10/23/24 C & G Special Edition — Macomb/Grosse Pointes by C & G Newspapers

NEWSPAPERS Special Edition

OCTOBER 23, 2024

Macomb County and Grosse Pointe papers

Power Play for Heroes to raise money for service dogs

BY ALYSSA OCHSS aochss@candgnews.com

ST. CLAIR SHORES — The Power Play for Heroes on Nov. 15 not only hosts an entertaining hockey game — it also raises money for a good cause.

Paul Sabatini, concept development product and business specialist-sports initiatives at GroupeSTAHL, said this is the eighth event. It raises money for Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs. The charity provides service dogs to first responders and veterans who need them. The dogs can cost anywhere from $25,000 to $27,000 and tremendously change the quality of life for those who receive them.

“They save a life, and they change a life for our veterans and first responders,” Sabatini said.

He went on to say some of the veterans had tried to commit suicide in the past.

“As soon as they get paired with this dog, it changed their life,” Sabatini said. “They can have a

regular job. They interact with their families. It truly does change a life and save a life.”

This year, the doors open at 7 p.m. and the game starts at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 15. Tickets are $10 with kids 10 and younger free of charge. It is located at the St. Clair Shores Civic Ice Arena at 20000 Stephens Road, in the Garden Rink. A separate open house at the Stahls’ Automotive Collection at 56156 North Bay Drive in Chesterfield Township will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Nov. 9.

Featured guests include Steven Carlson, who played one of the Hanson brothers in the movie “Slapshot,” Former National Hockey League Zamboni driver Al Sobotka, sports reporter Brad Galli from WXYZ-TV Channel 7 and four-time Stanley Cup champion Darren McCarty of the Detroit Red Wings.

Sabatini said the idea of the hockey game came from a passion for the sport through the Stahl family See SERVICE DOGS on page 10A

Eventgoers will get a chance to get a photo with a replica Stanley Cup. Proceeds from the event at the St.

Arena on Nov. 15 will benefit Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs.

De La Salle holds blessing ceremony for new STEM Center

BY MARIA ALLARD allard@candgnews.com

WARREN — Plans for De La Salle’s new Steve and Kathy McShane STEM Innovation Center, scheduled to open in the fall of 2025, continued Oct. 10 with a groundblessing ceremony.

The ceremony, held in the school’s Bill Fox Gymnasium, gave faculty, students and past graduates the chance to gather and see the beginning stages of the construction.

The ground-blessing also brought out the school’s longest living graduate, Ed Grieshaber, Class of 1947. Rev. Brian Meldrum, from the De La Salle Collegiate Class of 2002, provided the blessing through prayers and by sprinkling holy water.

In the summer of 2023, school officials announced that Steve and Kathy McShane pledged a multimillion-dollar gift to De La Salle to construct the world-class science, technology, engineering and math center. The Steve and Kathy McShane STEM Innovation Center will be built inside the

school; it’s not an addition to the school building.

The Steve and Kathy McShane STEM center is a component of the school’s capital campaign. The campaign — titled “Builders of Boys. Makers of Men. The Next 100 Years!” — is designed to keep the school alive and well for another century. De La Salle will turn 100 in 2026.

Br. Thomas Zoppo, school president, led the ceremony.

“Let’s begin as we always do when we are in the holy presence of God. Father in heaven, we are gathered here to-

See STEM on page 6A

Photo provided by Paul Sabatini

Clair Shores Civic

SECOND FRONT PAGE

LEFT: Brownell Middle School student Jane Hynous holds her winning “I Voted” sticker design as she stands in front of her collection of Pusheen memorabilia.

BELOW: Hynous’ werewolf design won first place in the elementary/ middle school category and also received the most votes of any sticker entered in any of the categories.

Events will help Macomb Mall celebrate 60-year milestone

STUDENT’S WINNING ‘I VOTED’ STICKER CAPTURES WILD NATURE OF MODERN VOTING

BY K. MICHELLE MORAN kmoran@candgnews.com

GROSSE POINTE FARMS — At a time when political divides are deep and sharp enough to cleave family and friends from one another, one local student has managed to do the impossible: unite both sides. And she isn’t even old enough to vote yet.

