaken the two? Dooley's and Duffy's. Foolish old guy I am. Fortunately, I was able to frequent both of those great old places. |
Olaim
Member
Username: Olaim
Post Number: 15
Registered: 12-2008
| | Posted on Friday, February 27, 2009 - 4:15 pm: | |
Jordan's closed because they were robbed and tied up. Before things went completely wrong the Manager (Tim) was able to escape and go for help.
The bar catered to a young White crowd from SMR and Redford High. Sure Thursday nights were underage but I don't call 19 year olds teenie boopers. I'm sure Jimb did not mean to offend you (65 Memories). But when that crowd moved on so did the business. |
Jimb
Member
Username: Jimb
Post Number: 75
Registered: 09-2008
| | Posted on Friday, February 27, 2009 - 6:10 pm: | |
All I meant was that nearly everyone I knew who was still going there back in the mid 80s to early 90s or so (and that was quite a few people) was no longer living in that neighborhood. |
65memories
Member
Username: 65memories
Post Number: 458
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, February 28, 2009 - 9:41 pm: | |
Jimb and Olaim...thanks for clarifying...sorry I was so defensive. |
Daddeeo
Member
Username: Daddeeo
Post Number: 528
Registered: 09-2008
| | Posted on Friday, March 06, 2009 - 1:27 pm: | |
Class of 1969 40th reunion will be on Nov. 14th. |
Jimb
Member
Username: Jimb
Post Number: 77
Registered: 09-2008
| | Posted on Friday, March 06, 2009 - 5:51 pm: | |
FYI, here's the latest SMR web site:
http://www.stmarysofredford.co m/
There was another one around (haven't checked whether it's still active), but it hadn't been updated in some time. You may want to try getting reunion info posted at the new site. |
Jimb
Member
Username: Jimb
Post Number: 78
Registered: 09-2008
| | Posted on Friday, March 06, 2009 - 5:53 pm: | |
Whoops, I spoke too soon. The new SMR site has a link to the old alumni site, which looks like it still hadn't been updated in some time. |
Daddeeo
Member
Username: Daddeeo
Post Number: 529
Registered: 09-2008
| | Posted on Friday, March 06, 2009 - 8:56 pm: | |
It's unbelievable. They are always sending out newsletters but you can never get a response when you email them.
I understand that the key fundraisers' husband passed away not long ago. That is probably why.
Still, you'd think they'd have more than one person working on it. |
Luna09
Member
Username: Luna09
Post Number: 2
Registered: 03-2009
| | Posted on Friday, March 13, 2009 - 2:42 pm: | |
Hi anyone from the St. Mary's of Redford class of 1972, go to Facebook and join the group for SMR, we are staring a class group and talking and catching up with one another! |
Nwkid
Member
Username: Nwkid
Post Number: 12
Registered: 04-2007
| | Posted on Friday, March 13, 2009 - 3:21 pm: | |
I frequented Duffy's Bar for several years. I think I had my first bar purchased beer there. Drinking age was 18 back then. SMR Class of 74 has a facebook page as well, or so I've been informed. |
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