The Rock

Chris has lived in the Plymouth / Canton community since 1994. Some his local favorites are: Campari’s on the Park, Basement Burger, Mexican Fiesta II, Pizza Vino, Spoons Place, Central City Dance Center. (734)

Chris has lived in the Plymouth / Canton community since 1994. Some of his local favorites are: Campari’s on the Park, Basement Burger, Mexican Fiesta II, Pizza Vino, Spoons Place, Central City Dance Center.

Scott Daugherty

Scott has lived in the Plymouth / Canton Community since 2002. Some of his local favorites are: Crow’s Nest (Canton), Golf at Pheasant Run Golf Course (Canton), Spoons Place, Palermo Pizza, DCFC Soccer.

Scott has lived in the Plymouth / Canton Community since 2002. Some his local favorites are: Crow’s Nest (Canton), Golf at Pheasant Run Golf Course (Canton), Spoons Place, Palermo Pizza, DCFC Soccer. 524-2773 (555) 555-1212 Soutar

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KURT KUBAN – Publisher

Kurt is an award-winning journalist, having served as a reporter and editor for several local newspapers and magazines, including the Plymouth Observer He has been a journalist for over two decades. He founded Journeyman Publishing, which also publishes The ‘Ville, in 2017.

SCOTT BUIE – Advertising Director/Vice President of Sales

Scott has 20+ years creating advertising campaigns for clients in Metro Detroit. After managing sales for radio stations for 17 years he purchased Street Marketing, where he works closely with a variety of businesses and events. Scott and his family have lived in the Plymouth/Northville area for over 23 years.

BRAD KADRICH – Editor

Brad is an award-winning journalist who spent more than 20 years covering the Plymouth community for the Plymouth Observer. He also spent 15 years serving his country in the U.S. Air Force.

JENNY PEARSALL – Creative Director

Jenny has been in the design and print industry for over twenty years, holding various positions in graphic design, print buying, production and print management. She also owns Bovia Design Group, a company specializing in publications and corporate branding.

BRAD EMONS – Writer

Over the course of his four decades with the Observer & Eccentric, Brad established himself as one of the preeminent prep sports reporters in the state, winning many journalism awards along the way. His greatest joy is interviewing local athletes and coaches, and reporting on their efforts.

LARRY O’CONNOR – Writer

Larry is a metro Detroit area journalist whose work has appeared in The Detroit News, Jackson Citizen Patriot and the Observer & Eccentric Newspapers. When he’s not meticulously chronicling people or events, he’s avidly rooting for his favorite soccer teams -- Manchester United and Glasgow Celtic.

TIM SMITH – Writer

Tim brings a penchant for telling personal stories that run the gamut from news to sports. During more than 35 years in journalism, mostly with the Observer & Eccentric, he has earned numerous state and national awards. The Wayne State grad is a published author and rec ice hockey player.

MICHELE FECHT – Writer

Michele is a longtime journalist whose first post-college reporter position was at The Northville Record b efore moving on to The Detroit News. She is an author, researcher, local history enthusiast, and community activist/ advocate.

WENSDY VON BUSKIRK – Writer

Wensdy graduated with a degree in journalism from Wayne State University. Her first job was working as a reporter for The Northville Record. Now, as a freelance writer and editor, she works for a variety of magazines, including The Rock. -Photo by Kathleen Voss

KEN VOYLES – Writer/Photographer

Ken is an award-winning writer, photographer and designer whose career has spanned nearly five decades in and around metro Detroit. He started his journalism career in Plymouth, working for the Community Crier. He is the author of two books on Detroit history, loves to travel and has finished his first novel.

BILL BRESLER – Photographer

Bill arrived in Plymouth in 1977 to work for the Community Crier. He also worked for the Plymouth Observer for many years. Bill, who taught photography at Madonna University, retired from what was left of the newspaper business in 2019 and now freelances. He’s happy to be back in the Plymouth community.

The Rock is a product of Journeyman Publishing, which assumes no liability or responsibility for any inaccurate, delayed or incomplete information. Any form of reproduction of any content in this publication without the written permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited. Comments are welcome at kurtkuban@therockmagazine.com 16435 Franklin, Northville, MI 48168 • 734-716-0783 • kurtkuban@therockmagazine.com

In this issue

A Wing and a Flair

ANNUAL CHICKEN BARBECUE HELPS ROTARY CLUB ACHIEVE ITS MISSION

The woman manning the gate near the area where hundreds of volunteers were preparing the chicken for this year’s Plymouth Rotary Chicken Barbecue knew one thing for sure.

When the day was over, after being enveloped by the smoke and residue from enough chicken to make 8,500 chicken dinners, she was going home and taking a shower. Otherwise, she knew, her dog wasn’t going to leave her alone.

“My dog will be all over me,” she said, laughing.

Most of the folks who purchased the 8,500 chicken dinners Rotarians sold for Fall Festival don’t see that part of it: The hard work and dedication of the team of thousands of volunteers who put the barbecue – and the festival, for that matter – together.

The parking lot behind The Gathering is covered in smoke as the chicken cooks, and the delicious smell blankets the area. It covers up the hard work and sweat of the people manning the grills.

These are the people without whom the Fall Festival and, by extension, the chicken barbecue, couldn’t happen. That’s true, I think, of most community endeavors of this nature. If people weren’t willing to give of their time and effort, they couldn’t happen.

Violet Andrade knows that’s true. She was one of dozens of kids helping shuck the corn-on-the-cob. A member of Canton High School’s swim team, Andrade volunteered as part of a team community service project.

“I do it for the community,” Andrade said. “This helps the community, the funding stays in the community. They wouldn’t be able to get all this food out to people without (volunteers).”

And getting the food out to people is the most important part, because the Rotary Chicken Barbecue is one of three main fundraisers for the Rotary Club. Organizers hoped to sell 8,500 dinners – the target used to be a frequently reached 10,000, but COVID took care of that – raise some $50,000 for the club’s scholarship program.

The barbecue is a key component of what Rotary does.

Final totals weren’t available at press time, but Eric Joy, past president of the Fall Festival Committee and a member of Rotary’s barbecue committee, said he was confident of topping both goals.

Joy said the fundraising goal was $50,000 between the actual dinners and the boxes – “A lot of our money comes from sponsorships on the boxes,” Joy said – and he was confident they’d reach that goal, as well.

Money raised will be used, among other things, to finance the Noon Rotary’s scholarship program.

The Noon Rotary Club alone, Joy said, finances projects such as supporting nurses in Ghana or water projects in Honduras. The club gives away some $100,000 a year in scholarships, he pointed out.

And the chicken barbecue is one of the club’s top three fundraisers.

“It’s huge not just for us, but for all those (civic) groups,” Joy said. “They make about 75% of their money on this festival.”

Brad Kadrich is editor of The Rock. He can be reached via email at bkadrich@comcast.net.

Your Voice: Letters to the Editor Pandemic looms over school board race 6

PHS Class of ’62 celebrates first state championship 10 Namesake of Stella’s Black Dog Tavern crosses over 14 Plymouth woman tracks lineage back to Mayflower voyage 16

Plymouth grills up another successful Fall Festival

Therapy dog calms anxiety for New School High students 24

Septuagenarian pole vaulter still flying high

EVERYBODY VS. STIGMA

WELCOME BACK STUDENTS!

