Every Thursday morning, you can find Annie Van Leuven hopping onto a golf cart at Fenton Farms Golf Club in Fenton with her daughter Karen, and granddaughter, Camille. Annie, who celebrates her 100th birthday on June 8, has golfed on Fenton Farms Ladies Day for 49 years. It’s a little tougher for her to swing a golf club these days, she admits, so she uses a swingless driver, which drives the ball about 200 yards. But, she chips and putts unassisted. At one point, she was in the Champion Flight – now in Flight 3, she says she isn’t the worst golfer. “It’s a lot like bowling: some days you’ve got it and some days you don’t,” she laughs. This spunky, soon-to-be-centenarian not only golfs weekly, she drives a brand-new Equinox, lives independently in Burton and enjoys good health. Annie took up golf when she was 50 and remembers when it was considered a man’s game. “Back in the day, women couldn’t go out on the course until after 1pm on Sundays!” she exclaims.
After 25 years on the job at ABC12, News Reporter Randy Conat has retired. His colleagues through the years all agree: Conat was not only a respected professional, but a genuinely nice guy, too. Born in Hillsdale, MI, he grew up on a farm in the little town of Reading. “I always had an interest in the news,” he shares, as he grew up watching respected TV newscasters the likes of Walter Cronkite, Dan Rather, Chet Huntley and David Brinkley. So, it came as no surprise that he studied journalism at University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, and built a career in the news business.
The Honorable Judith A. Fullerton has been a judge in the Seventh Judicial Circuit Court of Genesee County since January 1, 1983. She was initially elected to serve as a Flint District Judge in 1980. At the time, she was the only woman on the bench in the County, and paved the way for other female judges to follow. During her tenure as a Circuit Judge, she has seen many changes, including the transition from stenographic to video court reporting; establishment of the Family Court in 1999; sentencing guidelines for criminal cases; increased courtroom security, and the use of support dogs for children who are victims of sexual assault or abuse.
Julie Lopez, Director of Crime Stoppers Flint & Genesee County, knows firsthand what it is like to lose a loved one to violent crime. Her father-in-law, Pablo Lopez, was murdered in his home on Flint’s east side on July 9, 2011. “He was supposed to be at a family function on the Fourth of July,” Julie remembers. “He never showed up.” The family began searching for their beloved patriarch. He was well known in the area and retired from Buick, where he had worked for over 30 years. He was actively involved with UAW 599 and a political activist. A family friend found him at home in his bedroom shot to death, and to this day, his murder is unsolved. “We thought it would be resolved right away,” says Julie, who is still emotional about the loss. “We believe there was no forced entry of the home and we are still searching for answers.”
Very few people know about an organization that has remained active in Genesee County for around 130 years. An essay commemorating the centennial, … And Fellow Members: A History of The Garland Street Literary Club of Flint, Michigan 1888-1988, was written by Alice Lethbridge in 1988 and published by the University of Michigan-Flint Archives. Since then, every new member receives a copy, and not only is the history of the club passed on, but most of the original rules are followed to this day.
Serving his country during the Vietnam War was a life-altering experience for Joe Mishler of Holly. Drafted in October 1966, he served in the U.S. Army until his discharge in August 1968. He completed basic training at Fort Knox and Advanced Infantry Training at Fort Polk, Louisiana. He was with B Company, 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. “Basic training wasn’t as bad as people say it is,” he remembers. And his thoughts on being drafted: “I was glad to get away from home after flunking out of college.”
For nearly 50 years, Bill Harris has been a familiar face in the field of broadcast news and has been a news producer/reporter/anchor in Flint since September, 1977. Now anchoring the 10pm news with WSMH FOX66, he has not only gained the respect and admiration of his co-workers over the years, but also a large following of TV viewers who respect his trustworthy reporting. Bill sat down with My City Magazine to chat about his many years in the news business.
When Rivethead: Tales from the Assembly Line was first published in 1991, it emerged fully saturated and seething with Ben Hamper’s Flint; four generations of local shoprats, underground music, poetry, and one man’s story pulled from the anonymity of shop life. Rivethead began as a column called “Revenge of the Riveter” in Michael Moore’s underground publication, The Flint Voice.
Lynne Marko’s family, girls rule! One of two daughters of Mary and Allen Dillon, Lynne and her husband, Andy, have two daughters, Peggy and Pam – and Peggy and her husband, Paul Grosso, have two daughters, Millie and Sylvia. And, they all share a love of family and the joy of motherhood.
Joel Bye of Swartz Creek is what some would call a “war buff.” His father, George Bye, was a pilot with the Mighty Eighth Air Force of Rattlesden, England during World War II from November 1943 until May 1944.
