P.O. Box 21086 • Detroit, Michigan 48221 Dirt, sweat and TREES! · 2018-06-01 · P.O. Box 21086 • Detroit, Michigan 48221 Palmer Woods Post Dirt, sweat and TREES! PW residents,

Palmer Woods Post May~July 20071

Quarterly Newsletter of the Palmer Woods Association • www.palmerwoods.org • May~July 2007

P.O. Box 21086 • Detroit, Michigan 48221

Palmer Woods PostPalmer Woods Post

Dirt, sweat and

TREES!PW residents, Greening of Detroit volunteers and City workers

plant 105 trees in Palmer WoodsDigging in to reforest Palmer Woods, neighbors, city workersand Greening of Detroit volunteers planted 105 trees on Satur-day, May 5. Donated by the City of Detroit with funds from thestate, the trees include several varieties, such as ginkgo biloba,serviceberry and others. An effort was made to group the treesby block and/or street to help retain some of the formality ofPalmer Woods, and still, should there be a another tree blightor disease, there should be fewer trees to lose. We can hope thispreservation plan holds during our lifetime.

Water the new trees!Please note this request to PW residents: the City of Detroit ad-vises 15 gallons of water per week per tree, May-October, orleave a hose trickling at the base of the tree for 4-5 hours oncea week. Replenish mulch near tree trunks to exclude grass andweed growth. Visit www.greeningofdetroit.com for more info.

Recycle Here is Detroit’s new recy-cling provider (Chene-Ferry is nowclosed). The collection is located at1331 Holden Avenue (south of W.Grand Blvd.),48202, and is open on Sat-urday, 9-3pm and Wednesday, 10-2pm.Recyclables must be rinsed, cleaned andseparated. Please do not just drop off

and drive off! Park, sign-up, separateand deposit the material in the propercontainer. Recycle Detroit volunteers arethere to assist those in need of help.

Bulk pickup for Palmer Woods is onFriday, June 8. Place your items (limit ofone cubic yard of bulk, the size of a

couch or stove, four or less tires) on thecurb the night before or by 7 am on Fri-day morning. Next pickup is Sept. 7.Bulk items (one load of 550 pounds perday) can be dropped off at State FairYard, 19715 John R. Bring proof of De-troit residency. Tues.-Sat., 8am-8pm, butclosed between 11-11:30am.

Keep Detroit clean: Recycle, do not dump!

Birdslikethisinyourback-yard?See p.6

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2007 Palmer Woods Association Board

Nancy Galster, President 891-1090

Robert Perkins, Vice PresidentCulture Committee 892-7002Deborah Copeland, Secretary

Communications Committee 369-1327Gerald Primak, Treasurer

Membership Committee 368-5898Rochelle Lento, Legal Advisor

891-5662Beth Carnaghi, Preservation Committee

806-4314Fredie Carter-Bonner, Culture Committee

892-2851Brian Johnson, Children’s Committee

891-6345Johnny Lunsford, Security Committee

366-5813Karen Mackie, 593-1350Sandra Powell, 893-7372

Joe Rogowski, 248-302-7051Ruth Stallworth, 892-3848

Jane Strand, Home Tour Committee891-1203

Craig Vanderburg, 891-3306The Board meets monthly to address neighbor-hood concerns. Annual Association Members’meetings are held to elect new officers and re-view, with our residents, the status of the previousyear’s business.The annual cost to join the Asso-ciation is $495.The money is allocated to the up-keep of the neighborhood, including the mainte-nance of the garden areas, street snow removaland private security, and a subscription to theneighborhood newsletter, The Post. Dues providethe means for the Association to sponsor and or-ganize various “get-to-know-your-neighbor”events such as the annual Home Tour, Jazz andClassical Concerts, and activities for children andfamilies. To join, call Gerald Primak, 368-5898 oremail: [email protected]

KEEP in TOUCH General Info

Nancy Galster: [email protected] or 313-891-1090

Security [email protected]

Dispatch: 313-819-7100Security patrols 12 hours per day;

urge your neighbors to join the PW Association to increase hours of patrol.

Home Tour [email protected]

Palmer Woods PostBarbara Barefield

Editor & Graphic Designer [email protected] • 891-2514

My ViewNANCY GALSTER, President, Palmer Woods Association

As I drove through Palmer Woods tonight on this beautiful Mayevening I was very pleased to see the outcome of our labors! Newtrees have been planted on the berms. The City of Detroit, throughMayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s Next Detroit Initiative (focusing on im-proving neighborhoods), has helped to rejuvenate our ownPalmer Woods. In early April the City began removing some trees from the berms andtrimmed many others. Along with the fine help of Greening of Detroit volunteers, theCity was instrumental in planting more than 100 trees on our streets here in our neigh-borhood. We are very grateful to the City for carrying out its word that Palmer Woodswould be a recipient for street improvement this spring.

With gifts come many responsibilities. We MUST water these trees throughout thesummer. It is imperative that all of these new trees get good healthy drinks of water (15gallons a week)! If trees were planted on your lot, please help. And, if you know wherethere are empty homes without a caring homeowner, please report that to the PalmerWoods Board of Directors: www.palmerwoods.org or 313-891-1090.