An illustration that’s been dubbed the “unhinged werewolf” by Brownell Middle School seventh grader Jane Hynous, of Grosse Pointe Farms, was the winner of a statewide “I Voted” sticker design contest. Nearly 58,000 people voted for their favorite designs from entries in the elementary/middle school, high school and general categories, with Hynous taking top honors in the elementary/middle school category. With an American flag in the background, her werewolf claws off his shirt and howls triumphantly, with a declaration of “I Voted” above him.

“I think Michiganders find the shirt-ripping werewolf as the perfect metaphor for the raw emotions that often drive us to vote,” Farms City Clerk Derrick Kozicki said in an email interview.

But Michiganders aren’t the only ones. Encapsulating perhaps the intensity with which people have voted in recent election cycles, Hynous’ sticker has gone viral, attracting attention across the country.

As of early September, Hynous’ drawing had roughly 2.4 million views on X — formerly Twitter — according to Brownell Principal Roger Hunwick. Hunwick said Hynous was inspiring adults and kids alike.

“What I find incredible about Jane is she’s humble, she’s modest, she’s thankful,” Hunwick said at a Sept. 10 Grosse Pointe Board of Education meeting. “When I exercise that right (to vote) Nov. 5,

I’m going to put that (sticker) on my chest with pride. The Grosse Pointe community is unhinged with joy that you have (put) us in such a favorable light.”

Hynous has been featured in the New York Times and the Washington Post, and earned herself a mention on John Oliver’s show on HBO and “CBS Mornings.” It’s been a shock for Hynous, the younger of Amy and Emmett Hynous’ two children, and for her parents.

“I was naive about the attention this would get beyond state attention,” Emmett Hynous said. “We’ve never had anyone in our family go viral. The only word I can say is, I think it’s ‘wild.’”

The accolades haven’t gone to Jane’s head, though.

“She’s very humble about it, which I think is amazing,” Emmett said.

Jane said she wanted to do something unexpected, which is why she avoided more conventional imagery.

“I wanted something that wasn’t going to be like everyone else’s (design),” she said.

She said she did her drawing in class, while they were watching a movie.

“Voting is such a serious thing. … I wanted to make something that would be fun to wear,” Jane told the Board of Education last month.

Her mom was struck by the fact that her daughter had limited materials at her disposal — mostly markers and colored pencils — when she created her design.

“I think what I really liked hearing is she just used what was in her pencil case that day,” Amy Hynous said.

Brownell social studies teacher Bess Johnston — who was

BY MARIA ALLARD allard@candgnews.com

ROSEVILLE — John Saylor was a junior high school student living in Roseville when Macomb Mall first opened in 1964 at Gratiot Avenue and Masonic Boulevard.

“We’d never seen anything like it. The mall was brand-new and it was pretty amazing,” Saylor said. “The night the mall opened, my whole family piled up in the car and went to see the new mall. There were hundreds of people doing the same thing we were, just walking around, pointing and looking.”

During his senior year of high school, Saylor, now 73, of Clinton Township, worked as a stock boy at Sears, which has since closed.

“All of the guys working there, we had a lot of fun,” he said.

Macomb Mall will celebrate its 60-year anniversary from 12:30 to 3 p.m. Oct. 26. The Eastpointe-Roseville Chamber of Commerce will make an appearance, and the Recreation Authority of Roseville and Eastpointe will set up arts and crafts.

At 1 p.m., things will disappear with a show from magician Cameron Zvara. At 2 p.m., enjoy a Cyr wheel performance by Spinnovation Detroit. There will be cake and goodie bags. Mall staff members look forward to celebrating the mall’s longevity in the community.

“We are the main shopping hub here in southeastern Detroit,” Macomb Mall Marketing Coordinator Elaishia Outley said. “We have stores tailor-made for everyone in the family. Every month we host events and we like to be part of the community.”

The mall currently has about 50 stores, including Kohl’s, Sephora, Dick’s, Hobby Lobby and Old Navy. General Manager Marianne Meyers began working at the mall in 2004. She believes Macomb Mall provides “a great mix of tenants from local, mom and pop stores to international chain stores all within a clean, bright, and modern facility.”

