Football in 1958

This photo shows the 1958 St. Clair Shores Junior Varsity Green Hornets Football team. The team coach was Kyte Monroe, but only three of the players are identified: Tom Tapin wears No. 16; Robert Alan Quigley wears No. 41, and the young man in the front row in the white shirt is James Aluia.

In 2022, gasoline prices have been at historic highs. This photograph takes us back 44 years, when the cost for fuel was much lower. On April 18, 1978, the price for one gallon of gas, when the customer pumped the gas, was 59.9 cents. If the customer wanted “full service,” which typically included an employee pumping the gas, and taking payment and providing change, along with a windshield cleaning, the cost was 63.9 cents per gallon.

This Shell Gas Station was located at 27701 Harper, at the northwest corner of 11 Mile Road. The location is now home to an Xfinity Store.

The station also offered “motor tune-up and general repair” in addition to road service and towing.

Officially, the Miss St. Clair Shores Pageant began in 1954. Pictured here is that year’s winner, JoAnn Reeber. The contest was co-sponsored by the St. Clair Shores Herald newspaper and the Junior Chamber of Commerce.

There had been pageants in St. Clair Shores before 1954—Miss Michigan for 1951 (Delores Berruezo) was the winner of the (then) Village of St. Clair Shores pageant. After 1954 and to 1968 the Jaycees were the pageant sponsors. Early winners were given a small amount of money, a sash and a tiara.

Several other St. Clair Shores Pageant winners have been awarded the state title of Miss Michigan: Sherry Agnello in 1973 and Angela Venditti in 2012. To be eligible to compete in the Miss St. Clair Shores Pageant Scholarship Program, a participant needed to be a resident of Macomb County, meet age requirements, be a high school graduate and have a platform.

In 1971 the pageant transitioned to a scholarship program. Each winner receives scholarship funds and is required to attend a number of public appearances. The 2022 contest will take place July 30.

The Lakeside Palette Club was established on February 3, 1947 with 10 members, including founder Mrs. Meta Srigley. The group’s goal was to “study and paint together and to stimulate and promote interest in creative art” in the community, a goal they continue to support today. The group originally met at the Srigley home and then at Blossom Heath Inn for their sessions. Their first art exhibition was held November 22, 1948, with 75 oil and water color works on view.

The group was honored by the Michigan House of Representatives in 1970 with a special tribute for “enhancing the quality of our lives…with beauty and cultural fulfillment…and making it possible for persons to express themselves freely and fully.”

The group of over 100 artists is still active, meeting at the Blossom Heath Beach House to paint and at the St. Clair Shores Public Library for lectures. Their next exhibition is planned for April at North Lake High School.

This photo shows a self-portrait of Palette Club member Diane Harris, which won an award at the group’s show last November.

The Go Go Grannies of St. Clair Shores

The Go Go Grannies Accordion Ensemble began in December, 1967, as an outgrowth of the Senior Cruisers Club of St. Clair Shores. The recreation director of the Senior Cruisers had offered four free accordion lessons; at first there was no takers, but soon 16 people had signed up for the lessons. Most had no musical training. After some lessons, a group of six women were left: Charlotte Asher, Louise Levander, Lyla De Won, Clara Maloney, Tommie Muns and Gertrude Pike.

The group began playing at the birthday parties held for the Senior Cruisers; their music allowed dancing. Soon, they were playing at other venues in the area. In 1969, they appeared on stage for the first time at the Michigan State Fair, their biggest event in their two years of performing.

Despite the group’s success, the Go Go Grannies were forced to sever their ties with the Senior Cruisers and the Recreation Department. This meant that the group had to purchase their own instruments, as they had been using accordions owned by the Department. As the group’s manager, Charlotte Asher, wrote in 1975, “the girls were advised if they wanted to continue, to purchase their own accordions even if they had to make sacrifices, which they did. I sold my double-barreled shot gun as part payment…” on her accordion.

While they had been accepting payment, all of the group’s income had been donated to charity. From mid-1969 on, they used their income to fund travel to venues and additional music instruction, as well as the purchase of instruments, while still donating some funds to a charity for disabled children. “The girls don’t make enough for even a hairdo out it,” according to Asher, who was quoted in a 1986 newspaper interview. “It’s more of a hobby. But many places we play they say it’s the best entertainment they’ve had.”

The members of the group varied over the years, as illness and other obligations forced members to leave the group. The ages of the group members at one point ranged between 65 and 83. They also expanded the group to include a drummer and pianists, as well as several men (one of whom played banjo).

One highlight of their performances was an appearance on public television for a program on people preparing for retirement and after. The 30-minute show was televised in several states, including California, Arizona, and New York in 1973. Additionally, tapes of their performances were aired on radio stations across the nation. The group was active until at least the late 1980s.

This 1969 photo shows the Go Go Grannies in costume.