A large word off thanks to City of Detroit employees who were instrumental in help-ing Palmer Woods reforest our neighborhood: Brad Dick, Deputy Director, General Ser-vices Department; Todd Mistor, Forestry Department, Assistant Forester; Lee Stephen-son, Forestry Department, Executive Ground Maintenance; Dan Kurkowski, ForestryDepartment, Associate Forester (he is the guy in charge of cutting and trimming trees).And to the many Greening of Detroit volunteers, including Greening’s president Re-becca Salminen Witt, and Palmer Woods neighbors who spent their Saturday morningmaking our streets a better landscape, we greatly appreciate your hard work!

Are we through? No, the Board will work diligently in the coming months to mon-itor and to preserve the trees. If the planting of trees this weekend was not enough, theBoard will investigate new measures to keep our neighborhood looking like the specialplace it is. We are proud of the woods in Palmer Woods. You, too, can do your part andwe ask that we all work together as good stewards of our space for the decades to come.

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E-mail your ad: Grayscale, high resolu-tion PDF or tif (300 dpi at 100% size ofad, or 600 dpi for black line art).

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Mail your ad (include hard copy, logosand photos to scan and CD). Include acheck made payable to Palmer WoodsAssociation and send to:

Barbara BarefieldEditor, Palmer Woods Post

19550 Argyle CrescentDetroit, MI 48203

Info: Call Barbara, 313-891-2514Need help? We can design your ad!

AdvertisingDeadline for July-September 2007 issue: June 15, 2007

Contributors this issue: Barbara Barefield, A. Spencer Barefield, SpencerBarefield IV, Beth Carnaghi, Desiree Cooper, Paul Erickson, Nancy Galster, Mimi Helve-ston, Brian Johnson, Luther Keith, Helen Love, Norm Silk, Ruth Stallworth, Jane Strand

PW Block Party ~ Sat.,Aug. 4This year’s Palmer Woods Block Party will be part of the City of Detroit and ARISEDetroit! Neighborhoods Day. Across the city, neighborhoods will hold gatherings:think of a mixture of block parties, family reunions and networking affairs toshowcase the best of the spirit of Detroiters. The gatherings might include gamesfor children, potlucks, parades, music, art, health screenings, fairs, and info aboutorganizations working to help children, families and neighborhoods. Call BrianJohnson, 891-6345, or Joe Rogowski, 248-302-7051, to help plan the event,which will be held at the Palmer Woods Lincolnshire Park.


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Energy boostersThree new members join the PW Board

Welcome to three neighbors who havejoined the PW Association Board.

Native Detroiter Craig Vanderburg,who moved away for 25-plus years, choseto return to Detroit and into PalmerWoods. Married to wife Phoebe for 30years, they have three children, two ofwhom are grown and no longer living athome. Originally attracted to PW becauseof the beautiful and distinguished archi-tecture, Craig was pleasantly surprised toexperience the strong sense of communitythat exists in the neighborhood.

New board member Karen MoliereMackie and husband Tim Mackie are bothnatives of New Orleans, La. Prior to mov-ing to Detroit, they lived throughout theU.S., including the Mojave Desert in Cali-fornia; Fairbanks, Alaska; New Jersey,Maryland and Virginia. They have threechildren: daughter Kwency, 26, an Airmanin the United States Air Force; son Wyn-ston, 20, a student at Morehouse College;and daughter Timme, 15, a student atMercy High School. By profession, Karenis a Senior Technology Architect. She cur-rently works for AAA, leading many of thecompany’s technology Security projects.

The Mackies have lived in PalmerWoods for all of their seven years in De-troit. They enjoy the ambiance of theneighborhood, its foresty feel and nostal-gic homes. The most appreciated highlightfor them is having the best neighbors.

Beth Carnaghi, born and raised in De-

troit, returned to Michigan three years agoafter living in Grand Rapids, Mich.,Spokane, Wash., and Chicago, Ill., for thepast 20 years. The Palmer Woods neigh-borhood attracted Beth and her husbandBrian, historic home preservationists, withits beautiful architecture and lovely wood-land setting. They have three children:Lucy, Ashley and Will, who are grown andon their own, and a dog named Toby. As aboard member, Beth will focus on preser-vation and reforestation in Palmer Woods.

Thank you retiring board members

Pat Brochstein served on the PW board for several decades and was responsi-ble for preservation that included the garden islands. Most recently she workedwith Marine City Nursery and the City of Detroit to make certain our new gardenislands were so well planted. On several occasions one could see Pat and her shovelhard at work on many of the islands.

Steve Williams, who served as president of the Association for many years, isan avid historian who takes seriously the rich history of Palmer Woods. His effortsto acquaint us with our homes’ histories have been phenomenal.

Helen Love served on the PW board for a year and was responsible for the com-munications effort in the neighborhood. She planned and implemented the Sum-mer Block Party for all PW residents last June and has worked hard to get PWneighbors to know one another, especially from her Love Inn activities. She also or-ganized a block captain system to help distribute the Post and other PW news.

