  Chuckjav Member Username: Chuckjav Post Number: 171 Registered: 09-2007 |
Birwood.....Dang, I thought my memory was uncanny - you are Grand Champion! Check out Mackenzie's Wikipedia page & Links: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M ackenzie_High_School_%28Michig an%29 PS Carr, Keliher, Cohen, and Derderian were still there when I was a Stag ('73-'76). I was conducting some research, talking with Mr. Keliher over the phone - just as 9-11 attacks were unfolding. | ||
Birwood Member Username: Birwood Post Number: 9 Registered: 10-2007 |
Mr Derderian was an icon in the Drivers Ed area, I understand he even taught J.C himself how to drive.hahaha! Seriously, even today, when I tell people I went to Mackenzie, many ask if I had Mr Derderian for Drivers Ed. Unfortunately I had Mr Donaldson for Drivers Ed, 7th period | ||
Msamslex Member Username: Msamslex Post Number: 4 Registered: 06-2007 |
I believe I had Mr. Derderian for Driver's training. Have to look at my old report cards to be sure. I'd forgotten all about him. We learned on Plymouth Dusters. I remember one car was a powder blue and every one wanted to drive that one solo when they were on their own. One thing I do remember was Mr. D. sitting on the passenger side when I was driving. Two more classmates were in the back seat. All of a sudden Mr. D told me to let go of the steering wheel and I guess take my foot off the gas. Didn't they have dual brakes and gas on training cars? Well, anyway he grabbed the wheel and headed for another car. Somebody going solo had done something wrong and he saw it. He yelled out the window at the kid but I don't remember what he said. I think Mr.D said to stop the car, don't go any further. I don't know what the kid had done wrong, or the punishment. All I know is that I was terrified I'd done something wrong, didn't know what it was and I would be kicked out or fail driver's training. I was very relieved it wasn't me. Don't think those traffic lights were ever shut off at night or am I wrong. | ||
Ray1936 Member Username: Ray1936 Post Number: 2045 Registered: 01-2005 |
Makes me glad they didn't have driver's training when I learned to drive. Family taught me, mostly by driving through Rouge Park. You could get a permit when you were 14 to only drive with a parent in the car. Then at 16 getting your license only required a road test. So, let's see...first license at 14, and now I'm, um......so I've been driving for....uh....holy cow, 57 years........ No accidents; one ticket in 1955 for going through a stop sign (never saw the SOB....) We won't talk about parking tickets....they don't count..... | ||
9936sussex Member Username: 9936sussex Post Number: 1 Registered: 10-2007 |
Hi Guys! Another fellow Mackenzie grad--class of 68. Mme. Robinove was a wonderful teacher--definitely the best I had. But Mr. Ferger was my favorite (can you tell that I was on the DIAL?) He was funny, and irreverant and a great guy. Some of my best time were spent in that DIAL office after school! | ||
Birwood Member Username: Birwood Post Number: 14 Registered: 10-2007 |
9936 Sussex MHS 68 here too Who are you? ? Check your yearbook, Stage Crew, top row 2nd from the left...my intials J.P. I had Mrs Robinove for French I & II Mrs Bruno French III Mr. Kinard French IV | ||
Ray1936 Member Username: Ray1936 Post Number: 2047 Registered: 01-2005 |
Hey, I can speak French. Hockee Pock. Boom Boom Geffrion. Patrick Wah. Er....Roy..... | ||
Bulletmagnet Member Username: Bulletmagnet Post Number: 892 Registered: 01-2007 |
Here are a few quick pics from spring this year: http://farm2.static.flickr.com /1223/1350108505_d422419308_b. jpg http://farm2.static.flickr.com /1321/1350108483_dad8c7d012_b. jpg http://farm2.static.flickr.com /1389/1350108455_37043175b1_b. jpg http://farm2.static.flickr.com /1110/1350108441_fb655e0318_b. jpg | ||
Chuckjav Member Username: Chuckjav Post Number: 202 Registered: 09-2007 |
Bulletmagnet...Nice work, very nice; beautiful day too. Did you attend the Big Mack? | ||
Gazhekwe Member Username: Gazhekwe Post Number: 766 Registered: 08-2007 |
OMG, Bernie BoomBoom Jeffrion. I haven't heard that name in years. Maurice PocketRocket Richard. Bulletmagnet, the old school looks good, thanks for the pix! | ||
Bulletmagnet Member Username: Bulletmagnet Post Number: 893 Registered: 01-2007 |
No, Chuckjav, I went to Finney High. But I love that school (Mackenzie). I was in that neighborhood early one Sunday in the spring time trying to get some snaps of old gas stations around there. I stopped just long enough to get these. A real gem, that school, and I have enjoyed all the stories here. | ||
Chuckjav Member Username: Chuckjav Post Number: 207 Registered: 09-2007 |
Bulletmagnet.....Go Highlanders! | ||
9936sussex Member Username: 9936sussex Post Number: 2 Registered: 10-2007 |