CRUISERS HAVE SWIMMING IN THEIR VEINS

ON THE COVER: The big slide was a popular attraction at this year’s Fall Festival. Photo by Bill Bresler

YOUR VOICE: LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

SUPPORT MORRIS

When I heard that Nathan Morris was running for school board, two things went through my mind. Finally, someone whose actions speak louder than his words and good, here’s someone whose moral compass is tuned to true north.

With two daughters the same ages as Nathan’s, I’m worried about what it would mean to send them to public school. When one says she’s a cat and meows across the floor, would that be thought of as cute and imaginative, or supported as reality with a litter box in the bathroom?

Nathan understands kids belong in a safe classroom environment, free from fear and propaganda. I know Nathan will listen to parents and make decisions that are best for the kids, free from politics.

Times are crazy and those currently at the helm are lost. We need someone like Nathan to take charge and steer us back towards sanity.

Quinn Haley

VOTE FOR CHANGE

Per the “Nation’s Report Card,” average test scores in 2022 declined five points in reading and seven points in math compared to 2020. School boards across the country, including here in Plymouth-Canton Community Schools, enabled this decline by their Covid response. They did not put students first, nor did they listen to parents’ concerns. They did not consider they were wrong, instead they hid behind “following guidelines.”

How many of you knew they were wrong? I knew. How did we know they were wrong, yet they did not? Because all seven P-CCS School Board members prioritized their shared ideology above students’ needs. They did not listen to other facts and ideas. They are not servant leaders.

This November provides an opportunity to ensure this never happens again. Vote for change. Vote for academics. Vote for improvement. Vote for balance. Vote for your kids. Vote Sheryl Picard and Nathan Morris for School Board.

Patty Pozios

PENN THEATRE A JEWEL

The Penn Theatre is a beloved fixture and cultural institution for residents of Plymouth and the surrounding area. I’m elated to hear a single donation of $300,000 leaves only $100,000 on its mortgage.

There are many folks in Plymouth who care about the Penn but are not so well off. But there are at least 9,300 residents in the City of Plymouth and over 27,000 in the Township. While I don’t imagine the Penn will be able to sell 33,334 tickets before the new year, I’m thinking that if 33,334 of us each donated just $3 before Thanksgiving, we could all be active participants, stakeholders in securing the theater for generations to come.

Though I think there are four years to go on its current lease (from Penn Theatre Realty L.L.C. to Friends of the Penn), the trickle of community donations would sweetly reinforce the privilege of the Wonderful Life we live in Plymouth, and would enable the community to give the gift of mortgage retirement to Friends of the Penn for Christmas.

Maybe putting this word out there could get that ball rolling? Debora-Grace Stanczak

AN ARMED CITIZENRY

When the founding fathers crafted the Second Amendment, particularly the part of a “well regulated militia,” they were referring to everyday citizens as the militia who could be called upon as patriots to support or

oppose the professional military when needed. They knew and understood that the citizen militia needed to be armed with stateof-the-art individual military weaponry, hence the Amendment language.

Anything less would mean defeat, as the militia would be outgunned by professional soldiers. The Amendment was never intended to protect sporting or hunting arms, as many supporters of the banning of military style firearms state, but rather it is intended to protect the ownership of firearms designed for war.

The U.S. can deal with any exterior threat to our democracy, as we would be united and currently have the best trained and armed military in the world. The founding fathers recognized that there could also be an autocratic threat from within. The attempted “coup” and attack on the Capital,

by Trump supporters, is a recent example. Our military is obligated to support the Commander and Chief. Had the attack been successful, who would defend the principles of our republic and its democracy? It certainly would not be the citizen militia if all they had were hunting firearms.

Consider that if the Second Amendment falls, the first and fourth will not be far behind. And that should concern all of us whether we are ideologically liberal, conservative, pro-gun, anti-gun, Republican or Democrat.

Sarunas Mingela

TIME TO ACT

Thank you for your recent opinion piece on gun violence. It was thoughtful and well written, my only hope is that more people read it, take it to heart and act on it. Michele Carmona

Joseph

moving now into how do we help kids move forward.

Plymouth-Canton school board hopefuls eye November decision

Kitchen table issues aren’t just about the price of gas and groceries as far as candidates for the Plymouth-Canton Board of Education are concerned.

From now until the Nov. 8 general election – when voters will choose from eight school board hopefuls to fill three sixyear terms and a single two-year term – a hot topic of discussion in kitchens and living rooms will be the future direction of the Plymouth-Canton district.

It essentially will pit a group of school board veterans against newcomers to the fray, with the primary decision being how residents want their schools to move forward past the quagmire of pandemic-related challenges – which all American school districts continue to grapple with.

“The last couple years have been hard on everybody, teachers, families, kids,” said Anupam Chugh Sidhu, a district parent and current board secretary. “And so I am hoping we are out of the divisive phase of the mask mandates and

“We know there are gaps in learning, and that there have been two setbacks in the past couple years in their learning. So how do we bring everyone together to advance student outcomes. I’m hoping we can unite on that front.”

Sidhu is one of four candidates running on the “MOMS for P-CCS” slate, although she stressed the main function of their unit is to streamline and improve how they communicate with residents during the campaign.

“It (the MOMS for P-CCS unit) is primarily for financial reasons, but also we are aligned in our philosophy of making sure our kids get the resources they need along with our staff,” Sidhu explained. “We want to keep public dollars in public schools and we want to work with local and state government to make sure that schools are fully funded, knowing that there is a gap in funding right now.”

Also part of MOMS for P-CCS are incumbents LaRonda Chastang, Patti McCoin and district volunteer Judy Westra. Of the four, all but McCoin are running for six-year terms.

Other six-year hopefuls include district alum and substitute teacher Amanda Krinke, Sheryl Picard and Nathan Morris; in the battle for the two-year term are McCoin and 22-year-old Sebastian Ostertag.

PERSONAL INSIGHT

Fittingly, many of the candidates have families of their own and skin in the game in P-CCS, eager to help the district move into what optimistically will be the post-pandemic era. Some know about PlymouthCanton schools from first-hand experience, having been P-CCS students themselves.

“I am passionate about building back trust and confidence between our community and the district,” said Krinke, a 2002 Plymouth Salem High School alum, parent, and substitute teacher, running for one of the six-year terms. “Our enrollment is shrinking, and we need to once again be a district families want their kids attending and teachers wish to work.”

Westra, a volunteer in P-CCS schools in the STEM and robotics programs, concurred that “these are tough times for our schools. But I look forward to partnering with all of the

district’s stakeholders to arrive at creative solutions.”

“From my perspective, I completely believe in parental involvement,” Sidhu emphasized. “They are a huge asset to what we do in schools. We need parental involvement; we need family involvement.”

Also challenging for a six-year stint are Picard and Morris, both formally endorsed by the Matthew Wilk-led PAC, Get Kids Back to School. In late June, the PAC endorsed eight candidates and recently followed up with another slate of 13 candidates. Districts range from Plymouth and Northville to Walled Lake, Birmingham and West Bloomfield, among others.