Save the Datesd dSun., June 3, 4pm:PW Home & Garden Tourmeeting, 1642 Lincolnshire Dr., Jane Strand, 891-1203

Fri., June 8: Bulk pick-up

Sun.,Aug. 25:PW Jazz Concert, 1920 StrathconaSandra Powell, 893-7372Robert Perkins: 892-7002

Sat.,Aug. 4: PWA Block Party incollaboration with ARISE Detroit andthe city’s Neighborhoods Day, Lincolnshire Park. More info TBABrian Johnson, 891-6345Joe Rogowski, 248-302-7051

Sun.,Aug. 19: Hands AlongWoodward, 2 pm. Celebration ofcommunity goodwill and WoodwardAvenue’s 200th birthday: thousands ofpeople will join hands from the footof Woodward Ave. to the Loop inPontiac and donate food for Gleaners.Sign up: www.Woodward200.com

Sun., Oct. 7: Palmer WoodsHome & Garden TourJane Strand, 891-1203

Board members, left to right, front: Gerald Primak, Sandra Powell, Ruth Stallworth,Fredie Carter-Bonner; middle row: Rochelle Lento, Jane Strand, Nancy Galster, BethCarnaghi; back row: Deborah Copeland, Craig Vanderburg. Missing: Robert Perkins,Brian Johnson, Johnny Lunsford and Karen Mackie.


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BY BETH CARNAGHI

In a former garden of abeautiful old colonial,one spring day I began

to dig the soft, crumblingdirt away from a forgottenpathway. It was there,where the old folks hadmade it more than 50 yearsago, just before they beganplanting the wooded acrewith bulbs and flowers.The shadow of a gardencould been seen beneaththe blackberry bramblesand it was ours now, so Igot to work.

I remember digging upold hollyhocks in theevening light that spring,the air cold and dirt cakedon my shoes, but the plantswere leafy and green and Iwas filled with happiness. Iput them in a nursery bedand gave them compostand water and sunlight.Things went along that wayfor some years and thensuddenly, one day our gar-den was full.

Lilies, Peonies, Foxglove, Lovage,Bleeding Heart and Iris, old and velvety,spilled from the garden. All around theyard, Redbud and Dogwood grew, theirbranches making a beautiful pink screen.

The garden was ours for ten years, andwe lived in it year in and year out, watch-ing our babies grow into darling youngpeople who played or fretted, dependingon whether they were toddling or eleven,which seemed to be the magic age for thegirls to become those other people calledadolescents.

There was a tall fir tree; its brancheshung down low and swept the groundwith needle fingers, making a curtain. Anopening in the curtain looked out to thegarden and we often sat in the shelter ofthe tree to drink our coffee or eat at thetiny table there with the children.

We all wandered through the garden,sometimes eating, sometimes talking onthe phone, often together. Each year as the

summer grew in length and flowers cameand went, we were there. Dianthus of the

blackest maroon, Poppies,Delphinium and pinkRoses; Baptisia Australis,Nicotiana, and Agastachefilled the summer borders.

In September, pinkanemone bloomed underthe oak tree, acorns spilledover the lawn and the gar-den became empty of chil-dren for awhile each day.

We would move awayfrom our home and gar-den, though we didn’tknow it yet, and one fall,Chicago became our newhometown.

We had a garden inOak Park, our Chicagoneighborhood. It was sim-ple and easy to care for,something that workedwell for our busy house-hold. There were prairiegrasses of course and Ifound that day lilies had acivilizing influence onthem. The long fronds ofthe lilies looked more re-fined than you mightthink in comparison to the

bullish grasses, and they in turn took on a


Continued on page 6

The Palmer WoodsHome Tour Committee istrying something new forthe 2007 tour. On a trialbasis, the PW Board ap-

proved changing the date of the tourfrom the first Sunday in December tothe first Sunday in October: October 7.The suggestion for the change wasprompted by comments from attendeesthat it was too cold waiting in line.

We are also going to include gardensthis year. If you have been reluctant in

the past to open your interior for thetour, please consider adding your gar-den for this wonderful annual event.

We are excited about this “experi-ment” and appreciate your cooperationand your voice in letting the greatercommunity know that the 2007 PalmerWoods Home Tour will be on SUNDAY,OCTOBER 7 and will be a HOME ANDGARDEN TOUR. If you want to offeryour garden or your home, please con-tact Jane Strand at 313-891-1203 [email protected]

2007 PW Home & Garden TourEarlier date, Sunday, Oct. 7,

to feature warmer weather and flowers

Gardens to dream inDigging up plants & memories


Foxglove: Perennial, though some are biennial.Like sun/part shade, wants good, rich soil, gooddrainage. A classic cottage garden flower; showy andcharming.

Nepeta or Catmint: Perennial. Buy one gallon-sized plantand divide the next year for new plants—they grow and fill inspace quickly, have a dreamy mint scent and send up lavender flow-ers all summer.