Birwood--Check your yearbook for the Dial photo, my initials were K.P. My counselor was Ed Schulz, didn't spend much time in his office, though. Had Jenine Kemp (she was an advisor on DIAL), Mrs. Koenigsberg, Mrs. McDermott, and Mrs. Bush for English; Mr. Pietila, Mr. Carhart and Kaner for math. One of the smartest teachers I had was Calvin Moore for chemistry--sarcastic, funny, but a really nice man who helped me out a lot when I had problems with the class (I understand he died at a fairly young age). Had Mr. Sisler, Mr. Carr, and Mr. Campbell, Mr. Zaft for social studies classes. | ||
Gazhekwe Member Username: Gazhekwe Post Number: 767 Registered: 08-2007 |
9936, did you come to a DIAL reunion about three years ago? | ||
9936sussex Member Username: 9936sussex Post Number: 3 Registered: 10-2007 |
Gazhekwe--Nope, didn't hear about it. The last Mackenzie reunion I attended was my 20th reunion in Windsor....it was like going to a wedding where you only knew the bride and groom. Virtually no one that I was close to in high school turned out. The food and band were great however! | ||
Birwood Member Username: Birwood Post Number: 15 Registered: 10-2007 |
K.P HELLO ••••• I remember you and we had a few classes together at MHS. Are you in the Metro Area ? I'm retired DFD and live down near Monroe in Newport. I still talk to and see "Murph", remember him, a few times a year. | ||
9936sussex Member Username: 9936sussex Post Number: 4 Registered: 10-2007 |
Birwood: I do remember "Murph"•••• He used to write me funny letters when I was away at school. Next time you see him, tell him I said "Hi"! | ||
9936sussex Member Username: 9936sussex Post Number: 5 Registered: 10-2007 |
I've been thinking about Mackenzie's neighborhood, and I have been trying to remember the name of the drugstore that was on the northwest corner of West Chicago and Wyoming. I spent a lot of time there after school, waiting for the bus. Bought a lot of copies of Seventeen and nickel Hershey bars. I've been thinking it was "Klegon's" or something close to that....anybody remember? | ||
Ray1936 Member Username: Ray1936 Post Number: 2049 Registered: 01-2005 |
I think Klegon's is accurate, Sussex. Bullet, great photos. Darn shame they closed that school down. It'll probably fall into disrepair in the years ahead. Sigh.  | ||
Chuckjav Member Username: Chuckjav Post Number: 211 Registered: 09-2007 |
9936sussex....By the time I attended Mackenzie, I don't believe the property at the corner was occupied; however, there was a party store of sorts just a little way up from the corner on Wyoming...pretty much directly across the street from Drew Jr. High's front door. It is refreshing to read your posts and that of Birwood's - you folks attended Mackenzie at a time when I would have thought there were no such pleasant memories associated with attending the school, or residing in the adjacent neighborhoods. | ||
9936sussex Member Username: 9936sussex Post Number: 8 Registered: 10-2007 |
Chuckjav--I had a pretty good high school experience--but I didn't realize how much I missed until I went away and roomed with two girls who lived in suburban communities. Their social life had been SO much better than mine. Their football games were at night (ours were right after school), they had a lot more dances (for a while, dances weren't held at Mack because of some problems) so I never went to a dance of any kind. I didn't really know what I missed until I met these girls who had such a full social life. You make the best of what you had, I had good teachers, good friends, and got a pretty decent education. I also got a lot of "street smarts", that these suburban girls NEVER got. | ||
Chuckjav Member Username: Chuckjav Post Number: 213 Registered: 09-2007 |
9936sussex...that is very good to know; glad to hear that all worked out OK. My first wife and her sister lived with their mom on Cherrylawn, near Noble JH; their house was demolished to make way for Jeffries Freeway - ended up moving to a house on Meyers, near Wadsworth. Sister in-law was a '68 MHS grad; apparently things were so frightening at Mackenzie that she didn't even attend school during the final quarter. My guess is that, between '65 and '68, things started sliding downhill...picking up momentum to the point that, by '70 - MHS and surrounding neighborhoods were very treacherous places. | ||
9936sussex Member Username: 9936sussex Post Number: 11 Registered: 10-2007 |
A lot of stuff happened between 1967-1968. The riots, for one (I was going to summer school that summer), the assassination of Martin Luther King, and Robert Kennedy. There was a definite shift of mood my senior year. From what I remember of people that I knew that were there the year after (1968-69), things were going downhill very fast. More violence, people acting stupid. I was glad that I graduated when I did. | ||
Chuckjav Member Username: Chuckjav Post Number: 214 Registered: 09-2007 |
9936sussex....I know exactly what you mean. On this thread and others, I have talked about how my family lived on the Bottom - Detroit's lower east side, 1965-67. Needless to say, we were the only white folks...period - yet, there was a great deal of acceptance. Then, a few months after the '67 riot, we were assisted in finding a rental in Oak Park. After 18 months in Oak Park, my mom landed a job with the City of Detroit...which meant moving back into the city - this time to the west side, near Meyers and Grand River. There was nothing but bad times; the neighborhood was going from bad to worse at light-speed. Amazing, how race relations had deteriorated in such a short period of time. Granted, it isn't quite fair to compare the 99.99% black lower east side of 1965-67, to the particular west side neighborhood that we moved to in 1969. There were a lot of very unhappy black & unhappy white people living near Grand River and Meyers in 1969. One thing I do know....my family was riding one seriously funky five-year roller coaster: The Bottom, to Oak Park, to Race Wars. What A Ride! | ||
Birwood Member Username: Birwood Post Number: 17 Registered: 10-2007 |
Chuckjav and Sussex I cannot for the life of me ever remember any serious incidents during our time at MHS. Minor typical stuff, Boy vs Boy over girl, Girl vs Girl over some guy, a food fight in the lunchroom and Guy vs Guy over a car and then that was usually setteled somewhere between 7th or 8th hour over on Oakman just north of Joy where there was a perfect 1/4 straightaway. If it couldn't be settled there , then we'd move out to Spinoza Dr just off Tireman and and it wasn't settled there then it was Friday Nite on Telegraph with the Big Dogs. As far as street smarts goes...Yeah we had it over the Burb kids and those from the country. I found that out as soon as I entered the USAF, But I'd bet anyone that we had just as much fun if not more on weekends The only thing I ever feared at MHS was the verbal final in Mr Kinnards French IV class or an oral disertation in one of Mr Keenans English classes. | ||
Ray1936 Member Username: Ray1936 Post Number: 2052 Registered: 01-2005 |
Hey, Birwood, Chuck, and Sussex.....and Jjaba, if you're into this thread...... I'm heading for Detroit a week from Wednesday. I'm going to take my digital camera into the old neighborhood. Give me any addresses or locations you'd like me to shoot. Email me direct at RDown3657@cox.net | ||
Chuckjav Member Username: Chuckjav Post Number: 216 Registered: 09-2007 |
Ray....that would be really cool - I will get right on that email. | ||
Gazhekwe Member Username: Gazhekwe Post Number: 769 Registered: 08-2007 |
I lived on Littlefield just south of W. Chicago. I moved out in 1969, but my mom stayed there, and things did get tough. She had some neighborhood kids break in, twice. Both times the police just shrugged and said they knew who was doing it but you have to catch them in the act, and why didn't she just move to Dearborn. She finally did, to Dearborn Heights. Things sure seemed to fall off the ledge. | ||
Chuckjav Member Username: Chuckjav Post Number: 217 Registered: 09-2007 |
Gaz....Yes, from what Birwood and 9936sussex have posted, indications are that things must have gone from fairly decent...to really bad - really quick; I have wondered for decades if that indeed was the case. My masters thesis focused on Detroit and the social upheaval of the past fifty years; a portion of my research involved analyzing DIAL magazines and STAG yearbooks on file at Mackenzie (in 2002) - pretty slim pickings to say the least. But, there were adequate volumes of both publications to work with; the difference between 1965 and 1970 was compelling....and we're only talking about five years; the contrast between 1960 and 1970 - absolutely mind-blowing. Thing is, this wasn't only a race issue; the changes were all-encompassing; involving the school, surrounding neighborhoods, and mind-sets. Some might say it was simply a "sign of the times"; that "it was happening everywhere". I would reply....not quite. I can't imagine what it was like at Mackenzie during the 1969-70 school year; I can only speak to what was happening 500 feet to the north - at Drew Junior High. Much of that horror was instigated by people I observed walking in our direction from Mackenzie. This is very therapeutic stuff! | ||
Gazhekwe Member Username: Gazhekwe Post Number: 774 Registered: 08-2007 |
You worked with 1965 DIALs? Cool, I had tons of articles in there. We did a musical issue, all the headlines were based on songs, and some of the stories were songs we wrote. We had a great time that year. My brother and sister were there after I was, I think my brother graduated in 1969. He took a couple of breaks. My sister left and went up north to finish school, class of 70. Both of them painted a very different picture of the school than I remembered. |
