Published March 14, 2019 in Warp & Woof Van Slyke Assembly, 1967 Music for the Shop Rat William Sundwick It was a lark. Something to do during college term break. I had just returned from a “career-service” internship experience in Washington, D.C. And, frankly, I was curious about what an auto assembly line was like.Continue reading “Van Slyke Assembly, 1967”
Tag Archives: Flint
Vanishing City or Phoenix from the Ashes?
Published October 18, 2018 in Warp & Woof Vanishing City or Phoenix from the Ashes? Flint Series, Chapter 6 William Sundwick Gordon Young published Tear-Down in 2013. It’s his memoir of returning to Flint as an adult after presumably leaving the city forever to pursue a journalism career in San Francisco. It was written beforeContinue reading “Vanishing City or Phoenix from the Ashes?”
Exit Strategy
Published October 11, 2018 in Warp & Woof Exit Strategy Was Getting Out Inevitable? Flint Series, Chapter 5 William Sundwick Sometimes I think that friendships are simply a matter of convenience. While many people seem to make life-long friendships with kids they grew up with, my experience has been different. I lost contact with myContinue reading “Exit Strategy”
Wasteland vs. Intellectual Ferment
Published October 4, 2018 in Warp & Woof Wasteland vs. Intellectual Ferment Or, My Parents’ World vs. My World, High School Years Flint Series, Chapter 4 William Sundwick Flint Central High School was a new adventure. High school then comprised three years: grades ten, eleven, and twelve. That meant one of my early high schoolContinue reading “Wasteland vs. Intellectual Ferment”
Arrival and Insertion, 1953-62
Published September 27, 2018 in Warp & Woof Arrival and Insertion, 1953-62 The Flint Series, Chapter 3 William Sundwick Flint grew rapidly in the early fifties. The 1950 Census pegged its population at about 163-thousand, but by 1960 it was 197-thousand. We all noticed it. New neighborhoods, like our Ballenger Highway neighborhood, were adding singleContinue reading “Arrival and Insertion, 1953-62”
Disaster Strikes: The Beecher Tornado, 1953
Published September 21, 2018 in Warp & Woof Disaster Strikes: The Beecher Tornado, 1953 We Move to Flint in Its Wake The Flint Series, Chapter 2 William Sundwick F5 tornadoes are rare in Michigan. The most destructive category of storm on the Fujita Scale hit Flint in 1953, one of the ten worst on recordContinue reading “Disaster Strikes: The Beecher Tornado, 1953”
Flint: Lumber to Carriages to Cars
Published September 13, 2018 in Warp & Woof Flint: Lumber to Carriages to Cars The Flint Series, Chapter 1 William Sundwick When I arrived in Flint, Michiganat age six, the city, incorporated in 1855, had already established itself: first as a hub for the central Michigan lumber industry, then earning the appellation “Vehicle City,” thenContinue reading “Flint: Lumber to Carriages to Cars”
Flint Series Intro, YouTube Link
Something new!… The Flint Series, six posts will appear in Warp & Woof over the next couple months. To whet your appetite, here’s a dynamite video shot in 1936 at “Chevy in the Hole,” Flint — before the Sit Down Strikes!
Who Am I, and How Did I Get Here?
Published April 26, 2018 in Warp & Woof Who Am I, and How Did I Get Here? Rare Reflection on Origins and Motivation William Sundwick What is my earliest childhood memory? It’s hard to say. Experiences from early childhood can sometimes be counterfeit. But one that I identified years ago, when my parents were stillContinue reading “Who Am I, and How Did I Get Here?”
What We Drove, and Why
Published October 18, 2017 in Warp & Woof What We Drove, and Why One Family’s Car Culture, GM Style – 1950-1970 (Sundwick Automotive Photo Library, Part IV) William Sundwick We were not a typical family, even for Dearborn or Flint. Dad was a committed General Motors “lifer” – a salaried engineer, destined by the endContinue reading “What We Drove, and Why”
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