Valerian or Jupiter’s Beard: Perennial. Likes sun/part shade, good for our wood-land settings in Palmer Woods. Color is its best attribute, from the foliage to theflower. A convivial plant, it mingles with nearby plants, which gives a great blendedeffect in the border while providing shade to the soil around the plants.

Betony: Perennial. New to me this year, though I think I will like it very much.Rocket: Perennial. Also new to me, but a cottage garden classic and likes some

shade, too, so a good choice for Palmer Woods.

A plant list for a Palmer Woods garden

air of gentle domesticity that was quite at-tractive.

The garden was just a passage way thenfor children coming and going; their hori-zons much bigger now. In a few years wewould move back to Michigan to live inPalmer Woods and I would garden inhome soil again.

May Apple and Myrtle, Dogwood andDogtooth, Lungwort and Fern grow in ouryard now. I learned long ago that a woodsshould remain what it is; there is no use intrying to make it what it is not. So I keepmany native plants and make them workfor me, though some need watching asthey will want to take over the garden. Ihave my eye on the Ferns at the moment.They are useful for dark shade and north-ern exposures and they like to roam a bit,though I believe them to be somewhat re-served in manner. I have planted somelarge blue hostas to keep them company.

My husband and I are slowly reclaim-ing the yard and building a garden fromscratch, although there are lovely old roseclimbers that give some structure andcolor. Our house was originally owned bythe founder of the Palmer Woods GardenClub, Miss Mildred Feeley, and there aresigns of an old garden—good rich beds,old yellow Siberian Iris and Peony—sothere is something to work with.

I have the idea that the garden will beboth woodland and old-fashioned in style.Most work this spring has been spent cor-ralling Peonies, tying up roses and makingspaces for new old-fashioned plants likeFoxglove, Nepeta, Betony, Rocket and my

favorite plant at the moment: Valerian.Known by its common name of Jupiter’sBeard, it is an old medicinal herb used insleep preparations. Its habit is low andspreading with blue-green, smooth, spear-shaped leaves. Best of all, it blooms withcherry red flowers all summer and its ex-pansive, yet refined habit helps shade thesoil around itself and neighboring plantsand so keeps moisture in and weedsdown. I have ordered Alcea rugosa, a but-tery yellow Hollyhock to go with the JoePye that I’ve just planted. On the first Mayweekend, when the weather was fine, Nas-turtium seeds had just arrived, so in theywent along with pink and black peonypoppies. I am at present searching for aBaptisia Carolina Moonlight. The genus isknown by its common name of False In-digo and there are about 35 species inNorth America, all of which are in shadesof blue and purple. This new hybrid haspale yellow flowers and the bluish greenfoliage typical to Baptisias. It would beperfect in the border by the house, butseems to be very popular because I can’tfind it anywhere. I have high hopes that Iwill. I always have good luck in the gar-den. And this year is looking like a luckyyear.

Beth Carnaghi, artist and PW resident, willwrite a regular column about gardens inPalmer Woods, the gardeners who tendthem and what grows in them. It will recordthe weather, the seasons and the ways thatgardens shape our experience. She will belooking for stories and news all around theWoods, so get your trowels and trugs andget out in the garden!

GardensContinued from page 5

BY A.SPENCER BAREFIELD

Unbeknownst to most PalmerWoods residents, there is a ver-itable cornucopia of variety of

birds right in our backyards. As a musi-cian, I was always aware and apprecia-tive of the songs and sounds of thebirds, especially in the early morning,but learning to match the songs withthe faces of its creators has became apleasurable pursuit.

My preoccupation with bird-watch-ing really started after the renovation ofour kitchen several years ago—a newwall of sliding glass doors permitted usa full view of our patio and garden.

I enjoyed spending more time in thisspace practicing my guitar. At first Istarted throwing out a few food scrapsand crushed crackers and noticed moreand more pretty birds. The most strik-ing were the Northern Cardinals, BlueJays, and a plethora of Sparrows andMorning Doves. Next, I began to buybird food and a bird feeder, and soonnoticed we were seeing bird specieswhich we did not realize lived in ourneighborhood: European Starlings,Dark Eyed Juncos, White-CappedSparrows, Red-bellied Woodpeckers,Downy Woodpeckers, House Finches,American Robins, Black-capped Chick-adees and Cow Birds, to mention a few.

Taking note of my new-found fasci-nation with ornithology, my wife Bar-bara purchased a Gold Finch feederfrom Wild Birds Unlimited for mybirthday. Neither of us could rememberseeing a Gold Finch, but the storeowner assured us that with this feederwe would soon be seeing these stun-ning, bright, yellow birds that feed up-side down. Several weeks passed withno sightings, and then one day a singleGold Finch balanced on one of thesmall pegs which protrudes from thecylindrical feeder filled with thistle. Noother birds can use this type of feeder.

Patience paid off—within a fewweeks we were greeted with clus-ters of Gold Finches, which looklike canaries, fluttering and feed-ing within inches of our kitchenwindows.