For Picard, who had four children attend P-CCS, her second try for the school board is a quest to return the district to “the academic excellence for which it was formerly known… I’m concerned there has been a change of focus away from academics.”

In the race for the two-year term are 2019 Salem graduate Ostertag (who collected more than 20,000 votes during a 2020 candidacy) and board veteran McCoin.

On Ostertag’s candidate webpage, he touts his lifelong

volunteerism and independence from any political action groups.

He will be squaring off against McCoin, a classroom teacher and parent of children who she said all received “excellent education in the district and I want to make sure that every student is able to receive an education that will allow them to choose the life path that is right for them.

“I see on a daily basis how decisions made at the board level affect the educational experiences of students and staff.”

TOP OF MIND

The recent struggles of American public education –including its politicization in the post-pandemic era – are on candidates’ minds during the final weeks of the campaign.

In fact, to some degree, school board elections in PlymouthCanton and all across the United States have added another question to the ticket – whether or not public education is on track or in need of a different approach.

Since March 2020, when COVID-19 forced all American schools to shut down, there have been more than two years of uncertainty, learning setbacks and frayed nerves over the response to issues such as how the pandemic resulted in loss of in-person classroom time, isolation, face masks and vaccines. All of which have put teachers, administrators and even board members into the line of political fire.

Although there are no mask mandates or in-person restrictions as the 2022-23 school year opens (the district still is strictly following health protocols issued by the CDC and monitoring state and county numbers), among key tasks for the next school board will be building or repairing the relationship with families.

“A lot of changes need to occur,” Krinke said. “We need consistent and transparent communication with parents. We need a clearer

focus on meeting the academic needs of all students which requires strengthening basic and core skills to recover learning loss while still challenging students who continuously perform above grade level.

“Parents need to be actively involved in their child’s education at all levels.”

Krinke added that teachers need to be supported, to stem the tide of K-12 vacancies. She lamented the loss of students to other

high on her to-do list.

“If elected, my priority issues would be teacher retention and the continuous decrease in student enrollment,” Picard stated. “…As customers of education, parents do matter and need to be heard and respected. Teachers also need

to arrive at solutions that benefit everyone.”

And providing an environment where families can work together with the district is something Westra would push for should she be elected.

Sidhu said the district has successfully navigated through the choppy post-pandemic waters, however, and sees a promising future.

“It’s a huge honor to be serving in the schools as a public official,” Sidhu stressed, “because I believe in our community schools and strengthening our community schools.

“I hope we are out of the divisive phase of the mask mandates, because there are no mask mandates and we’re not pushing for mask mandates.”

The 2020 bond issue is about to start bearing fruit, with physical improvements such as expansion of the Salem auditorium. Sidhu also cited the pending formation of a student action committee, which will take root this fall, in which students in grades 6-12 will collaborate with the school board and administration to address concerns important to them.

heard, respected and provided an environment that allows them to focus on academics.”

COLLABORATION

and an increase i n faculty and support staff vacancies. “It saddens me to see so many families opting out of public schools and to see many exceptional educators leave the field because the school environments have too many roadblocks for them to do their jobs effectively.”

It is an exodus Picard would like to stop. That’s why doing a better job of connecting with families and teachers would be

Westra, a volunteer for district STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) and robotics programs, said pandemic lockdowns triggered the notion that “some groups of our students are being left behind or left out of opportunities to achieve to their best.’

“I feel this issue is caused because a lack of transparency and partnership between administration, families and staff prevents us from collaborating

“The last election cycle was in the middle of covid, in 2020,” Sidhu noted. “That was a little hard because we were seeing a lot of tension at board meetings and across the community. But now, I hope we’re over that and really focusing on kids and advancing their opportunities.”

Meanwhile, McCoin puts student achievement at or near the top of her wish list.

“The resources and support offered to students will vary depending on their individual needs,” McCoin emphasized. “But all of the students need to be making measurable progress toward their goals.”

market has been and we were very particular with what we wanted and where we wanted to be (near downtown Plymouth). That made it difficult

THAT AMAZING SWIM SEASON!

By Ken Voyles

Sixty-one years ago the Plymouth High School swim team won the school’s first-ever state sports championship. Made up of an unheralded group of young men, the group took down powerhouses like Birmingham Seaholm and Grosse Pointe during a grueling two-day meet in the spring of 1961.

That year and the next one saw most of the winning team graduate, some going on to become All-American collegiate

swimmers, others moving on with their lives and careers. One died tragically before graduating, while another “mediocre” swimmer recently played a role in bringing members of the 1962 PHS class together for a unique reunion.

Clearly for those attending the 60th reunion – around 90 including nearly 50 classmatesthere wasn’t any better place to be, or time to gather, than at PARC (once Plymouth High School) during Fall Festival this year.

For the organizers, their classmates and families, and supporters of PARC, it was a special time to remember joyous days of youth and a special championship season.

Classmates from six states, from as far away as Idaho and Florida, spent three days together, enjoying Plymouth and rejoicing over the rebirth of the school that was once their beloved home (and later Central Middle School). Several swimmers from the team were on

hand to celebrate as well.

“When we had our 50th we asked people for top memories and the championship, even though it was the year before, was still among all of our favorite memories. It was just that special,” says Ken Fischer, that “mediocre” swimmer from 1961 who didn’t compete, but watched from the bleachers cheering on his Rock teammates with hundreds of other friends and family. “It was thrilling, one of those things you never forget. We were going nuts.”

FRONT PAGE NEWS

When the swimmers took the state title the Plymouth Mail newspaper proclaimed the victory with a large front page headline that simply read, “They’re champs!”

Reporter Bill Nelson described the triumph, which took place in Lansing, with the following words: “The best team in Rock history turned in a great performance.” Indeed, the team, under coach John McFall, only scored one first place finish at

Plymouth High’s first-ever sports championship celebrated at Class of ’62 reunion

the meet, but produced a superb overall team effort from all of its 17 swimmers and divers.

A future All-American at Michigan State University, Dick Gretzinger won the 200-yard individual medley, setting a new state record in the process. One of the team’s co-captains, he also tied for second in the 200 freestyle.

Another second-place finish came from Dick Michaels,

later an All-American swimmer at Ohio State, in the 100-yard backstroke, while the medley relay also garnered second place with Michaels, Phil Bender, Nick Herrick and Jim Izett.

In the freestyle relay finale, Gary Gould, Bill Britcher, Ron Daley (a team co-captain) and his twin brother Bob, grabbed fourth place. With that finish their overall score gave Plymouth

eight more points than second place Battle Creek. Sadly, Bob Daley would never graduate from Plymouth, but was killed in a car accident later that spring.

In the Mail story, McFall described the Rocks as “the greatest team Plymouth has ever had anywhere, any place, any time.”

Fischer, who said he was a “scrub” swimmer remembers all of his teammates fondly. Some have since died, others are in poor health and a few like Michaels were able to be on hand for the reunion.

“We all liked growing up in Plymouth,” says Fischer, retired president of the U of M Musical Society and longtime Ann Arbor resident. “It didn’t represent the world in diversity but it was a safe place, a fun place with a great community feeling. We loved our high school and knowing that it was repurposed by the people of this community was music to our ears.”

Fischer, who grew up at homes on Arthur and McKinley streets (where he even helped deliver his baby sister Martha), credited the eight members of the reunion committee with a year-long effort to create a special celebration.