“We continue to strive to make Ma-

Photo by K. Michelle Moran

Photo provided by the Michigan Department of State

Macomb Mall

from page 3A

comb Mall a great environment to shop. Our staff is invested in the mall and many of us have grown up in the area and continue to create partnerships and camaraderie with tenants, customers and community,” she said via email. “During the course of my tenure here, I have built relationships with our loyal mall walkers, tenants, and corporate entities, but I have built a better understanding of the community we serve at large. And that’s what I enjoy and value the most — the relationships we have built with the community. We are always listening to customers and paying close attention to the market to evaluate the ever-changing landscape of retail and if we are meeting relevancy goals.”

‘They had all the stores I liked’

Through its history, many stores came and went, including Crowley’s, B. Dalton Bookseller, Harmony House Records and Tapes, Little Caesars Pizza, and an abundance of clothing retailers. The mall became a hangout for teenagers, too, and at one time movie fans could check out the latest flicks at the Silver Cinema.

Crowley’s

Jean Wincenciak, who grew up in Roseville, remembers when the mall was built.

“It was so exciting when it first opened,” said Wincenciak, 76, who now resides in Florida. “I used to go when I was single. That was the hot spot.”

Even when she lived in Warren and Royal Oak, she was still a Macomb Mall patron. She liked that it was a smaller size than some of the other malls.

“I would bring my children there. They had all the stores I liked,” she said. “They had a Sears and Winkelman’s. There was a pet store, they had sports stores, and little oddball stores. It was my favorite mall at the time.”

C & G Newspapers also heard from readers via email after a message about the 60-year anniversary was posted on the Roseville Michigan Historical Group Facebook page. The mall was a big part of Paula C. Laroway’s life. When attending Eastland Junior High School, she and her brother Hugh often walked to the mall.

“I probably went there thousands of times over the years, and at 72, I still pop in to see how the mall is doing,” she said via email. “Winkelman’s was a weekly favorite, they had all the styles, and I shopped diligently for low priced high fashion sales.”

ABOVE:

Department Store was a staple at Macomb Mall for many years.

LEFT: “Dallas” television star Patrick Duffy, left, meets fans during an appearance at the mall.

Photos provided by Macomb Mall staff

Sticker

from page 3A

Hynous’ teacher last year, when she created her drawing — was the one who notified the family that she had won.

“I think her sticker is fantastic,” Johnston said in an email interview. “When I saw she was a finalist (in July), I was not surprised because I know Jane to be a very talented artist. The illustration has such a Jane-vibe to it; it’s well-conceived yet unique with a streak of humor.”

She’s not shocked so many people relate to the drawing.

“I think it resonated so well because of how unpredictable this election cycle has been; it’s been a wild ride so far, which may explain why people connected with its ‘unhinged’ nature,” Johnston said. “I also believe people feel empowered by voting and her illustration captured that in a refreshing way.”

Jane said she was at the family cottage in Port Austin, swimming in Lake Huron, when her family got the call from Johnston in August. Her mom had just baked brownies.

“It was wonderful to be on summer vacation and to receive that news,” Amy said, adding that her daughter’s design was actually the top vote-getter among all the contest winners.

Macomb Mall

from page 4A

One of her “most precious finds” was a black full-length wool coat cape with a large black tassel hanging from the hood. The cape’s shoulder was clasped by a large Chinese knot frog. With a $40 price tag, Laroway used up most of her babysitting money for the purchase.

“But I had also bought a pair of knee high black boots that laced up the front,” she said. “I called it my ‘Black Sabbath’ outfit. Definitely kept miniskirted legs cozy on a winter day.”

Another tie to the mall were the years Laroway worked at the Kresge’s counter. She was pregnant with her second child, and sometimes her boss gave her jobs so she could sit down.

“I made a lot of milkshakes while working the counter, and taking orders,” she recalled. “In the morning I made egg salad and tunafish salad sandwiches, wrapping them in cellophane that I sealed on a heated pad.”

One of Sharon Nummer’s earliest recollections in the mid-1970s was telling Ru-

Jane hopes her win inspires others.

“I’m so young, and there were much older people in the contest,” she said. “No matter what your age is, you can achieve your dreams.”

The Hynous family isn’t politically active but they’re voters who want their children to be informed. Emmett said his kids watched the presidential debate so they could hear from both candidates and form their own opinions.

