  Jan Member Username: Jan Post Number: 12 Registered: 07-2006 |
I don't think I've seen a Cass Tech thread. I was there from Fall 1970 through June 1973, and "majored" in the Performing Arts Curriculum. I remember Fran Hamburger and Joe Taormina (they were fabulous), Pierre Renner (evil) ,and others in that department. I had Mr. Rosen for Government and Steve Surbrook for History, but I can't seem to remember the names of any of my English teachers. I also sang in choir for 5 of the 6 semesters I was there. It was a great school. Anybody else? | ||
Ptero Member Username: Ptero Post Number: 69 Registered: 12-2005 |
Another Cassite here. Music Major - vocal and percussion, graduated in June '71. We might have been in Choir together! I also spent a lot of time backstage and worked on shows as well as music dept performances. Jjaba? Jjaba! WAKE UP, JJABA! Ptero, demonstrating and marching from Cass Park to the schools bldg. (Message edited by ptero on February 02, 2007) | ||
Ptero Member Username: Ptero Post Number: 70 Registered: 12-2005 |
Rex Hall was the master of percussion. I took lessons at his house in Royal Oak after school. Then it was 4 busses w/3 transfers to get home. Woodward, Six Mile, Wyoming, Fenkell... and Rodney Blood, running the instrument room... Ptero, waiting on the Imperial Express | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 4828 Registered: 11-2003 |
jjaba, Print Shop, Cass Tech. Class of 1959. Mr. Shields ran it. Mr. Martin, Mr. Giebel. Francis Hamburger, Mr. Rosen. Harry Begian was the band king. He went on to Univ. of Ill. Marching Band in Urbana where jjaba later taught social work. 5,000 students + high school of commerce next door. Grand River feeder buses and Hungarian kids from Delray who you couldn't understand. Chinatown kids used Cass Tech. as their neighborhood school. Not a lot of folks realized that. John C. Lodge opened at time jjaba was at Cass. We could ride to school in 10 minutes from Wyoming and Fenkell. That was slicker than Elvis. Otherwise two buses. The Grand River change at Oakman for the Northlawn in front of Cunninghams. Most printing students had basement shops at hme like jjaba. jjaba's dad was a printer and envelope maker on E. Grand Blvd. jjaba. | ||
Fury13 Member Username: Fury13 Post Number: 1316 Registered: 10-2003 |
Jjaba's dad was a printer and envelope maker on E. Grand Blvd. Wait... EAST Grand Blvd.????????? WHAT???????? Maybe Jjaba has some eastside in him after all. | ||
Detroit_stylin Member Username: Detroit_stylin Post Number: 3737 Registered: 10-2003 |
lol Fury... | ||
Royaloakian Member Username: Royaloakian Post Number: 80 Registered: 05-2004 |
Cass Tech June 71 oops Jan 72 ( stuff happens) Art Dept Mr Noyer, Mrs Taylor, Eshkanian, Mr Berg! What a time it was | ||
Michmeister Member Username: Michmeister Post Number: 88 Registered: 10-2006 |
Class of `81 Perforating Arts .Fran-burger, Mr. T, and Roberta Zimber have all left us now, may the lord have them mercifully. Ronald James Otulokowski, Ms. Scott, etc. Biggest fun we had as Broadcast Techs was cutting class and playing Uno in the Tech Room (occasionally). | ||
Cmubryan Member Username: Cmubryan Post Number: 357 Registered: 11-2003 |
Francis Hamburger was my aunt. She suddenly passed away about a year and a half ago (August 1, 2005). I was pretty young when she retired from Cass Tech. She never stopped teaching, she continued as a substitute at Andover in Bloomfield Hills right up until the spring before she passed away. | ||
Broken_main Member Username: Broken_main Post Number: 1185 Registered: 06-2005 |
Class of '83 here Architectural, Civil and Construction Tech. E Cady, W. Laginess, Alexander Nemoff. Cussin (Victoria) Musson was my counselor then she retired and I was with Ms. Clay til graduation. | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 4832 Registered: 11-2003 |
Fury13, 2460 E. Grand Blvd. corner DuBois. Smith Envelopes. Now paved over on the turn where GM Poleotwn erased all memories for jjaba. jjaba's father worked there. jjaba lived with him and mother on Westside. No family roots anywhere but on Westside of Detroit. jjaba, Cass Tech., '59. | ||
Islandman Member Username: Islandman Post Number: 335 Registered: 08-2004 |
Class of 1988. Architecture curriculum. | ||
Firstandten Member Username: Firstandten Post Number: 66 Registered: 05-2006 |
