My grandfather was a German engineer, came over to take a job overseeing mining machinery in NC back in 1905, during which he met my grandmother. My oldest uncle and aunt were born down there. They wound up moving up to Akron Ohio, when he accepted an offer from Harvey Firestone to be his chief engineer for his production machinery, around 1912. My dad was one of 6 kids growing up in Akron, where my mom also was raised. But my grandmother always kept in contact with relatives in NC. She moved back down there after my grandfather died.
After the kids grew up, in 1936, my grandfather received a great offer from US Rubber (Uniroyal Tires) up in Detroit to be their chief engineer. He had two properties, a fine home in Akron and farm property out in the country. My grandmother remained in charge, while he came up to Detroit along with one of his daughters, my Aunt Ann to be with him, and took an apartment about 2 blocks from the factory, which was located next to the bridge to Detroit's fine island park, Belle Isle. The following year, my dad and mom wanted to get married, but my dad had no job. My grandfather told him, never mind looking in Akron, come up here after the wedding- I can get you a job in the factory here. He said, Akron is nice, but Detroit is a paradise! They did so and got an apartment a couple more blocks in, and that is where I and my sister grew up. Belle Isle had so much back then- a great bathhouse and beach, canoes to rent for the island's lagoon system, horseback riding stables to rent a horse, ice skating, golfing, Scott Fountain-one of the world's best, a woods with deer, an athletic field for baseball, track and field, a bus station for the city bus service, a ferry boat across, a light house made of marble, and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra played there in the band shell on weekends during the summer. I am a lifetime audience member, even though they finally had to give up playing over there. Those were golden years, well into my adulthood. So much has been lost, so much now gone.
We finally had to move out of Detroit, though I continued with my career working downtown.
Last edited by mikesbike; 04-06-2020 at 03:37 PM.
Originally posted by mikesbike 
Post #19 by Apet-Sure
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