“The committee really deserves the credit for this,” says Fischer, who was among more than half of the classmates on hand who still live in or near the Plymouth community. Other committee members included Greta Jensen Dart, Margaret Berry Harlow, Dick and Pauline Jowsey, Karen Dingeldey Schweim, Carol Stephenson Vos and Karen McGeehen Wiley.

Besides a big dinner and dance party in PARC’s Jack Wilcox Theater, the reunion group took tours of the school, watched a special movie on the history of

Plymouth, enjoyed a cocktail reception on Friday, and time together during the annual Fall Festival. One classmate, Ireta Hromek Stephenson, came from her Boise, Idaho home, nearly 2,000 miles away.

ALL-AMERICAN

Dick Michaels traveled from Three Rivers, Michigan for the class reunion, reliving the championship season with his friends and remembering days together in Plymouth.

Though mostly unheralded, Plymouth’s own swim team members were highly confident and anticipated success at the competition. In preparation they practiced three times a day under McFall’s watchful eyes, who, according to Fischer, knew the team’s potential.

“We had done all we could to win,” says Michaels, who stays in touch with the aging Gretzinger. “We expected to win by 100 but obviously we weren’t too bright about judging our opponents.”

Returning from the meet Michaels and then assistant coach Tom Workman missed the first celebration back in Plymouth

when their car broke down.

“One of my great memories was the huge number of our fans at the meet. We even heard that a lot of the basketball team’s girlfriends were cheering us on,” says the retired swim coach for Oberlin College in Ohio. “Seaholm had a reputation for being loud. Well, our fans drowned them out.”

After graduating from Plymouth High, Michaels won a scholarship to swim for Ohio State where he became an AllAmerican. Today he is a member of the Oberlin College Hall of Fame for his 36-year career leading the school’s men and women’s swim teams, producing six NCAA titles and dozens of All-Americans.

Michaels has been married to Janet for 53 years and has three sons. His son Matt was an

All-American swimmer at Texas A&M.

“My grandfather came to Plymouth in 1916 and lived on Ann Street,” he says. “My dad Mel taught me to swim at our cottage in Hartland. He never competed but he graduated from Plymouth High in 1936.”

For Fischer, who was joined at the reunion by his wife Penny,

Plymouth still feels like home even though it has changed in many ways. The author of two books, he also plans to take part in the first-ever book festival being held at PARC in October.

“Our local classmates are really the ones that have kept this reunion going,” says Fischer. “We all enjoy each other and have a good time. There’s

already some talk about trying to do a 70th.”

For Michaels, he says sadly that he’s lost touch with many of his former teammates, and isn’t sure whether some are still alive. He remains close to Gretzinger and Fischer.

“Reunions are a great way to see everyone who’s still around,” he says. “I don’t know if we’ll ever get together again so it’s good to be together.”

Even with the passing of time, the loss of friends and the fading memories, the triumph of the 1961 Plymouth High School men’s swim team still shines in the community’s sports firmament.

That’s the kind of indelible mark Plymouth’s first-ever state title made on this community, and more importantly on the shaping of people’s lives and stories–even to this very day.

S p i n a l D e c o m p r e s s i o n t h o u s a n d s o f p e o p le a n d i t c a n h e l p y o u t o o !

“I move better now at 60 than I did at 50!” —Lynn“I’m able to play with my grandchildren!”

“I have full range of motion in my neck now!” —Hal, Plymouth

“My arm strength is back—no more pinched nerve in my neck.” “I’m back to doing everything I want now.” —Nancy, Plymouth

“No more Sciatica down my leg.” —Brian, Plymouth

“I’m back to tossing again!” —L. Walker

With summer at its completion, students return to classrooms

Students across the state of Michigan spent the summer enjoying vacations, getting their first jobs, spending time with friends and traveling with their families.

That was the story in Plymouth-Canton schools, the same as it was for districts all over the state. In the state’s fifth-largest district, P-CCS’s 17,000 students began returning to classrooms in the district’s 15 elementary schools, five middle schools and on the three-building high school campus.

Sports and other extra-curricular activities had already started, clubs gathered and other activities resumed as the students returned to their SeptemberJune jobs: LEARNING.

If they don’t already have all the details, students and parents can find everything they need to know on the district’s website at pccsk12.com.

Photos courtesy of Plymouth-Canton Schools

Crossing the Bridge

Beloved Plymouth dog remembered after losing battle with cancer

By Brad Kadrich

In a world where dogs are hailed as “Man’s Best Friend,” Stella Ostendorf embodied the adage.

For years, Stella has greeted guests at her namesake restaurant, Stella’s Black Dog Tavern in Plymouth. She made her way around town with Bob Ostendorf, owner of both the Bernese Mountain Dog and the restaurant, greeting folks in Kellogg Park, stopping in with Bob at local businesses, and she raised money for a variety of causes.

Stella, who was shy of her 12th birthday, lost a brave battle with cancer on Sept. 1.

Her devastated owners posted the sad news on Facebook.

“It is with shattered hearts that we tell you we said good-bye to our beloved Stella and she crossed the Rainbow Bridge peacefully this afternoon,” Bob and Dorothy Ostendorf wrote. “At almost twelve years young, Stella… lived a much longer life than most Bernese Mountain Dogs.”

Stella leaves behind quite the legacy:

• She raised tens of thousands of dollars during her birthday parties for Humane Society of Huron Valley.

• With Dogtopia, she raised enough money to buy and train a service dog for a veteran.

• She greeted children with Santa in the fire engine coming into the city.

• She spent countless hours at the VA Hospital in Ann Arbor comforting and loving the many veterans who met her.

• She visited local schools and had her books read to 30-120 gathered children at a time.

• Stella and Bob threw out the first pitch together at the opening day game of the Miracle League of Plymouth in 2018.

The Ostendorfs agreed, though, that perhaps what they called “the greatest gift of her legacy” greeting thousands of guests over the years.

“The delight of both young and older guests was obvious, and even when she was unable to come to the restaurant due to health issues, almost everyone asked after her,” Bob Ostendorf said. “She has been sorely missed

Stella’s Magic. The idea is to continue Stella’s efforts of helping others.

The Ostendorfs will launch Stella’s Magic on what would have been her 12th birthday, Oct. 23. They made the announcement at a recent luncheon in Stella’s honor at Karl’s Cabin in Plymouth.

Any doubts about Stella’s popularity and the love the community had for her were vanquished when about 200 people attended.

Stella’s last few weeks were spent doing what Bob wrote were “her favorite things:” Taking truck rides, eating ice cream and liverwurst (yes, sometimes together), devouring rare filets and steaks, watching old movies, and hanging out at the lake.”

Bob and Dorothy had one sage piece of advice: “Hug your furbabies.”

the last several years.” Extending Stella’s legacy, Bob and Dorothy are starting a new foundation,

"God was a genius when he created dogs," they wrote.

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Society Success

Plymouth woman tracks lineage back to Mayflower voyage

By Brad Kadrich

All Sandy Prebenda

O’Shaughnessy knew about John Alden was what most of us learned in school.

He came over on the Mayflower – in fact, he was a crewmember on the ship – with the other settlers commonly known as the Pilgrims. He didn’t get on the Mayflower for a return trip but remained behind with the other settlers, and became an activist for the group.

Now, O’Shaughnessy, a Plymouth resident, knows something else about Alden: He’s her 10th-great-grandfather.

It’s a fact divined by Sandy’s husband, John, who has become something of an expert at his new hobby, using the website ancestry.com. And it’s also the single biggest contributor to Sandy’s new membership in the General Society of Mayflower Descendants in Plymouth, Mass.

John started the project four years ago, when he was doing–and getting nowhere with -ancestry work on his side of the family. He dropped it and

decided to work on Sandy’s side.

“I didn’t get too far with mine, I got to the 1800s,” John said. “I found some unique stories, so I thought, ‘let’s see what I can find for (Sandy). I didn’t get too far with her mother, so I stopped doing hers.

“Then I picked it back up, and the second time I picked it up it just blew up,” John added. “We were going back to the 1700s, the 1600s, and the leaves of the branches are going everywhere.”

Then he got to Alden and there it was: Alden was Sandy’s 10th-greatgrandfather.

John said he would have stopped there, satisfied with the knowledge. But Sandy decided her husband had done too much work to stop there. For Sandy, the next step was obvious:

gaining membership in the Mayflower Society.

“I’m like, let’s go a step further,” Sandy said. “He’d done all of this amazing work, and (found out) I’m related to John Alden (and John Adams and John Quincy Adams and all these other people). He put all of this work and all of this effort, so let’s keep going.

“Let’s make it official,” she added. “Now this is official. This is forever in our family history. So I guess I just wanted to honor the work he had done.”

John and Sandy knew it was true; turns out, though, convincing the folks at the

Mayflower Society wasn’t so easy.

John had blazed this trail through records and found a woman named Lydia Baldwin in the family tree who was Sandy’s second great-grandmother. The problem? Nobody at the Mayflower Society knew who Lydia was.

“The Mayflower people were like, ‘We don’t know who she is. Nobody has put forth Lydia Baldwin before, and we don’t know who she is. You’ve got to convince us.”

Though nobody had heard of her –“She’s not a famous person,” John said – but John and Sandy knew Lydia was the missing link to get from John Alden to Sandy.

Luckily for the couple, Sandy’s father kept impeccable records, and Lydia Baldwin is clearly mentioned in there as (Sandy’s) father’s great-grandmother.

“Clearly that’s the case, but the Mayflower people were like, ‘that’s all well and good, but we need more proof than that. You need to provide her death certificate.’” John said.

When he found Lydia’s properly marked death certificate on ancestry.com, John took it

to the Mayflower folks and they agreed it was enough.

“That’s it, we’re done,” John recalls thinking. “We sent all the paperwork in, and that completed the circle.”

It was a circle Sandy was convinced needed to be completed, because of the enormity of it when you stop and think about it. Half of the Pilgrims didn’t survive the first winter, and it’s only providence that Alden was one of them.

Except for Alden’s survival, who knows where Sandy would be?

“To change anything changes everything,” Sandy said. “Had (Alden) not survived, I wouldn’t be sitting here. You think about that. They’re part of you, part of who you are. They’re the shoulders upon which we stand.

“It’s mind-boggling to think about that,” she added. “They came over on what they called coffin ships because so many

didn’t make it. So all these people, searching for new land and new hope and new dreams, half of them don’t make it.”

There’s also this: Sandy and her children, Morgan and Ryan, moved to Plymouth in 2000 when Sandy’s first husband died. The kids caught the school bus off of Mayflower Street, right down the street is John Alden Street, and nearby is Priscilla Lane.

“It’s almost like I HAD to get official,” Sandy said. “That’s a small world.”

While Sandy’s father kept such impeccable records, no one in her family ever put it together. John says it would have been impossible without the website.

“You couldn’t do it,” John said. “Without ancestry.com you couldn’t put those things together. Ancestry.com has given people a resource to go way, way back. You never know what you might find.”

Sandy feels fortunate John

found all the right information.

“For me there’s an overwhelmingness of God’s providence, a feeling that you owe great honor to all these people who are part of the reason why you’re here,” she said. “You think about their courage and their fortitude, there are some

tough people in our stock.

“They got on ships, they fought in wars, they suffered horribly…in such incredible circumstances,” she added.

“Sometimes I feel like a wimp compared to these people. We all know we come from somebody. This makes it tangible.”

Hot off tHe Grill

is one of the club’s top three fundraisers.

“It’s huge not just for us, but for all those (civic) groups,” Joy said. “They make about 75% of their money on this festival.”

They don’t do it alone. Hundreds of volunteers help put the festival, and the barbecue, together.

Violet Andrade, a junior swimmer at Canton High School, was one of them this year, spending hours shucking corn-on-the-cob as a community service project for the swim team.

“I do it for the community,” Andrade said. “This helps the community, the funding stays in the community. They wouldn’t be able to get all this food out to people without (volunteers).”

In addition to the civic groups, the streets are lined with carnival rides and vendors hawking everything from food to jewelry to toys and art.

Thad Johnson, owner of Troybased Red Lava Toys, was selling hand-made toy figures from the on-line game “Minecraft.” It’s his fourth year working Fall Festival.

Laura McGhee and Irene Shu have lived in the Plymouth-Canton area for most of the last 45 years.

But until this year, neither had ever been to the Plymouth Rotary Club’s Rotary Chicken Barbecue, the signature and closing event of the annual Fall Festival in downtown Plymouth.

It’s the Rotary Club’s biggest fundraiser, selling thousands of chicken dinners and drawing raves from a ravenous crowd. But until Sunday, Sept. 11, neither McGhee nor Shu – who’ve known each other since they were students at Pioneer Middle School together -- had ever tasted the goodness.

The friends hadn’t initially

planned on attending, then decided on the spur of the moment to hit it up. Now they’ve both had the chicken, and they both gave thumbs up.

“It was totally spontaneous,” said Shu, a Canton resident (McGhee lives in Livonia). “I was checking for events (online) and saw the Rotary Chicken Barbecue. It really is about the community coming together, enjoying some food.”

And there was a lot of it. According to Eric Joy, pastpresident of the Fall Festival Committee and a member of Rotary’s barbecue committee, said the club was aiming to sell 8,500 chicken dinners at this year’s festival and, as of Sunday

morning, he was confident of topping the goal.

Joy said the fundraising goal was $50,000 between the actual dinners and the boxes – “A lot of our money comes from sponsorships on the boxes,” Joy said – and he was confident they’d reach that goal, as well.

Money raised will be used, among other things, to finance the Noon Rotary’s scholarship program.

The Noon Rotary Club alone, Joy said, finances projects such as supporting nurses in Ghana or water projects in Honduras. The club gives away some $100,000 a year in scholarships, he pointed out.

And the chicken barbecue

“It’s a very successful festival for us,” Johnson said. “They get a lot of traffic, and a lot of it is families. It’s an enjoyable atmosphere.”

That’s what Kayla Smalley thinks, too. Smalley, a Canton resident, was patrolling the streets of downtown Plymouth with her husband and two daughters, who were at the festival for the first time.

Kayla and her husband used to attend frequently, but had stopped since the COVID-19 pandemic hit. They were back this year.

“We came for the kids,” Smalley said. “They have a lot of good rides, a lot of good games. The kids like it.”

Being part of the community means caring

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PLYMOUTH-CANTON SCHOOL BOARD PICARD

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EVERYBODY vs. STIGMA

Plymouth father doing his best to raise awareness of mental health issues

By Tim Smith

The pain and sorrow can still bring Kevin Fischer to tears more than a dozen years since his son, Dominique, decided he would rather take his own life than deal with the unbearable stigma of having schizophrenia.

Sitting at the kitchen table of his Plymouth Township home, the 57-year-old Fischer stops in mid-sentence during an interview to dry the moisture from around his eyes.

“I tell the story a lot, it’s really part of my job now,” said Fischer, executive director of NAMI Michigan.

He and second wife Sonya recently launched “Everybody vs. Stigma” – a non-profit endeavor which is separate from his position with NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) – to further drive home the message and mission of their Dominique Fischer Memorial Foundation (founded in 2011, the same year Kevin began volunteering for NAMI).

It is a job that consumes Kevin Fischer, who participates on Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Suicide Prevention Commission and numerous organizations which strive to tackle a disease which too many Americans would rather ignore or dismiss than address head-on.

On Sept. 24, during the final week of Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, members of the memorial foundation will wear “Everybody vs. Stigma” T-shirts for NAMI Walks Your Way Michigan. The 5K run/walk from 8 a.m. to noon begins from the Wayne State University campus.

Then as September concludes (on Sept. 30), he and former Detroit Lions quarterback Eric Hipple will be featured speakers at Northville High School as “Everybody vs. Stigma Week” comes to its culmination. He’d fill all 365 days of the year with such appearances if it meant reaching more and more people who need to hear his message.

That’s because Fischer is part

of something like a dozen boards and commissions dealing with mental health.

“Sonya says you can’t do everything,” said Fischer, with a slight nod. “And you got to let someone else do it…but I’m trying to help as many people as I can, while I can.”

DEADLY CONSEQUENCES

There is no denying him that. Especially now with the catchy “Everybody vs. Stigma” tagline grabbing the public’s attention.

“People stop me and ask ‘Hey, what’s this all about?’ Here’s what we know about stigma, it’s the leading barrier that prevents people from taking the very first steps to getting help – whether it’s mental illness, substance abuse disorder, even when they’re contemplating suicide. I don’t want people to be ashamed,” he said. He'll be blunt, too, honestly telling anybody who will listen just how deadly ignoring the danger signs of stigma can be. “I tell people stigma killed my son,” Fischer said. “Dominique

died by suicide, but the beginning of the end for Dominique was he was embarrassed by his diagnosis. He didn’t want people to know.”

Dominique stopped taking his prescriptions, however, and started smoking marijuana.

“He explained to me that ‘I would rather people think I’m high than for them to know I have a mental illness,’” Fischer continued.

Not too long after that exchange, Dominique Fischer committed suicide in June 2010 at age 23. Dominique’s death happened one day after Kevin Fischer spoke to him about finally getting the care and treatment he needed and deserved.

Kevin and his first wife Cindy were estranged at the time, so the devoted dad was driving Dominique from a family gathering to an apartment where Cindy was living.

“I told him if you’ll agree and stay (at the treatment center) for 30 days, I’ll live in my truck for 30 days and park outside your room, I’ll stay as long as you stay,” said Kevin, trying unsuccessfully to choke back his emotion. “Every parental alarm in my body was going off, ‘Don’t leave him.’”

That help never came because Dominique killed himself a day before Kevin was going to check him into a treatment facility in Brighton.

STOPPING ‘BLAME GAME’

He blames himself for what happened to his son. But after composing himself, he remembers he has an important mission to carry out each minute, hour and day of his life.

As executive director of NAMI Michigan, Fischer is on an endless crusade to help other families avoid the pain and emptiness suicide brings.

The elder Fischer – a religious man (he always wears a gold St. Christopher medal around his neck) whose faith was supremely tested by Dominique’s mental illness – knows from experience how mental illness and the inability to cope with it can crumble marriages and families.

“Mental illness, I’ve seen it tear families apart,” Fischer said. “Mom and dad, one or the other won’t agree, won’t accept the diagnosis. Won’t agree upon treatment. I’ve seen where a person, a child with mental illness would learn to play one parent off the other.”

The tentacles of such family crises can be dangerous and ensnaring if left unchecked.

Fischer kept blaming himself more and more in the weeks and months after Dominique’s death. In fact, he became so depressed and isolated that he didn’t think he would survive the tragedy.

Before too long, he attended a NAMI peer support group and was recruited to join the Michigan chapter’s board of directors. Soon, he was coordinating NAMI Walks in Michigan to generate money for local affiliates. It is an ongoing quest, to get as many people interested in doing such an event to raise mental health awareness as they might for other worthy causes such as cancer or heart disease.

“In the state of Michigan there are about 350,000 people who we know receive behavior health care treatment through the community mental health system,” Fischer stressed. “Statistically, less than half of people who need (treatment) get it in any given year.”

Yet, the first NAMI Walk event he organized drew just 200 people. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, 2,500 attended.

“When you look at those numbers, you say ‘Okay, there’s a million in need but only 2,500 that shows up at the walk.’ That’s still stigma to me. Because, I don’t have breast cancer but I participate in the breast cancer walk every year. And they’ll have 50,000 people.”

Pounding the table for emphasis, Fischer then lamented how charity walks to help fight mental illness routinely draw a fraction of that amount.

(CCBHC), in order to expand high-quality mental health and addiction services nationwide.

“It is the most significant mental health legislation in my lifetime,” Fischer said. “And that goes all the way back to JFK, the last piece of major legislation he signed before his assassination was the Community Mental Health Act of 1963. I was born in ’64.”

increased awareness and communication in families, to nip potential tragedy in the bud.

By this time, he was in a serious relationship with Sonya, who herself now is a full-time behavioral healthcare advocate.

“Sonya was not aware that I was starting to have suicidal thoughts of my own,” Fischer said. “But she knew I wasn’t managing the grief well. So she later came across NAMI (while Googling for help) and said maybe I could give this organization a try.”

“I still attribute that (disparity) to stigma,” said Fischer, adding that NAMI has people who would donate to the cause – if done anonymously. “We’ve come a distance but we’ve still got so much further to go.”

They have had strong support from legislators such as U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (DMI). She, in 2021, co-sponsored with U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (RMO) bipartisan legislation which spawned Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics

There are 34 designated sites in Michigan which allows for anybody, regardless of insurance, to walk into one of those sites and receive treatment regardless of the severity of diagnosis.

FINDING SOLUTIONS

Unfortunately not many know about those clinics. He is dedicated to changing that.

“I’m not a political person, I’m an issue-focused person,” Fischer said. “I don’t care who comes up with the solution.”

Meanwhile, Fischer remains hopeful that the stigma will dissipate to the point where the masses aren’t leery of attaching themselves to the issue.

And with that would come

“Here’s what’s really interesting, and I keep going back to stigma,” Fischer said. “Parents are more the perpetuators of stigma than kids are. These students are very open. I’ve been in many schools, and (after) 20 minutes kids are telling me ‘Yes, I’ve attempted suicide before’ or ‘Yes, I’m cutting’ or ‘Yes, I have a therapist, I’m on medication.”

