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Ceil Jensen
Ceil Jensen was a teenager who worked the hot dog stands at Tiger Stadium in July 1967.
Felton Rogers, June 17th, 2015
In this interview, Rogers discusses his experience as a black, rookie officer with the Detroit Police Department in July 1967. During the second day of the unrest, he was assigned supervisor of a jeep driven by National Guardsman. Rogers discusses…
Karen Zaleski
Karen Zaleski was sixteen years old in July, 1967, awaiting news from her father, a lieutenant fireman in the Detroit Fire Department.
Shirley Schmidt, July 9th, 2015
In this interview, Schmidt discusses growing up in an integrated neighborhood and attending integrated schools on the east side of Detroit in the 1940s and fifties. She discusses being pregnant and the mother of a toddler during the 1967 civil…
Jim Demres, August 12th, 2015
In this interview, Jim Demres discusses his father, George Demres, and his work as a firefighter for the Detroit Fire Department in July 1967.
Gene Scott, August 11th, 2015
In this interview, Gene Scott discusses his experiences working as a publicist for the city of Detroit during the summer of 1967. Mr. Scott recounts his long hours covering the incident and the fear of danger created not only by the unrest, but by…
Gerald Raines, March 19th, 2016
In this interview Gerald Raines discusses his home life and education while growing up in Detroit, Michigan. He also details his observations during the first few days of the 1967 disturbances, including his time spent volunteering to assist the fire…
Jim Atkin, July 1st, 2016
In this interview, Atkin discusses growing up on the west side and joining the Air National Guard in 1965. He was deployed to the city during the unrest to assist in guarding prisoners and police perimeters.
Ana
Ana was a 13 year old who lived with her grandparents near the training grounds where the Detroit Fire Department was stationed.
Kathy Conlon, July 23rd, 2016
In this interview, Conlon discusses growing up in non-diverse Grosse Pointe Park and how living there intertwined with her experiences of Detroit. Kathleen also discusses the profound affect the unrest had at her work location and on her husband’s…
Judith Zielke
Judith Zielke, whose father was Detroit Fireman, was 10 years old in July 1967. She remembers hearing bullets outside her house and how anxious her mother was.
Crystal Edwards
Crystal Edwards remembers scenes from her neighborhood in July 1967.NOTE: Edwards' account was previously published inJuly 25, 2007 by the Michigan Chronicle - Volume 70, Number 45, called "Eyewitness Account of the 1967 Riot"and
Then published…
William Giardin, August 9th, 2016
In this interview, Girardin tells what it was like growing up in an all-white neighborhood in Livonia and his life post-high school graduation. He describes how he was called for duty in the National Guard during the 1967 unrest and his various…
Mary Ann McCourt, July 23rd, 2016
Mary Ann McCourt is the daughter of a Detroit Fireman who served during the events of 1967. She discusses her memories of visiting her father on his breaks and hearing about the death of his friend Carl Smith, a fellow fireman. She and her family…
Patricia Stoppella
Patricia Stoppella was dating a Detroit Fireman in July of 1967. They spent the day on the river and came back to the city to find fires and National Guardsman.
Mary VanDerMaas
Mary VanDerMaas was 12 years old and the daughter of a Detroit Fireman. He had a sense something was about to happen and stayed home from a family picnic to be near the phone. When the rest of the family heard what was happening in the city, they…
Alfred Murphy, June 27th, 2016
In this interview, Murphy discusses his move to the Detroit area and serving in World War II with his brother. He also discusses joining the Detroit Fire Department and his experiences during the 1967 unrest.
Jerry Janosky, July 24th, 2016
In this interview, Janosky discusses living in Detroit and being called in to work as a fire fighter during the 1967 disturbance, fighting fires and the death of his fellow fire fighter and close friend, Carl Smith. He also discusses changes and life…
Lee Begole, June 22nd, 2016
In this interview, Begole recounts his father's time serving in France, his own childhood on East Grand Boulevard, his time serving in World War II and the day the Allies marched into Rome. In 1967, he was the Director of Public Safety in Novi, MI. …
Virginia Kelly, August 19th, 2016
In this interview, Kelly discusses growing up in Detroit and how her family eventually moved to Grosse Pointe when her neighborhood became unsafe. She also discusses her experiences working at the Detroit General Hospital during the week of July 23,…