Royal Oak Historical Society Fall 2010

Royal Oak Historical Society
Fall 2010
www.royaloakhistoricalsociety.com
Mark Your Calendars!
Royal Oak Historical Society 71st Annual Dinner
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
AT FARMER’S MARKET
Free parking in the Market lot
5:30 p.m. Social Hour & Silent Auction
Cocktails and beverages available. Cash bar.
6:30 p.m. Buffet Style Dinner/Dessert
Chartwell’s, Food Service for the Royal Oak Public Schools, is cooking for us.
Servers will be available to carry plates to tables, if needed.
7 p.m. Awards and Special Recognitions
Dr. Joseph S. Morrison, Sophie V. Bowman
and Spirit of Royal Oak Awards will be given.
$25 Ticket (Buffet Style Dinner) until October 7
(As in previous years, the Annual Dinner ticket includes a one-year ROHS membership.
We are happy that so many in Royal Oak are excited about our new museum and we invite all of you to come visit.
Thank you for your support of our new museum!)
After October 7, $30 Ticket
To purchase tickets after October 7, call 248-547-5714 or 248-398-4844
Tickets available now until October 7 at:
Decades (248-546-9289) at the Farmers Market
Kinsey-Garrett Funeral Home, 420 S. Lafayette Ave. (248-541-4400)
Ladybug Craft & Framing Shoppe, 210 W. Sixth St. (248-545-3200)
Wm. Sullivan & Son Funeral Home, 705 W. 11 Mile Rd. (248-541-7000)
And available for purchase from all board members
Royal Oak Historical Society books, pins and postcards will be available for sale at the dinner.
Message from the president
Museum improvements coming
Dear Members,
I wanted to let you know of some upcoming
improvements to our new museum. We have been
awarded another Community Block Grant for
$45,000, which will cover replacing the existing
garage doors and redoing all the tuckpointing on
the building. Hopefully, this will go a long way
toward reducing what in the past have been some
extremely large heating bills. Not only will this
save us money, but it will make the building much
more comfortable for all of our visitors and volunteers alike.
As in the past, we are including a one-year
membership to the Royal Oak Historical Society
with the purchase of a ticket to our Annual Dinner — see the front page for more details.
However, our Annual Dinner will have some
changes. After some very good years at the Royal
Oak Elks Club, we are moving the dinner to the
Royal Oak Farmers Market. Thanks to all of your
support, we have essentially grown out of space at
the Elks. The Market, where the dinner has been
held in the past, offers more space and parking.
Since we last had our dinner at the Market, signifi-
cant improvements have been made to the facility -- particularly the kitchen, heating and cooling,
and the public address system.
Our Annual Dinner committee, headed by Gloria Harper, will once again make this an evening
to remember. For the third straight year, Carlo Ginotti will serve as our Master of Ceremonies for
the evening.
Let me once again thank all of you for your
continued patronage of the Royal Oak Historical
Society. As volunteers, we are encouraged by
your strong level of support and will do everything in our power to make our organization one
of the best in the country.
Finally, this will be my last President’s Message as I will be relinquishing my office at our
Annual Dinner. It’s been a pleasure to serve you
over the past three years. Just in case you can’t
make it to our dinner, I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you for all of your support.
My Best,
Jay Dunstan
President
Coming Soon — “Royal Oak History 201”
Check out author, historian and professor David G. Penney’s new class “Royal Oak History 201,”
which is coming up in late October (7-9:30 p.m.) at Royal Oak Continuing Education office at
Churchill Community School on Girard. The prerequisite is Royal Oak History 101, available on
WROK and the Internet at www.Blip.TV. Contact Royal Oak Continuing Education for the exact
date and to sign up.
Visit the Museum!
To volunteer or to schedule a museum visit, contact Muriel Versagi, Curator of the Royal Oak
Historical Society Museum, at 248-542-7449 or mversagi@versagivoice.com.
Donations to the Royal Oak Historical Society are gratefully accepted
Send checks payable to: The Royal Oak Historical Society, 1411 West Webster Road,
Royal Oak, Michigan 48073. Donations are tax-deductible. Thank you in advance.