One of the first problems weencountered was the debris fromthe left-over shells and hulls. Wesolved this by purchasing no-mess mixes of bird food from PetSupplies Plus (29402 Woodward,Royal Oak) and the Wild BirdsUnlimited (28558 Woodward,Royal Oak). I like to go to PetSupplies Plus and make my ownmixture of about half shelled sun-flowers, and the rest cracked cornand shelled peanuts. The peanutsare the favorite of Blue Jays,Morning Doves will eat anything,and Cardinals and Finches favorsunflowers. I often make my ownmixes from bulk be-cause it is economicaland I can attract thebirds I most enjoy.However, Wild Bird Un-limited has great birdfood, feeders, birdbaths, bird houses and awealth of knowledge.

Our new goal is toattract hummingbirds,which have visited ourimpatiens on occasion.We hung our new redhummingbird feeder,which I fill with sugarwater (one part whitesugar to four parts water, changed everyfive days). Last weekend we purchasedplants from the Eastern Market to attractbutterflies and hummingbirds, especiallyplants with tubular, bright-colored flow-ers. Red is supposed to be a magnet.

Each morning I replenish the feedersand toss out food on the ground,whistling bird songs which I have learnedfrom my winged friends. It is always soexciting to see a new species of bird, orones we have not seen in a long time,

such as the Tufted Titmouse, Red-wingedBlack Bird and Red-bellied Woodpecker.It is also interesting to see which birdscontinue to visit during the winter (suchas Cardinals), and how their featherschange with the seasons—Gold Finchesare now bright yellow, but in the winterthey are whitish-gray, perhaps to blendinto dirty snow.

It is hard to place your feeders out ofthe reach of persistent squirrels. Theywill tear your feeder to shreds to get at

the food, so make sure you purchase asturdy feeder and try to place it out of thereach of these pesky creatures. Chip-munks love the food on the ground anddon’t really pose a problem; they dislikesquirrels and will actually chase themaway.

Discovering the rich biodiversity inyour backyard is a joy I recommend. Visitaarpmagazine.org/lifestyle/birders_delightfor more information.


Our family is For the BirdsCaring for our colorful & sweet-singing friends

Above:A rare visitor, the Red-bellied Woodpecker, whichhas bright red feathers on back of his head. Left:A morecommon sight, a Morning Dove at the bird feeder.

Photo: Spencer Baref ield IV

Photo:Barbara Barefield

Photos:Barefield Family

Above: Many hungry Sparrowsand a Cardinal, top left corner

Opposite: CardinalInset: Blue Jay

Dallas, Texas, native Evelyn OwensSmith is a consummate planner. “I saw how my mother relied on a

schedule to get things done,” said Evelyn. “Idid the same thing.”

She got married. She traveled. Sheearned two bachelors degrees—one in ar-chitecture from Lawrence TechnologicalUniversity and one in architectural interiorsfrom Michigan State University. “By thetime I had kids, I had everything in place.”

But the best laid plans can be thwarted.In the mid-1980s, she found herself di-vorced with two boys to raise, Virgil, now27 and Adam, 22.

“It was difficult at first as a single per-son,” said Evelyn, an engineering servicescoordinator for the Detroit Water and Sew-erage Department. “I felt so much conflict.You want everything done right for yourkids and for the job. I tried to stay on top

of everything.” Her aptitude for organization rubbed off

on her oldest son, State Rep. Virgil Smith.“Now that I’m out here on my own, I re-

spect the sacrifices my mother made,” hesaid. “With me being the oldest and sheworking outside the home, we all had topitch in. It forced us to be organized. That’swhere I get my organizing skills to thisday.”

A mother’s love for all seasons

It wasn’t all hard work. Evelyn said sheenjoyed raising a family in Palmer Woods.

“I made an early decision to stay here toraise my kids,” she said. “I could let themgo out in the neighborhood without worry.I loved it.”

She’s been scrapbooking recently. “It’slike going down memory lane,” she said.


May is the month that we give

honor to our mothers, the women

who mentor us, guide us, cheer for

us, and, no matter what, love us.

Palmer Woods is full of the best

mothers in Michigan. We decided to

profile two of them whose sons

represent us in the state legislature.

One is Evelyn Owens Smith, mother

of Virgil Smith, Jr., who was elected

to the Michigan House of Represen-

tatives in 2002. The other is Dr.

Lorna Thomas, mother of Samuel

“Buzz” Thomas III, who was elected

to the Michigan House of Represen-

tatives in 1996 and to the Michigan

Senate in 2002.

Evelyn Owens Smith: Time for herself arrives on schedule

MOMshe’s my

hero

Juggling parenting & careers: a look a two Palmer Woods moms who raised our neighborhood’s leaders in Lansing

BY DESIREE COOPER


“Those were precious years. Children aresuch a gift. I loved being a part of theirlives and watching them grow up.”

Virgil looks back fondly on the lessonshe learned in his childhood, too. “I re-member how when there was a clog underthe sink, many times my mom and I wouldbe under there, trying to figure out what todo,” he said. “When I was 16, I wanted to

buy a 1987 Cutlass Supreme, but she tookmy money and bought a Nissan. Her focuswas, ‘I won’t allow my kids to be put in abad situation.’ Driving around in a Cutlass,I could have lost control of a car like that.I wouldn’t even buy a car like that now.”