What I loved about Cass was the diversity of students that went there, not only different races but people who where into arts, music, acting etc. Kids cared about what was happening in the country and tried in their own way to do something about it. Before in elementary and Jr high I only saw people who looked like and lived like me. Cass opened my eyes to a whole world of possibilities. Sad but DPS took away the curriculums and placed them in others schools thinking they could recreate Cass in other areas of the city.. funny all it did was destroy what made Cass unique and it made those other schools a run-of-the-mill theme school. | ||
Livernoisyard Member Username: Livernoisyard Post Number: 2364 Registered: 10-2004 |
Milwaukee has a Cass Tech--once a boys' school called, quite naturally, Boys Tech. Recently, wealthy Milwaukee industrialists--the Bradleys, well known for their generosity--poured a bunch of their money into the new Bradley Tech, which now accepts girls. But unfortunately, it's not what it used to be in academic and vocational quality and its students have become somewhat thuggish--not unlike Cass Tech, only that Cass is better, for now. | ||
Emu_steve Member Username: Emu_steve Post Number: 124 Registered: 11-2006 |
BTW, I once read that Cass Tech had problems with something related to their FB stadium and they were unable to play games there. what was/is the story? | ||
Ptero Member Username: Ptero Post Number: 75 Registered: 12-2005 |
Right on Firstandten. Cass was also free of the racial strife that infected many (all?) of the other schools. Especially right after the Summer of '67. You had to want to be there. You had to go out of your way and travel to be there. Everyone was there for a reason. The only fighting going on was battling the school board over closing the place. We were pretty united over that one. I had friends black and white in my neighborhood who'd talk about the gang crap and fighting that was going on all the time at Cooley (my local HS). One memorable afternoon I was coming home on the Fenkell bus passing roving gangs headed away from Cooley that were smashing out store windows as they travelled. I felt blessed to be for the most part away from that. (Message edited by ptero on February 04, 2007) | ||
Firstandten Member Username: Firstandten Post Number: 68 Registered: 05-2006 |
EMU_steve here is the link to that story http://www.detnews.com/2005/sc hools/0509/20/A01-320677.htm I heard that one of the property owners backed out of the deal to sell his property which would have created more space for the field. There was also problems with the actual field as well holes that made the field dangerous to play on. The powers that be counted on the old Cass being imploded to create the additional space. When that didn't happen they went to plan B | ||
Charlottepaul Member Username: Charlottepaul Post Number: 424 Registered: 10-2006 |
What are the latest and greatest plans for the old Cass Tech (aside from turning it into a homeless shelter as it recently seems to have become)? | ||
Iheartthed Member Username: Iheartthed Post Number: 361 Registered: 04-2006 |
Francis Hamburger... that was the name of the main auditorium when I was there. | ||
Jiminnm Member Username: Jiminnm Post Number: 1174 Registered: 02-2005 |
Class of '65, Science & Arts. I recollect Mr. Yunck for English, Mr. Strange for Physics (all 3 classes), Norsworthy for Chem, some little weasel for Microbiology whose name escapes me, and others. | ||
Iheartthed Member Username: Iheartthed Post Number: 362 Registered: 04-2006 |
Mr. Otulokowski (Mr. Oh-two) was my Speech teacher. | ||
Firstandten Member Username: Firstandten Post Number: 72 Registered: 05-2006 |
Charlottepaul- I don't think the plans are any clearer than they were in "04" as to what to do with the old building. This is clearly the DPS version of Tiger Stadium. Everyone is trying to find something that makes economic sense while still preserving the old building. I feel with every passing day its not looking good for the old building. | ||
Emu_steve Member Username: Emu_steve Post Number: 129 Registered: 11-2006 |
Thanks, Firstandten. Yeah, I now remember reading that article in the Detnews. I didn't remember the bit about a deal falling through for purchase of more land. | ||
Jan Member Username: Jan Post Number: 13 Registered: 07-2006 |