Page 2
A
B
PHOTO GAME
By ROHS Board Member
Bob Muller
Play Bob Muller’s “Photo Game.”
Can you identify which Royal Oak
buildings have these unique architectural details? (Answers are on
Page 5.)
C
All proceeds go to the Museum
Royal Oak History Books for Sale
By David G. Penney, PhD
“My Royal Oak: Images From The 20th
Century” (2008), the new book on Royal Oak
history that is heavy on historic images of our
town, is a must for anyone who loves Royal
Oak. Printed on glossy white paper, it contains
227 photographs on 128 pages and is 7x10
inches. The text consists of more than 17,000
words about the “old” town most of us remember in fragments. This is a very personal book,
with my memories of growing up in Royal Oak
in the 20th century. The cost is only $25.
Everyone should have "Twigs and Acorns,
Plus" (2007), the new edition of the muchloved scrapbook style presentation about our
(Continued on Page 4)
Page 3
Our Eyes as ‘Time Machine’
Royal Oak’s Old Forest Trees
By Bob Muller,
ROHS Board Member
and Royal Oak Nature Society
Program Director
On Page 5, you’ll find a map
with shaded areas showing the
“old forest”-grown trees that are
the remains of farm wood lots.
The lines are the property lines
of the farms in Royal Oak in
1872. All farms had wood lots,
as that is where you got your
firewood, lumber and maybe
things like black walnuts. They
would generally be at the back of
your farm with your house along
the road at the front.
Most of our city is now filled
with trees, but around 1900, only
the areas shown were; the rest
was farm fields. As houses filled
the city, people planted trees.
When our city was filling with
homes, it was common to just
cut the trees that were in the way
of construction, leaving the rest.
You can tell which trees remaining today are the surviving
forest-grown trees from that
time, as they had to compete for
sunlight with the other trees.
Generally, they have up to 30
feet of a straight trunk with no
branches. Look at Starr Jaycee
Park as an example. If you want
to see what trees planted in the
open look like, check out the oak
in front of the Boys & Girls
Club, it is a shade tree planted in
front of a farm; short trunk with
large spreading branches.
History is sometimes right before our eyes; if we know what
to look for, our eyes become a
time machine, allowing us to see
into the past.
Editor’s Note: When you look at
the map on Page 5, if you see your
property contains one of the city’s
old wood lots from a former farm
and you have an “old forest” tree
on your property, we would love to
hear from you. Please send your
stories to Trish Oliver, Newsletter
Editor; c/o The Royal Oak Historical Society Museum; 1411 West
Webster Road; Royal Oak, Michigan 48073, or contact Bob Muller
at michiganfish@wideopenwest.
com with questions.
Native American traces in Royal Oak and features
a Chief on the cover. At $5, it is a bargain.
town since its founding more than 180 years
All the books are available at Frentz Hardware,
ago. It contains newspaper articles, previously un- and soon will be at our beautiful new Historical
published letters, essays, etc. and photos of early Society Museum. As with all of my books, all proRoyal Oak. At $40, the book is 425 pages, hard- ceeds go to the Museum.
bound and fully indexed.
Coming soon is a small book on Northwood
If you are going to explore historic Royal Oak Subdivision (tentatively – “Northwood Subdivior St. Mary cemeteries, you must have the 12sion and The Clawsons”), which will include the
page “Cemeteries Walking Tour” (2007) contain- No. 2 Fire Station (site of the new Historical Muing photos and locations of thousands of people
seum), the old and new Northwood schools, the
interred in the two cemeteries arranged in a surClawson family, GTW Railroad, the First Congrename index, available for $5. “To Walk That Old gational Church and the Shrine of the Little
Indian Trail” was originally prepared for the 75th Flower Church, etc. Contained inside will be esanniversary of our city in 1996. In 2007, the new says on each subject and a number of rare historic
12-page edition contains far more information on photographs. Watch for it!
