Category Archives: History

Ypsi/Arbor Exit Interview: Newcombe Clark

By Mark | April 10, 2013

A week or so ago, in front of an audience at Conor O’Neills, I had the pleasure of conducting a live exit interview with Ann Arbor-born commercial real estate broker turned University of Michigan MBA Newcombe Clark, who will soon be leaving Michigan for Chicago. As there was still a great deal that we didn’t [...]

Old man with bad back requests help rioting: Ann Arbor

By Mark | April 8, 2013

At some point in 1991, I had the occasion to witness a basketball-related riot in Ann Arbor, as I stood wedged between an open 450-degree pizza oven and a large plate glass window facing the intersection of Church and State. I can’t recall, but I don’t think my friend Roger and I, who were busy [...]

Also posted in Ann Arbor, Mark's Life, Uncategorized | Tagged Backroom Pizza, Church Street, frats, life's not fair, misremembering, NCAA, pizza, riots, South University, student riots, tear gas, The Brown Jug, University of Michigan, vandalism | 24 Comments

Talking boudin, crawfish and Burger King milkshakes with Southern Foodways Alliance oral historian Amy C. Evans

By Mark | March 16, 2013

I had the occasion a few months ago, when doing some research into “the ham of my people” (country ham with redeye gravy), to stumble onto the work of Amy C. Evans, the award-winning, Mississippi-based oral historian of the Southern Foodways Alliance. On a whim, I sent her a random collection of questions, and, as [...]

Also posted in Food, Mark's Life, Other | Tagged A. L. "Unk" Quick, Alisa Lay, Allan Benton, American Studies, Apalachicola, Atlanta, Bacon, barbecue, Bill Tinker, boudin, Burger King, Caju, Center for the Study of Southern Culture, chicken, Collins Oyster Company, country ham, crawfish, Crawfish Shack Seafood, documentary film, Down the Bayou, Edna Stewart, Florida, Florida’s Forgotten Coast, fried chicken, Georgia, Gloria Quick, gumbo, Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken, ham, Hieu Pham, Hurricane Katrina, Joe York, John Saucier, Kentucky, Leann Hines, Levee Run Farm, Liberty, Louisiana, Memphis, Mimi Gladys, Mississippi, New Orleans, Oral History Association, pork, remoulade, satsumas, Saucier’s Sausage Kitchen, sausage, SFA Founders’ Oral History Project, Souther Foodways Alliance, Southern Boudin Trail, southern food, Southern Studies, Sugarcane, tamale, Tennessee, the south, University of Mississippi, Vietnamese food | 10 Comments

Since when does Facebook charge a dollar to send a message?

By Mark | March 16, 2013

Admittedly, I don’t follow Facebook that closely. I know that, since the company “went public” a while ago, there’s been a huge push to monetize each and every element of their now ubiquitous platform, but I was totally caught off-guard this morning when, attempting to send a note to a woman who had left a [...]

Also posted in Mark's Life, Observations, Other, Uncategorized | Tagged Eldora M. Trimble, email, Facebook, genealogy, Kentucky, messages, privacy, Roland Maynard, The Maynards of East Kentucky, things that cost money, things to monetize | 10 Comments

As Ysilantians set out to rewrite their City’s quarter century old Master Plan, they assess what’s working, what’s not, and their shared vision for the future

By Mark | March 14, 2013

The people of Ypsilanti are currently going through the process of rewriting the City’s Master Plan. The exhaustive undertaking, which has been constructed in such a way as to incorporate the input from as many community members as possible, is already well under way, but, over the coming months, there will still be ample opportunities [...]