“We never put signs on the lawn, but I want my kids to know the basics of what’s going on,” he said.

Amy said the attention the family has gotten has “all been positive.”

When she’s not fielding interview requests, Jane has the normal, busy life of a middle schooler. She’s in the school band and is a Girl Scout who enjoys pickleball, boating, paddle boarding and kayaking. She’s also an avid soccer player who has been playing the sport for about five years. She said she got interested in soccer because of her older brother, Colin, 16.

Jane said her favorite subject in school is math.

“I guess it’s just a lot more intriguing than a lot of the subjects,” she said.

She also enjoys making art, including jewelry and abstracts.

Jane is a cat lover as well. The family

dolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, at age 5 or 6, what she wanted for Christmas: a Neil Diamond album. Another highlight was the Roseville High School Rock-A-Thon fundraiser in which students rocked in rocking chairs for 24 hours straight.

And four generations of the family all found jobs at the mall. Nummer’s grandmother worked in the Sears cafeteria in the 1960s and ’70s, her mom worked as parttime seasonal help at Kohl’s in the 1990s, and Nummer, now of Clinton Township, got her first job at the Gap in 1988. Her son got his first job in 2021 working at the Del Taco in the mall’s parking lot.

Some of Pat Craik’s happiest times at the mall were seeing “2001: A Space Odyssey” with his dad and “Westworld” with a group of friends at the movie theater. Macomb Mall also came in handy when Craik needed a sports jacket for formal events. He wasn’t sure where to get started, so he headed for Hughes & Hatcher.

“Mr. Lang fixed me up perfectly with a complete suit,” Craik emailed. “I got several compliments. Pretty cool experience.”

Macomb Mall is located at 32233 Gratiot Ave. in Roseville. Call (586) 293-7800 for more information.

has two feline members — Twila, a calico female, and Mittens, a male gray tabby. Jane’s love of cats is evident in her impressive collection of Pusheen plush animals and memorabilia; Pusheen is a friendly-faced cartoon cat whose popularity rivals that of one of its predecessors, Hello Kitty. Jane Hynous was recognized by school district officials during a Sept. 10 Board of Education meeting at Brownell.

Superintendent Andrea Tuttle congratulated Hynous.

“Incredible,” Tuttle said. “This is really cool.”

Board member Ahmed Ismail called Hynous a “total rock star” as he praised her work.

Other board members also celebrated her achievement.

“Thank you for highlighting our district,” Board member Colleen Worden said. “You put us on the map. You are clearly topnotch.”

As the top election official in the Farms, the news that this honor was bestowed upon a Farms resident made it special for Kozicki, who is also the assistant city manager.

“I am very proud but the Pointes have always had an appreciation of the arts, so I wasn’t surprised a Pointer won,” Kozicki said.

Kozicki said all the city clerks in the

Pointes are ordering extra copies of Hynous’ sticker.

“We have all received numerous calls and emails asking when the Hynous piece will become available,” Kozicki said.

At 12, Hynous won’t be able to vote in an election until 2030. But, she’s already made a difference in this one, generating excitement among people on both sides of the aisle — and even folks who might have been indifferent to the election.

“Jane is a hardworking student. She fully commits herself to her work, be it drawing a sticker or writing an essay or presenting a project,” Johnston said. “We had several creative assignments throughout the school year and Jane’s work always stood out because of how polished it was. In addition to her work ethic, Jane is a truly funny and thoughtful person. She brought joy to my classroom this year and I look forward to seeing her journey unfold. In the meantime, I will proudly be rocking Jane’s sticker as I exercise my right to vote on November 5.”

Plenty of voters will be sporting Jane’s drawing over the next few weeks, but thankfully, no one needs to fear being confronted by a real werewolf on Election Day.

“Don’t worry, unlike November 2022, there will be no full moon on election day,” Kozicki said.

STEM

day to celebrate the new and exciting addition of the Steve and Kathy McShane STEM Innovation Center,” Zoppo said. “We thank you, Lord, for our students who will benefit from the activities that will be housed in the center, and the faculty and staff for developing the programs.

Junior Gabe Enghauser, who leads the school’s Rocketry Club, also addressed the crowd at the ceremony. One goal of the Rocketry Club is to be the first school to send a rocket into space.