Yet often-times, youngsters face silence or indifference at home instead of getting concrete, useful guidance.

“They tell me, ‘Stop giving us 800 numbers to call’ and ‘We want to know what resources are available to us in our community,’” Fischer continued. “And, one that I’m really concerned about is, how do we get our parents to talk about this?”

Perhaps all it might take is seeing more and more people wearing their hearts on their sleeves and “Everybody vs. Stigma” on their t-shirts.

recent years, and aging adults are at an increased risk for developing it. Getting a blood sugar test (known as an A1C test) can help to diagnose prediabetes and diabetes.

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people were concerned about visiting their primary healthcare provider for wellness visits and preventive health screenings. One side effect was that many were delaying necessary care.

“While in many ways we are getting back to normal as a society, some people are still hesitant to visit their doctor – or may not know which screenings they need,” Dr. Manzoor says.

Here, Dr. Manzoor offers answers to some common questions about screenings for seniors.

Why is preventive screening important?

Thanks to newer medical technologies, improved public health efforts and other trends, we are living longer. But longer doesn’t necessarily mean better. It’s important to focus on preventive care and receive all of the necessary screenings, to help ensure you can get the highest

“This is a particular challenge for seniors, who are at increased risk for illnesses, accidents and injuries. It is safe to return to our Henry Ford medical centers as we continue to take complete and thorough precautions regarding safety.”

quality of life and the most out of your Golden Years.

But what if I don’t have any symptoms?

There are several health issues which you could have and not realize. For example, people with lung cancer or colorectal cancer

often don’t have symptoms until the later stages, when the disease is harder to treat. Other conditions, such as high blood pressure and high blood sugar, may also be present long before they start to cause symptoms. Preventive screenings may help to find these and other conditions earlier, before they become severe or life-threatening.

How do I get screened?

At your annual wellness visit, your primary care physician can perform some screenings or order others, such as lab tests. Your physician can also make additional health recommendations.

Which screenings should I get?

There are several potential screenings that your doctor may recommend, depending on your personal and family medical history as well as any other risk factors. But there are several common screenings which many seniors need. These include:

• Cardiovascular screenings: As we age, our risk for developing heart disease and related conditions such as stroke increases. Blood pressure and cholesterol screenings can help to provide a better picture of your overall cardiovascular health and identify any potential warning signs.

• Diabetes: The number of diabetes cases in the United States has been increasing in

• Eye and hearing exams: Declines in eyesight and hearing may seem like a normal part of aging. However, these may be the sign of more serious conditions.

• Bone density scan and balance tests: Our bones can become weaker as we get older, increasing the risk of fracture. This is especially true for women, given that hormonal changes during menopause can weaken bone density. A decreased bone density coupled with balance issues can increase the risk of a serious fall.

• Cancer screenings: These can include specific tests for women, such as breast and cervical cancer screenings, as well as tests recommended for both men and women, such as colorectal screening. And other screenings for people who have specific risk factors, such as lung cancer screening for heavy smokers.

How else can I improve my overall health and wellness?

There are several steps you can take to help ensure optimal health and wellness as you age. These include:

• Maintain a healthy diet

• Stay active

• Get any recommended vaccinations preventive screenings

• Get enough sleep, and maintain a regular sleep schedule

• Socialize to help guard against loneliness that can affect seniors

• Visit your dentist every 6 months

The Art of ‘Getting Inverted’ pole vaulter Matti Kilpelainen still

For pole vaulter Matti Kilpelainen, age apparently is no barrier.

You could say the longtime assistant track coach at Plymouth Canton High remains pretty spry for his age as evidenced by winning the 75-79 age group after clearing 9 feet, 2½ inches at the recent World Masters Track & Field Championships held in his native homeland of Tampere, Finland.

The former Detroit Public Schools elementary physical education teacher has competed 12 times in the World Masters, where he has medaled eight times. His journey has taken him to competitions in Spain, Australia, Italy and Finland, as well as the U.S.

But this gold medal was special in more ways than one because the last time he stood atop the podium was in 2001 when he captured his age group

By Brad Emons

in Brisbane, Australia.

For this most recent Masters World Track & Field Championships, which is held every two years, it was a bucket list trip for Kilpelainen, who was born in the small town of Pieksamaki, Finland in 1946.

There were originally 12 competitors entered in his age group, but only five made the trek to Tampere due to ongoing post COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions.

And there was another logistical factor to consider for the pole vaulter, who turned 77 in September.

“The last 15 years I have friends who would bring me poles if they live in Finland, or I rent them,” Kilpelainen said. “The last time I took poles when I went to Australia in 2001, so the last 20 years I’ve been borrowing or renting poles when I get there.”

Kilpelainen’s story and journey to the U.S. is like many European immigrants post World War II who came to America in search of a better life.

His parents included Vilho, an engineer who served in the First Soviet-Finnish Winter War that started in 1939, and mother Kirsti, a nurse who also served during the conflict. They had four children – sons Matti, Karl and Timo, along with a daughter Merja.

Post-war the family took a boat to New York and ultimately landed in the Upper Peninsula where they stayed with two uncles and an aunt in February of 1954.

After several moves, the family migrated to Detroit where Matti participated in three different sports at Cooley High. He ran cross country, started in basketball and did multiple events for the track team

including the pole vault, high jump and long jump, shot put and sprint relays. While at Cooley, he set the Michigan indoor high school pole vault record at 13-6.

Being athletic was obviously in the genes for the Kilpelainen family. Karl, the older brother, was a champion pole vaulter and school record holder at Wayne State University, while Timo played on a golf scholarship at Western Michigan.

Kirsti was athletic in her youth, while an uncle Pauli, the star athlete of the family, died in the Finnish-Russian conflict. He was an accomplished javelin thrower and violinist.

Matti competed collegiately landing a partial athletic scholarship to the University of Michigan under coach Don Canham. And it was with the Wolverines where he posted a personal best of 15-6 in 1968 during a meet at Ferry Field.

With the impending 1968 Olympic Trials scheduled that September in Lake Tahoe, Calif., Kilpelainen spent the summer there vaulting in Los Angeles

where he crossed paths and competed against John Pennel, a four-time world record holder and Sullivan Award winner who

eventually placed fifth in the 1968 Mexico City Games.

“That’s how I met my wife (Jutka),” Kilpelainen said. “My teammate lived there and I stayed with him and went to the summer all-comer meets at Pierce Junior College.”

After graduating from U-M, Kilpelainen returned to Detroit and began his P.E. teaching career in the DPS. In 1969, he was an assistant coach at Detroit Western under Don Smith, who later became a fixture as a soccer coach at Canton High where he guided the Chiefs to one boys’ and three girls’ state titles.

That season Smith and Kilpelainen guided Western to their only PSL boys track and field team title in school history.

Kilpelainen continued coaching jumpers and hurdlers as an assistant coach first at Livonia Churchill under Fred Price, then at Canton starting in 1995, first for both Bob Richardson and then Jess Shough.

He became a fixture around the area crossing paths with pole vaulters during the off seasons jumping including the three Babits brothers from Redford Union, along with Paul Terek, the former Livonia Franklin state high school record holder in the pole vault and Michigan State

standout who competed in the decathlon at the 2004 Summer Games in Athens, Greece.

During his coaching journey, Kilpelainen has played an integral part in the success of numerous Canton track and field athletes who either won or medaled in state, regional or conference competitions, or who have set new school records.

In addition to his coaching, he tried to remain active competitively under the umbrella of the Motor City Striders while raising a family. He also competed in the decathlon.

“I try to use the sport to maintain my health,” Kilpelainen

said. “Although I’m 77, it’s getting harder. I wasn’t competing all the years. I took some years off – my son Kristian was growing up and also with my daughter Karina I took maybe six or seven years off. Then I started in 1984 again doing Masters track.”

This past season, Kilpelainen scaled back his coaching duties significantly at Canton to take care of his ailing wife Jutka, who is suffering from dementia.

“That takes my main focus at this point,” Kilpelainen said. “She’s a Hungarian Jew. She came to the U.S. in 1964. Her mother and her grandmother were saved by Raoal Wallenberg (a 1935 U-M grad from Sweden). In 1944 they were rounding up all the Jews and with his intervention their lives were spared.”

On a trip to Brazil in 2013, Matti noticed his wife could hardly move or walk properly. Her gait was off and she eventually had brain surgery to insert a tube to suction the fluid.

“She got a little bit better, but dementia is one of the criteria that happens with that disease,” Kilpelainen said. “As long as I’m around home it’s O.K. When I went to Finland – it was a week there – I had my daughter (Karina) take care of her in the night time. And one of my vaulters who is our record holder,

Victoria Faber, came and took care of her during the day time. That’s how it works.”

Faber, who holds the P-CEP pole vault record at 12-3, went on to compete at Aquinas College an NAIA All-American, national champion and school record holder at 13-6.25. She has since transferred to University of Alabama where she has two years of eligibility remaining.

In the pole vault, Kilpelainen said there are a couple of key ingredients to learning the discipline.

“To be successful, you have to have pretty good runway speed and you have to be very agile and have a gymnastic type of ability, too,” he said. “It’s all rapid takeoff and just learning the right technique, just getting inverted.”

Kilpelainen once stood 6 feet, 1 inch tall, but jokingly said he’s shrunk 2½ inches and his feet have bothered him during the last couple of years. But he won’t use his age as a barrier or a crutch.

“I don’t generally focus on my life, just try to live my last chapter of life the best I can,” he said.

SWIMMING IN THEIR VEINS

For the Morgans swimming is a way of life. Period.

The couple, Josh and Alexandra Morgan (also known as Coach Z), live in Canton, but really they live at the swimming pool. They grew up at pools, swimming and competing all of their lives, and now as long-time head coaches of a unique Plymouth sports program they stand or move along pool decks at Centennial Educational Park and PARC nearly every day.

The coaching pair are co-leaders of the PlymouthCanton Cruisers Swim Club, an amateur program that has been around since 1976, helping the community’s talented young swimmers all year long with daily practices, regular competitions and intense programs that focus young people on an Olympic sport that has been dominated by the U.S. for decades.

“Swimming is in our veins that’s for sure,” says Coach Z, a former collegiate swimmer and coach. “I like being in the pool, by the pool and showing others what this is all about. If I understand how to do it, all the better for me to explains it to others.”

In fact, it’s a full-time job for the pair. Nothing better than getting paid for what you love, as they say. Even their own two daughters

swim with the Cruisers, and like most of their other charges, are seeking to be competitive. So yes, it seems that the Morgan family eats, drinks and sleeps swimming; perhaps even their dreams are about being in the water.

Thanks to the Cruisers today there are hundreds of swimmers each year working with the Morgans, competing for the community, including the Morgan’s two daughters, Elsie and Penny, who practice in the club’s under 10 age group; both also attend Tonda Elementary School.

“This is a family oriented program in every way, and what better way than to have our family involved as well,” says the 44-year-old Z during a recent practice at Canton High’s pool. “We live at a pool. If we’re not swimming were playing in it.”

Cruisers enter 47th year empowering young athletes

Story and photos by Ken Voyles

took over the coaching program 10 years ago. “Everyone gets to race but every one of our families also has to be committed. This sport takes commitment and a willingness to practice and spend time in a pool.”

Time seems to be one of the big words for Cruiser families – time to practice daily, time to travel to meets (nearly a dozen each year) and time to juggle all of this with regular school work, busy careers and other youthful interests.

“It’s rewarding to watch them grow,” says the 43-year-old Josh. “You get to see confidence growing and even though this is a team sport, this is very much an individual sport.”

Swimmers who join the Cruisers all become sanctioned by USA Swimming, the country’s Olympic body, and are recognized in various ways.

A COMMUNITY TRADITION

For nearly 47 years the Cruisers has been the gateway to competitive swimming for thousands of local kids, producing top high school and collegiate athletes and even one Olympian, Allison Schmitt. The nonprofit group began in 1976 after several local leaders pushed for a swim program and found a strong champion in now legendary Salem High School coach Chuck Olson.

The yearlong Cruisers program offers swimming for boys and girls between the ages of five and 18. A bevy of coaches work with the different age groups, skill levels and lead them through competitions throughout the state and across the country.

“Swimming is a life sport, something you can do your whole life,” says Josh Morgan, who

“We’re a feeder group,” says Josh. “We feed the schools, we work with young kids mostly because swimming is one of those sports that it’s hard to get involved with later in life.”

Though a relatively small club–some amateur groups run into the thousands–the Cruisers’ leaders seek to develop aspirations in all of the swimmers.

“We’re smaller and we’re challenged by the fact that there just aren’t enough pools in the community,” says Josh. “We want to grow but need more facilities. Thank goodness for PARC and the commitment by the Plymouth-Canton Schools.”

Besides PARC, over the summer, Cruisers practiced at Canton’s pool and the aquatic center at Salem that is named for one of their founders, Chuck Olson.

Most of the swimmers come from Plymouth and Canton and there are multiple generations

of families who have competed and some families have three or four swimmers in the program at the same time. Today, though, Allison Schmitt remains the most famous Cruiser of all-time with 10 Olympic medals, but many other Cruisers have gone on to enjoy excellent high school and

work with them and make the experience special for every age and skill.”

TAKING THE NEXT STROKE

For Josh Morgan swimming has been a lot like soccer is to the Plymouth community. Obviously, he says, swimming has a great pedigree in the community, but it hasn’t taken that next step like soccer in recent years.

“Right now we're about as big as we’ve ever been, but we’d like to get even bigger,” he says. “We want every kid to discover the joys of swimming. So we encourage everyone to give it a try.”

collegiate swim careers.

The recent pandemic put a severe dent into the program, say the Morgans, but thanks to a lot of local help it was able to keep going, with “dry land” training,

of directors made up of local residents, the Cruisers’ stated mission is to “empower” athletes to achieve success and works to develop a competitive atmosphere that creates strong athletes and community leaders.

For people like Chuck Olson the dream of a strong swim program outside of the regular

what he was talking about those many years ago, and it stands true to this day for a program heading towards a 50-year anniversary.

“I have been blessed to watch kids start at seven or eight and then come to our banquet and give what we call their senior speech as they move on from the