This memoir looks through a nostalgic lens and captures some
historic times in Detroit as remembered by Robert and Lillian
Williams (my paternal grandparents), my parents, and me. Growing up
in Detroit during the 1950s and 1960s, I personally witnessed the
advent of the civil rights movement. As I rode the public bus from
Northwest Detroit into the inner city to see the beauty of
Christmas at Hudson's, it resonated in my soul to see so many young
African American men and women living in impoverished
neighborhoods. I saw the surge of energy and industry in Detroit as
it became the automobile capital of the world and the lure of the
Ford Rotunda with its cars of the future. I experienced the
excitement and wild emotion of the Olympia Stadium as it attracted
renowned musicians, like the Beatles, from all over the world and
remember the thrill of taking the Boblo boat to Boblo Island and
recall looking up in wonder at the massive Ambassador Bridge as the
boat slowly traveled underneath it. I remember the Detroit Tigers
playing ball at Briggs Stadium and listening to the powerful voice
of Ernie Harwell as they transformed an ordinary summer day into an
event that the people of Detroit felt passionate about. During this
time, Detroit local television produced shows such as The Soupy
Sales Show, Milky's Party Time presented by Twin Pines Dairy, The
Johnny Ginger Show, and Rita Bell Prize Movie. My favorite show was
The Soupy Sales Show, and I proudly wore my Soupy Sales dress with
a red-and-white bow tie as I laughed out loud watching Soupy get
smacked in the face with a cream pie on a daily basis. I recall
spending many hours watching programs, such as John Cameron Swayze,
The Ed Sullivan Show, The Lawrence Welk Show, The Linkletter Show,
The Lou Gordon Show, Leave It to Beaver, The Twilight Zone, Lassie,
The Jack Benny Program, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents on a
black-and-white TV at my grandparents' home on Archdale Street. At
this time, Detroit radio stations were playing Motown Records hits,
such as "Dancing in the Street" by Martha and the Vandellas and
"Where Did Our Love Go?" by the Supremes. During my youth I made
the best of the situation with my parents, particularly my mother
who suffered with chronic mental illness, and was deeply grateful
for my grandfather and his determination to meet the challenges my
older brother and later, my younger sister and I presented to him.
My grandfather was a reassuring presence each time he visited our
home, and I could count on his unfailing love for me time after
time, as each crisis unfolded. I can say with absolute conviction
that obstacles and trials are a part of life, but what I learned
from my grandfather was that you can rise up out of any difficulty
if you believe you can and through faith you can take the steps
necessary to live a life with balance and joy in it.
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