“It’s stunning,” said University of Michigan-Flint student, Manny Wright. “I’m setting up shop here. I told all my friends that from now on, if they need me, I’ll be hanging out here.” Wright was sitting in one of the student meeting areas in UM-Flint’s newly-opened Murchie Science Building Expansion. It was his first time there and he was obviously impressed. “Just walking through and looking at all of the community rooms is exciting,” he adds. “I board at Riverfront and it offers some of the same, but this is different. I’m claiming this spot.”
The year was 1995 and the once-proud city of Flint was stagnating. The mighty factories were shutting down. Citizens were fleeing to the suburbs. Schools were closing, buildings crumbling. While the city’s adults lamented a glorious past, its youth, in a valiant search for hope, desperately clung to one of the only things vibrant left in the city – its music. The Flint music scene never faltered, never flagged in the down years. In music, Flint was still relevant, still special and yet, a piece was missing. It was good, not great. Something was needed to put Flint music over the top. But, what or who? Then, from the east, with the speed of a lightning bolt a man appeared. His weapon was punk rock, his style was ridiculous, his mind warped. His name was Jim Fourniadis and with great purpose and energy, he quickly formed a band – Rats of Unusual Size. For six years, the Rats rocked the area, bringing Flint punk to its apex while instilling love for the city in a generation of adolescents, and then, just as suddenly as he appeared, Fourniadis vanished – disappeared without a trace. The Rats were no more and the people mourned.
How were you affected by the pandemic and the murder of George Floyd? While some buried their heads in the sand and took to the streets to protest, the partners of Community Roots went to the drawing board. The partners – Sylvester Jones, Jr., Patrick McNeal, Willie Smith, Jr., and Todd Womack – committed to using this time to catalyze change in their hometown of Flint and Genesee County.
The team was beaming at halftime of the Division 7 State Championship football game. Playing at Ford Field, the New Lothrop Hornets ended the first half up 35-7 against perennial championship contender, the Traverse City St. Francis Gladiators. The Hornets seemed unstoppable, but Coach Clint Galvas did his best to calm the team – they still had an entire half to play and anything could happen. “It was the best half we played all year,” stated the veteran coach. “The guys were feeling pretty good and I felt like we lost focus a little bit.” That’s understandable, as New Lothrop had absolutely dominated the first half. They scored quickly and often, holding the St. Francis rushing attack to a single touchdown. New Lothrop held the ball for only a quarter of the first half and that was all they needed to build a lead. “We really weren’t sure what adjustments to make,” explained Galvas. “We weren’t yet sure what they were trying to do.” New Lothrop buzzed into the second half with the trophy in sight; however, St. Francis wasn’t about to let it go easily.
After spending the last 20 years working tirelessly as Bishop Airport’s Chief of Public Safety, Chief Christopher Miller was ready for retirement. It was time to relax and enjoy life. “I had worked professionally non-stop for almost 39 years,” he says. “I was ready to slow down, do some traveling with my wife, Kimberly.” When Mayor Sheldon Neeley gave him a call out of the blue, he didn’t know what to expect. “He congratulated me on my retirement and told me that the city would be holding a Martin Luther King Day celebration honoring five people with the City of Flint Lifetime Achievement Award and a key to the city,” Miller recalls. “When he told me that I would be one of them, I was humbled. I had no idea. He told me that it was the highest award a citizen can be given and I am deeply honored to receive it.” At the ceremony, Miller spoke about his life in law enforcement and the people who got him there. “I didn’t do this all by myself. A lot of people helped get me to this point and I owe a lot to them,” he says. “It started with God, my mother and my father. They instilled good moral values and taught me how to communicate with and respect others the right way. Those lessons kept me out of trouble growing up.”
Willie Mack III was eight holes into his PGA Tour debut January 28 when The Golf Channel’s cameras found him.
Since the city’s beginning, African Americans have been an important part of Flint’s growth. They have made and continue to make significant contributions to the advancement of civil rights, education, culture, arts and the community as a whole for every citizen, regardless of color or national origin. In honor of Black History Month, My City Magazine would like to honor some of the many African American leaders and trailblazers, past and present, who have worked for the betterment of the city and its people.
As a criminal defense attorney, Nick Robinson is used to long days. Maintaining a successful legal practice and representing clients is as stressful as it is rewarding. Being mentally and often physically exhausted at the end of a workday is commonplace; so, it may come as a surprise to most that after the kids have gone to bed, he isn’t quite ready to hang up his coat. “I put my kids to bed, give my wife Kara a kiss on the cheek and head out to the garage,” explains Robinson. “I turn on a podcast and start the pottery wheel. I can usually churn out about ten mugs a night.”
In the Scouting organization, becoming an Eagle Scout is the highest honor and quite an accomplishment. In October 2020, Breanna Nicole Trecha of Fenton Township obtained the rank of Female Eagle Scout. She is the first female in Genesee County to have gained the title and one of ten in the State of Michigan. The door opened for females to join Boy Scouts in February 2019.
Imagine yourself in an elevator going up to the 80th floor of a skyscraper. You arrive and the door opens to a single wooden plank jutting out into space, precariously held there by two single nails. You take one tentative step onto the plank. Your palms start to sweat as you look out over the city far below. You take another cautious step, then pause as a helicopter flies toward you and quickly duck as it swoops overhead. Looking down, you see cars and trucks driving through a busy intersection. You start to shake as you edge closer to the plank’s end … once there, you stop. One more step forward and you’ve survived Richie’s Plank Experience. Would you take the plunge?
So, you won’t be able to make a Valentine’s Day reservation at your favorite romantic restaurant this year – but many of us will make plans to create a special meal at home for our significant others. Here are a couple of ideas for a memorable dinner, compliments of two local chefs (who can’t wait to serve customers in their eateries again.) Cheers to Love!
Motown Man, a newly published novel, is a story of an interracial romance set in a faded, Midwestern industrial town. It is filled with veiled racial tension, marked by uncertainty and on the edge of losing its identity, according to the author, Flint native, Bob Campbell.