History Books, continued from Page 3
Page 4
Bob Muller’s map shows the old wood lots from Royal Oak’s 1872 farms
See story on Page 4
ANSWERS TO BOB MULLER’S PHOTO GAME — See Page 3:
All photos are from Royal Oak Middle School — or Dondero High School or Royal Oak High
School — depending on how old you are!
Page 5
Curator’sDean’s
Corner
process and will do that at the same time as she begins to fill the shelves in professional format.
• Susan Wolfrum, Johanna Schurer, Adair &
Don Calder have been putting together displays:
Banks, Floods, and Class Composites for 3 reunions
of Royal Oak High School classes of the late ’40s
and mid-’50s. Each reunion will visit on a Sunday
this fall. Drop by and look at them.
• Megan Keller, our young Library Science MA
from Wayne, has gone to Utah for a two-month internship at Sundance. She will be back to help us
when she finishes this internship.
• Our next major exhibit will be a commemoration
of Pearl Harbor Day. A 91-year-old Navy photographer, Bill Barr, donated several of his cameras. Bill
is a member of the USS Enterprise Group and has a
display of photos and newspapers he will lend us.
• Keith Wilkins will lend us some WWII stuff and
Cindy LaFerle will loan us 1940s dresses. We have
a family member who works at Macy’s and has access to mannequins for the dresses.
• We will be asking the community to loan us pictures of WWII family members with info regarding
when they joined, their age, where they served, etc.
We have asked VFW members John Wendland
and Miriam Schroff Melvin to work with us on
this exhibit. Miriam was an Army Nurse and will
loan us her uniform for display.
• The first meeting of our History Book Club will
be on Wed., Sept. 22. We will meet in the Library
the 4th Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. Civil
War books to start.
• We had a Grand Valley student, Lauren Fowler,
working with us two days a week during July and
August; she’s gone back to school but will be back
for Christmas and will come back to volunteer.
• And now…we have an intern from CMU, Michael Cyrus. He grew up in Royal Oak, graduated
from Dondero, and still lives in Royal Oak. He will
be with us 20 hours a week for 12 weeks. Michael
will be involved in setting up our WWII exhibit.
He said he became interested in history watching
the History Channel episodes of WWII. It is so rewarding to have these young people involved.
Drug Store
By Muriel Versagi, Museum Curator
Hello, everyone! So much has been going on at
the Museum, and it’s so exciting that I thought I
would just do a listing of everything:
• Four window air conditioners were donated by
friends of the Museum, and Royal Oak fireman/
electrician Mike Pennanen has installed them. This
allows our volunteers to work upstairs in the Archives and the office and not have heat stroke.
• The museum was included in the Royal Oak
Woman’s Club Home Tour this year. Two hundred and ten visitors signed in at the museum the
day of the tour; 80-90% said they will return.
• The Royal Oak Business & Professional
Woman’s Association has disbanded. They
brought us their records and banners … and a
check for the remainder of their treasury, $212.42,
which they earmarked for the purchase of a flat
screen monitor for the office.
• DAR member Shirley Morrison. who belongs to
a statewide association that donates dollars to cultural groups, visited and asked what we needed. I
said another CPU, a color printer for the office and
a small black-and-white printer for the library. She
asked, “Will $500 do it?” I said yes. We have received the check.
• Royal Oak resident Rodney, an AT&T installer/
serviceman who I met at Lois Lance’s home, said
he will install a phone jack by the sales counter, so
we can use the credit card machine at the museum.
• Mike Frentz has ordered, painted and installed
four radiator covers, three to go. This was a project
of George Gomez. The dollars ($300 for each
cover) were donated in honor of, or as a memorial
for, someone. Each unit will have a brass plaque.
• Our oak library shelves are installed. My son’s
company ZI Custom cut, stained, edge-banded and
delivered ten 12-in x 7-ft shelves. Our woodworker
volunteer Ed Kalil installed the shelves.