The McShanes attended last week’s ceremony. McShane, a 1961 graduate of the all-boys Catholic high school, wanted to support the school and its students.

“It’s my way of giving back to the school that has meant so much to me,” he said. “It was the academics, the rigor and the discipline that really made a difference in my life.

“There is a whole curriculum that is being developed,” McShane said. “The idea is to prepare students for careers in science, technology, engineering and math. The world is changing so fast with technology and affecting everyday life.”

After graduating from De La Salle, McShane attended the University of Detroit Mercy where he earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. He also earned his Master of Business Administration from the University of Michigan.

In 1984, McShane started his own company, Midtronics. Located in Willowbrook, Illinois, Midtronics develops and produces battery management equipment and services for the global automotive industry.

“We’ve been blessed,” Kathy McShane said. “We want to pass on some of our good fortune to a school like De La Salle.”

In July, Scott Husken was hired as director for the Steve and Kathy McShane STEM Innovation Center. The curriculum is still being developed. While the school already has a STEM program in place, the new center will add more, including courses in civil engineering, architecture, aviation, data management and cybersecurity.

Joe Gerardi (Class of 1986), the school’s director of operations, said the instructional space will be 6,000 square feet. There will be a ground level, an upper-level mezzanine, lots of open space and natural light.

Frank Rewold & Sons, based in Rochester, is the construction management company. TMP Architecture, based in Kalamazoo, is the architectural company.

ABOVE: The Rev. Brian Meldrum delivers the blessing for the new Steve and Kathy McShane STEM Innovation Center at De La Salle High School.

LEFT: Kathy and Steve McShane donated the money for the new multimillion dollar STEM Innovation Center.

Photos by Patricia O’Blenes

BEHIND THE WHEEL

HEARSE COLLECTION ADDS MEANING FOR FAMILIES AS IT SERVES THE DEPARTED

BY MARIA ALLARD allard@candgnews.com

WARREN/STERLING HEIGHTS — As a licensed funeral director, Jeff Mandziuk’s intent is to always treat the departed with the utmost respect and dignity.

It is one of the many aspects he learned from his father, Eugene Mandziuk, who in 1956 built his first funeral home, which became Mandziuk & Son Funeral Directors Inc. Currently, there are two locations: one in Sterling Heights and a second funeral home in Warren.

Eugene Mandziuk, who died in 2017 at age 91, not only passed down the business to the younger Mandziuk, but also his love for antique automobiles, particularly the Packard. Over the years, the father and son purchased seven antique Packards, most of them hearses.

The fleet includes a 1921 Henney hearse; hearses from 1939, ’40, ’42 and ’48; an 1851 horse-drawn carriage hearse and a 1949 Packard limousine. The first hearse Eugene Mandziuk owned was the horsedrawn model, which he purchased at an auction in Texas.

“A funeral home donated a hearse to a Catholic church to auction off to remodel the church,” Mandziuk said.

Eugene Mandziuk, a military veteran who lost part of his hearing during World War II, misheard the highest bid of $1,000. When he mistook it for $2,000, he bid $2,100 to outbid the highest bidder. He got the horse-drawn hearse, and grew his classic car collection from there. Some of the best times Mandziuk and his dad had were taking vacations to the East Coast. They’d attend car shows or hunt through junkyards “looking for other hearses to restore.”

By the mid-1980s, the Mandziuks began offering to drive the

See HEARSE on page 9A

ABOVE: Mandziuk & Son Funeral Directors Inc. uses vintage Packard hearses during funeral processions as one way to provide comfort to grieving families.

Photo by John Cicotte

RIGHT: Jeff Mandziuk, owner of Mandziuk & Son Funeral Directors Inc., left, and his son, Mitchell, have continued taking care of the Packard hearse collection that Eugene Mandziuk started in the 1980s.

Photo by Julian Orlikowski

Hearse

vintage hearses during funeral processions. However, families weren’t interested and usually declined the offer.

“When we had the hearse, nobody wanted to use it,” Mandziuk said. “Everyone wanted a modern-day car.”

That all changed in the mid-1990s when the Woodward Dream Cruise in Oakland County started. