When Tom Dodd, beloved local teacher and editor of Ypsilanti’s Depot Town Rag, passed away earlier this month at the age of 78, his friends gathered at Frenchie’s to share memories and remember his influential life over beers… And, judging from the words on this plaque which just recently showed up in Ypsilanti’s Riverside Park, I’m guessing that it was also decided during this gathering to commemorate Tom’s life by reintroducing the park signage that was removed several years ago which alerted visitors to the presence of furry, flying frogs called smeet.
Hopefully, given that the sign is dedicated to a recently passed local hero, and signed by a number of Ypsi’s most prominent individuals, this time it won’t be removed… and Ypsi will begin to reap the rewards of the smeet.
[Click here for a high-res version of the plaque.]
12 Comments
Did Tom come up with the idea of the smeet, or was he just tickled by the whole thing? I thought I’d heard that a guy named Kirk or Kurt came up with it.
There was also an attempt to rechristen Frog Island Park in honor of the Smeet.
Photographic evidence:
http://markmaynard.com/2006/04/noodling-for-smeet/
There are better park posters in my country.
http://imgur.com/r4HzPMk
It sucks that it took Tom to die for us to get this back. This plaque was always one of the best, most unique things about Ypsi.
You are missed, Tom.
Edward, I went back and read that and now I have seen Mark writing about his scrotum full of worms before the breakfast hour has even passed. Now I feel like the day is probably headed in an odd direction.
Edward can you correct the timestamp for the comments to show up as Eastern Daylight Time.
What years did the Depot Town Rag run, and is there an online archive? I’ve heard about it for years, but I’ve never seen a copy.
the depot town rag ran from the mid-1970s until 2010 when the depot town cdc dissolved. it resurfaced a year later in ispy magazine for a couple of issues.
I’d been impressed that Mark was blogging for 10 years until I read that the Depot Town Rag ran for 35.
I always liked the smeet sign and am glad it is back. I didn’t know Tom Dodd too well but of course knew of him quite a bit. I may be the only Community HS graduate who never had a class with him.
Now that the smeet frog are back, is the ecosystem safe to swim in?