Virgil said that at first, his mother waslukewarm about his bid for political office.“She wanted to make sure I was runningfor the right reasons,” he said. “She told me

that you had to do it for the constituents,not for your ego. It was a real responsibil-ity that I had to take seriously.”

When Virgil satisfied his mother of hiscommitment to public service, “she stoodat the polls for me and opened her housefor fundraisers,” he said.

Evelyn’s youngest son, Adam, is a busi-ness major at Grand Valley State. She saidthat when he went away to college, “I wentthrough my empty nest grieving.”

Now in her mid-50s, she’s thinkingabout retirement and embracing a newphase of life. “Now I enjoy my sons asmen,” she said. “Everything has a season.”

It’s Evelyn’s season to see what the nextstage of her life will bring.

“I want to say ‘thank you’ to mymother,” said Virgil. “She’s always beenthere, no matter what.”

Lorna Thomas: Motherhood gave this doctor an edge

Sometimes the best gift a mother cangive her family is to hold on to herown aspirations. Ask Dr. Lorna

Thomas.“I remember having a family conference

saying ‘I’m going to medical school. If youhave any objections, speak now or holdyour peace,’ ” said Lorna. No one spokeup, so, at 35, Lorna enrolled at the Univer-sity of Michigan’s medical school.

That left a big impression on her onlychild, Samuel “Buzz” Thomas III. “Mymother graduated from med school when I

Left: State Rep.Virgil Smith, Jr. and mom Evelyn Owens Smith.Below: Dr. Lorna Thomas and son Sen. Samuel “Buzz” Thomas III.

Continued on page 11

“She’s always been there, no matter what.”

Photo:Spencer Barefield IV

Palmer Woods Post 0 May~August 200710

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Your Historic Property Resource

Member: National Trust for Historic PreservationCoalition for Historic Neighborhoods (Board)Preservation WaynePalmer Woods History Bureau (Chair)

Stephen Williams, Ph.D(248) 988-2255 office

(313) 613-4178 voice [email protected]

Call me, I’m your neighbor and I want to be your realtor.

Lorna ThomasContinued from page 9was in eighth grade, and finished her resi-dency when I graduated from highschool,” he said. “She’s my hero.”

Lorna was raised on Detroit’s east side.Her mother, Juanita Lacen, 92, now liveswith her in Palmer Woods. “Even thoughshe’s disabled, she’s sharp as a tack,” saidLorna. “She still does all the banking formy business.”

Lorna mused about the difference be-tween her upbringing and the way sheraised her own son. “My mother used towalk me to school, come back for me atlunch, then be there when I got out for theday,” she said. “When I finally started todate at 16, my father went with me.”

Don’t sweat the small stuff Things were considerably more flexible

when Lorna became a mother.“My main goal as a mother was to make

sure my child had goals in life and wouldfulfill them with integrity,” said the di-vorcee who serves on about 10 culturaland civic boards. “I was less focused onmaking sure he cleaned his room andmore upon those intangible things, likebeing creative and learning to give back to

the community. I think he heard me.”At 38, Buzz remembers the weekends

volunteering at Focus:HOPE or doingcommunity service with the mother’s or-ganization, Jack and Jill. Now a Michiganstate senator, he’s appreciative of his par-ents’ influence. “Both of my parents in-

stilled a sense of community and workingfor the greater good,” he said.

He added that he also inherited some ofhis mother’s drive. But he never felt shortchanged because of his mother’s demand-ing career.

“Even though she had to commute toAnn Arbor to school, she was always thereto put me on the school bus and to bringpop and snacks to our Little Leaguegames,” he said. “I always felt—and still

feel today—that I’m the most importantthing to her.”

It sounds like an impossible balancingact, but Lorna said that being a workingparent gave her an edge in medical school.“I was focused and used to juggling a lot ofthings at one time,” said Lorna, who con-tinues to explode with youthful energyand optimism. “I was like a mother to thestudents in my group.”

Would she do it all again, knowingwhat she knows now?

“Absolutely, in a heartbeat,” she said.“After 20-some years in practice, I stillwake up in the morning happy to go towork. I love what I do.”

Her life gives her little time for hobbies,but she loves her Palmer Woods homewhere she raised her family. “The house isher hobby,” Buzz laughed.

Lorna agreed. “I’m never leaving here,”she said.

Desiree Cooper has lived in Palmer Woodswith her family since 1989. She and herhusband, Melvin Hollowell, Jr., have twochildren, Melvin Hollowell, III, 19, andDesiree Hollowell, 16.

“My main goal as a motherwas to make sure my childhad goals in life and wouldfulfill them with integrity.”


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Over 100 guests attended Palmer WoodsSpring Dinner Dance on April 21 at theDetroit Golf Club. Feasting on penne pasta

with marinara sauce, Chicken Marsala, and searedsalmon medallions as part of an extensive buffet,residents and friends enjoyed the comraderie ofold and new acquaintances. Everyone was glad tosee one another as if they were waiting for such anoccasion to gather and eagerly give an update oftheir latest “goings-on.” There were old and newfaces: former residents as well as new ones at-tended the gala, happy to re-live memories and initiatenew beginnings.

A party isn’t a party with-out DJ Love. After eating all ofthat food, it was time to exer-cise it off. And believe me,that’s what everyone did. DJLove knew what to play andwhen to play it, taking in thenostalgia appearing on thefaces of the dancers and thosesitting down patting their feet.And if that wasn’t enough, Mr.DJ pounced from the stage andprovided dance instructions forthose who were a little out oftouch. DANCE TO THE MUSIC!That’s what everyone did all nightlong! There is a saying that goes, “You never know whenyou are making a memory.” Memories were made as eachguest left with a framed photo from the evening.

Thanks to Fredie Carter-Bonner, Sandra Powell, Flo-rene McMurtry, and of course Dinner-Dance Chair RuthStallworth and her husband Edward for all their hardwork.

To help work on next year’s PW Dinner Dance, call RuthStallworth, 892-3848 or email her: [email protected]

Dancin’ the night awayOld and new friends celebrate at Palmer Woods Dinner Dance

Honoring a great volunteerJane Strand is one busy woman. Honored asthe Detroit Institute of Arts Speakers BureauCommittee Volunteer of the Year, her involve-ment with community programs is inspiring.For the DIA, she takes slide/art presentationsto civic groups, libraries, clubs and nursinghomes. But she does not stop there. She is areader for the Detroit Information Service, aradio reading program for people with visualdisabilities; an adult literacy tutor for ProLit-

eracy Detroit; public policy director for theAmerican Association of University Women;and she was involved with AAUW’s effortswith United Michigan Coalition to defeat Pro-posal 2. Mom to six, grandma to five, and wifeof 42 years to husband Vernon, Jane jugglesan array of activities, including chairing thePalmer Woods Home and Garden Tour andserving on the Palmer Woods AssociationBoard of directors. Kudos!

A few of the memoryphotos which the gueststook home, clockwisefrom bottom:Akoco andCharles Grace, Rollieand Margo Norris,Penny and Billy Kyle,Dick Tarnas and friendJeanne, Rob and EvaDewaelsche.

Palmer Woods Post March~May 200714

Pre-Planned Funerals Available

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“The School is the Last ExpenditureUpon Which America Should Be Willing to Economize.”

Franklin D. Roosevelt


Palmer Woods lost one of its oldestresidents when 91 year old MinnieLee Houston died on May 9, 2007.

Houston and her husband Oliver Hardenmoved from Chicago Blvd. to their homeon Balmoral Drive in 1968, among the firstgroup of prominent African Americanfamilies to move into Palmer Woods.

Ms. Houston, a successful business-woman for many years, owned ProgressiveContracting Company, a company whichfocused on residential building, home im-

provement and fire repair. Shewas just the third woman andfirst black female to obtain aResidential Builder’s Licensefrom the State of Michigan,encouraged by her goodfriend, Coleman A. Young, topursue that goal. Her expert-ise landed her on trade com-

mittees and other civic com-mittees which focused on rede-

veloping the City of Detroit. Notjust concerned with running her

own business, she encouraged manyyoung men and women to go into the con-struction field, many of whom are today’swell-known and successful contractors.

In her early years, Ms. Houstoncounted as close friends not only ColemanYoung, but many other Detroiters wholater rose to prominence in politics and thelaw. She also counted as good friends peo-ple prominent in Detroit’s entertainmentworld such as Ziggie Johnson and SonnyWilson. Her daughter, Barbara Polk, re-members accompanying her mother to

Detroit’s famed nightclubs, the FlameShow Bar and the 20 Grande, to see new-comers such as Marvin Gaye and TammieTerrell, the Temptations and the Miracles.

Shortly after her daughter and her hus-band moved into the neighborhood, Ms.Houston warned her son-in-law, EugenePolk, not to barbecue since “people inPalmer Woods don’t do that sort of thing.”She eventually realized that Palmer Woodswas not too “toney” for barbecues. Mr.Polk became very active in the neighbor-hood, serving on the PW Board of Direc-tors where he coordinated the patrol andeventually served as president, all of whichmade his mother-in-law very proud.

Ms. Houston set high standards for hertwo grandsons, Steve and Chris, mentor-ing them and checking on their friends. Infact, she was such a good “grandmother”that she sometimes monitored friends ofthe two Helveston boys as they grew up.

She will be sorely missed by her manyrelatives, friends and her next door neigh-bors, the Helvestons.

Mimi Helveston

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In Memory of MinniePalmer Woods looses a trailblazer

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Area references available upon requestMember of the Better Business Bureau

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MINNIE LEE HOUSTON

12/25/15 – 5/09/07

age 83. He and his wifeSylvia were very activein the neighborhoodbefore moving out fewyears ago. Avid garden-ers, Sylvia was on thePW Board for manyyears and Lloyd workedon the PW Home Tour,helping to write andedit the tour book.

Motor CityMakeoverThank you to PW or-ganizer Joe Rogowski,who worked with otherPW neighbors (his 4-year old son Luke, Evaand Rob Dewaelscheand Evelyn Smith) toclean up our neighbor-hood as part of a city-wide effort to beautifyDetroit. The group met

at Lincolnshire Park onSaturday morning, May19, picked up debris,and trimmed weedsaround the base oftrees at the park.

“Hands AlongWoodward”Woodward Ave. ActionAssociation’s boardmember PW neighborNorm Silk invites PW

neighbors to a celebra-tion of communitygoodwill at WoodwardAvenue’s 200th birth-day: Thousands of peo-ple will join handsfrom the foot of Wood-ward Ave. to the Loopin Pontiac on Sunday,Aug. 19, 2 pm. Withthe participation of theGleaners CommunityFood Bank, a 30-Day

food drive for Oaklandand Wayne County willconclude at the “HandsAlong Woodward.”Please bring a can offood to the event.Gleaners Food Bankwill provide pick-upsites along Woodward.This could be thelargest food drive ever!Details and sign up at: Woodward200.com

Close LinesContinued from page 16

New neighborsWelcome to new neigh-bors Jim and NancyLewandowski, 1441Strathcona. Their familyincludes daughter An-drea, 17, a student atUniversity of Michigan,and son Jack, 15, a stu-dent at University ofDetroit High School. David and ColleenAllen and their threeyoung boys Thomas,Joseph and Francis (11,8 and 4) have movedinto 1370 Wellesley.Former residents of the

Historic Joseph Berrysubdivision on Detroit’seast side, David, the sonof a retired Detroit po-lice officer, and Colleen,the daughter of a retiredDetroit firefighter, arelifelong Detroiters.David is a Judge of theWayne County CircuitCourt, Criminal Divi-sion, and Colleen is aspeech pathologist.

New renovation1980 Strathcona is inthe midst of a giantfacelift. New neighbor

John Hunter is totallyrenovating the formerlyabandoned home andlooks forward to mov-ing in with his family.

Bluesman with soulPalmer Woods blues-man Luther BadmanKeith won the 2007Detroit Music Award asOutstanding Blues/R&B Songwriter fromthe Motor City MusicFoundation. His bandwon the 2005 DetroitBlues Challenge and

represented Detroit inthe 2006 InternationalBlues Challenge inMemphis, Tenn. Keith,a former professionaljournalist, is also theexecutive director ofARISE Detroit!, a com-munity-based organiza-tion devoted to improv-ing Detroit by gener-ating a volunteer initia-tive (more than 1,500volunteers and growing)for mentoring, tutoringand other communityservice opportunities.Its coalition has grown

from 22 founding part-ners to more than 200partner organizationsand supporters fromevery spectrum of thecommunity. ARISE De-troit! is helping to or-ganize NeighborhoodsDay, a citywide blockparty, family reunionand networking affairon Aug. 4 (see page 2for Palmer Woods cele-bration info).

New bizOne of Palmer Woods’favorite interior design-ers, Brian Ashburn, hasopened his own interiordesign store, Eleganceby Design, 231 W. NineMile in Ferndale, 248-582-0090. It is teemingwith exquisite furniture,art, accessories and dec-orating ideas, as well astop decorators to helpguide you.

In memoryLloyd Wedberg, long-time resident of PalmerWoods, died in March at

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It was a beautiful, warm Monday afternoon. A great time for a jog, bike rideor walk with your dog. But excited phone calls and sirens announced a specialexcitement in the neighborhood: On Monday, May 7, Sen. Barak Obama was theguest of honor at the Palmer Woods home of Virgie Rollins. The fundraiser wasa huge success, with Detroit-area judges, lawyers, government officials, andother socially-concerned citizens showing their support for Obama’s run forpresident. Ms. Rollins is well-known for her long involvement with social issuesand the Democratic Party. She is DNC Black Caucus Chair and a former presi-dent of the National Federation of Democratic Women.

Following the gathering, Sen. Obama headed for another fundraiser down-town at Seldom Blues, where Palmer Woods guitarist Spencer Barefield providedsome Detroit-style jazz. Throughout the day, including a talk to the Detroit Eco-nomic Club, Obama presented bold views for changing auto industry standards,improving education and health care, and creating peace and world stability.

Sen. Barak Obama with Virgie Rollins at thefundraiser at her PW home.

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The Price Family Strings presented at stellar performance at thehome of Dr. Robert Perkins (far right) for the Palmer Woods clas-sical concert on March 18. Standing on far left is jazz pianist andlongtime arts supporter James Tatum.

Sen. Barak Obama campaigns in DetroitPalmer Woods residents raise funds to support his run for president

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Luther Keith

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Documents

P.O. Box 21086 • Detroit, Michigan 48221 Dirt, sweat and TREES! · 2018-06-01 · P.O. Box 21086 • Detroit, Michigan 48221 Palmer Woods Post Dirt, sweat and TREES! PW residents,