• Volunteer librarian Karol Sprague has begun to
work with our Past Perfect database cataloging
Page 6
Musings and memories of my childhood in Royal Oak
or one of the two Cunningham
Drug stores. If I were really a
good little fellow, we would stop
off at the Montgomery Ward’s
I especially loved fall in Royal Oak
store, so I could look at all the
in the early 1950s when I was a kid.
new bikes in the basement. When
I liked walking along the unpaved
my mom needed to shop at
streets and smelling the burning
Kresge’s, and I was patient, I
leaves. I woke up early to deliver the
would get a doughnut from the
Free Press at 5 a.m. every day all year,
doughnut machine. That machine
but I remember liking it best in the
Allen Pugh, around 1945, was in Kresge’s at the south door
fall. Once a week I would take the
at his family home at 415
Martin Line bus at Kenwood and
by the Washington Theater.
Eleven Mile to Main Street to pay my S. Kenwood at the corner
I am fortunate to have reFourth and Kenwood
Free Press bill. I paid the bill at an of- of
ceived
a fine education in Royal
Streets. His dad “remade”
fice in a garage in the alley between
Oak. I entered kindergarten at
the bike for him.
Second and Third Streets and between
Grant Elementary (at the corner
Center and Main Streets.
of Sixth Street and Kaiser, now
I remember my father, Tony Pugh, would
Grant Park) in 1945 and graduated from Royal
take my older brother Carl and me camping
Oak Dondero in 1958. I had wonderful teachers
every fall. Dad went to Smith and Crampton
and principals. My principal at Grant was Mrs.
Hardware Store and bought us a 22 rifle for our Wheater, and at Oakland, it was Mr. Peabody.
trip. We went to the basement of the store to
My first principal from Barton Junior High (on
shoot it in the shooting range. Today, that hard- Main Street where the Jim Fresard Value Lot is
ware store is Mr. B’s Pub on Main Street in
today) was Mr. Shader who was then replaced by
downtown Royal Oak. Directly across the street, Mr. Walborn. At Royal Oak High School, the
I remember the Mercury Drive-In. Folks would principal was Mr. Marks. The next year the high
park their cars, and the carhops would come out school was Royal Oak Dondero High School,
and take orders and later deliver the food. Now and Mr. Walborn was my principal again.
that driveway is the old drive-through windows
I have experienced many fall seasons, but the
from the original National Bank of Royal Oak.
most memorable of all were those fall days in
Fall meant going back to school, and that
Royal Oak when I was a young lad.
meant shopping for school clothes. My mom
Allen Pugh started Grant School in Royal Oak in
would take me into Codlings Department Store. I
remember the sidewalk in front of the store was 1945. He finished his elementary school years at Oakland School and entered Clara Barton Junior High
all glass blocks set right in the concrete. They
had a freight elevator that came out of the side- School in 1952. He went on to Royal Oak High School
in 1954. He graduated from Royal Oak Dondero in
walk, because the basement was below the side- 1958. Allen, retired for eight years, recently celebrated
walk. I used to see a delivery now and then, and his 70th birthday. He was a master electrician from
that was exciting to a kid in those days! CodIBEW Local 58 for 40 years. He has been married to his
wife Gloria for 43 years. They have four married chillings was on the northeast corner of Third and
dren and five grandchildren. Allen is an avid reader and
Main. Today it is the Sullivan Building.
Going to a soda fountain after shopping added enjoys playing euchre, golfing, traveling and spending
time with his family and friends.
to the fun. We would go to Kinsel’s, Romeyn’s
By Allen Pugh,
Royal Oak lifelong resident
Page 7
Royal Oak Historical Society
1411 W. Webster Road
Royal Oak, MI 48073
248-542-7449
www.royaloakhistoricalsociety.com
*Royal Oak Historical Society Membership Application*
Name____________________________________________________________________
Address__________________________________________________________________
Email______________________________________________
Please check:
Individual: $10.00____ Family: $18.00___ Donor: $25.00___
Benefactor: $50.00____Seniors: 60+: $8.00_______
Mail with your check to:
Royal Oak Historical Society, 1411 W. Webster Road, Royal Oak MI 48073
PLEASE CHECK YOUR MAILING LABEL FOR THE DATE
YOU LAST PAID YOUR DUES. THANK YOU.
Image Printing, 1902 Crooks, Royal Oak, MI 48073 248-585-4080