Ptero, I took three busses --- Schoenherr, Gratiot, and Hamilton. I left the house around 6:30 to get to school by 8:00am. When I had 7:00 sectionals for choir, around 5:30. Do you remember Mr. Gleason? He showed up one day with a toupee--we got a kick out of that. Cmubryan, I'm sorry about your aunt. I loved Fran Hamburger. I used to be a student assistant in the Performing Arts Department, and spent a couple of hours a day up in 2N (this funky office up a back stairway), so I saw her everyday throughout high school. The last time I saw her, she was at an alumni pancake breakfast, raising money for a new auditorium. There should be a seat in the old building with my name on it. I had OH-Two for drama 2 and great plays. I think he still performs in community theatre. I agree with others who've talked about the lack of racial tension. It just didn't exist when I was there. I really was happy not to be in a neighborhood school (I would have gone to Osborn); I think many of them did have some racial problems. I used to run into Mr. Taormina over the years -- at TJ's, the Bonstelle Box Office, Borders out in Southfield. The last time I saw him, I was attending a Mandy Patinkin concert at the Music Hall and he was sitting a couple of rows away. He and his wife were moving to Naples, FL the next day. I understand he passed away a few years ago as well. | ||
Toog05 Member Username: Toog05 Post Number: 109 Registered: 03-2006 |
I also had Mr. Oh-Too, for my speech teacher as well. | ||
Leoqueen Member Username: Leoqueen Post Number: 1485 Registered: 07-2004 |
YAY Cass Tech thread! I am class of 72, June. We went to London England with the class of 71 seniors for a combined Senior class trip....much better than going to the Bahamas! I was a Clothing & Textile major in Home Ec....Miss Pat, Mary Douglas were teachers in that department. I took electives in the Art Department, so I knew Cledie Taylor, Mr Berg, Mr Prokopowicz. Mr. P told us that he had studied painting with Ferdinand Leger in France, and that Leger had told him in a critique that he had painted "the perfect painting". At the time I wondered why, if he had painted the perfect painting, was he hidden away teaching in a high school? I was such a dumb kid..... Little did I know that I would ultimately be a painter and a teacher myself; I was studying at Cass to be a Fashion illustrator and designer. | ||
Royaloakian Member Username: Royaloakian Post Number: 82 Registered: 05-2004 |
Leoqueen, Fashion illustration? Me too, do you remember Toni Thomas, Robin Seger, Chris Norman or any of those names. Mrs Taylor was wonderful, I remember her Arts Extended gallery on Broadway. We bought her embroidered suede boots one year which I seem to remember she couldn't technically accept as a gift so I think she "found" them. I think those of you who went on that England trip are pictured in the yearbook? I've googled her recently as she is Dr. Cledie Taylor. | ||
Sweetsweetsorrento Member Username: Sweetsweetsorrento Post Number: 2 Registered: 05-2006 |
Mr. Otu is still there. He's always lurking around backstage, being a creeper. | ||
Michmeister Member Username: Michmeister Post Number: 96 Registered: 10-2006 |
I remember Otul taking away students tests that they were hanging over with the words, "Gimme that, you don`t know no more!", pretty radical but he was probably right. Forever jingling his keychain and his patented, "Naw, baby naw". | ||
Dan Member Username: Dan Post Number: 1348 Registered: 10-2003 |
I saw an open door on the south side of the building today. I wondered if an official was inside, or if it was someone else? I hope the building is being watched, and being guarded from looters. | ||
Charlottepaul Member Username: Charlottepaul Post Number: 453 Registered: 10-2006 |
To be quite honest in that regard, it isn't the brightest of ideas to board up ground floor windows. Leaving them visible makes it easier for anyone to see inside and potentially see what is going on whereby ideally discouraging anyone from scandalously entering the premises. But this is Detroit, so I guess they had to do what they had to do to secure the building. | ||
Charlottepaul Member Username: Charlottepaul Post Number: 454 Registered: 10-2006 |
"Everyone is trying to find something that makes economic sense while still preserving the old building. I feel with every passing day its not looking good for the old building." Yeah, unfortunately between that site and the CBD (where it would most likely garner expanding growth and momentum) there is a HUGE chasm. Its location is extremely precarious for many types of developments that I can think of. | ||
Prokopowicz Member Username: Prokopowicz Post Number: 9 Registered: 02-2005 |
Mr. Prokopowicz was my father. My mom has the painting that Leger liked hanging over the fireplace. The story my dad told is that after harshly criticizing all the students' works in the studio, Leger looked at this one and said "Tout est juste" (everything is right). (Message edited by prokopowicz on February 09, 2007) |
