Club Meeting Featuring Brian Yopp, Motor Cities Heritage Area

Our meeting was opened with the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by an Invocation by Mike Ladwig.

Happy Bucks were collected. 

Thank-you notes from students at Schoolcraft College who received financial aid were passed around.

Tammy Bonifield was so excited to tell the members about RYLA. Our Club sent three students, one from Garfield and two from Churchill High School to RYLA, a high school leadership program held at a local camp.

There will be a day of service on May 23rd with the two Livonia Rotary Clubs to build 20 picnic tables for Rotary Park. Bring your own tools.

Today's Speaker

Our speaker for today was Brian Yopp, Motor Cities Heritage Area. This is part of the National Park System and works to promote and preserve the rich automotive and labor legacy. It tells the story of how our auto tinkers became titans, how this area helped establish the U.S. as an industrial power, and how the industry created the middle class.

This is not a Ford or GM story but a Michigan Story. The historical significance of the Motor Cities area, including Henry Ford and the labor movement. We can’t lose the history of the labor movement. This area was built around the mills that Henry Ford built. The farmers would work at the mill and still have time to tend the farm

In 1932, there was a hunger march in Dearborn. The march went over Fort Street. The marchers were met with resistance, 5 people were killed, 3000 people marched. That bridge was to be torn down, but thanks to Motor Cities, that place of importance in labor relations has been turned into a nice park with signage of the events that happened there.

Motor cities signs if you see the signs, you know you’re in a special place. 

They have a new program," Share the Story,” a place where citizens can write an auto-related story.

Nancy reminded us all that we need to tell our story. We need to remind people of the history of the area.

Susan Paluchniak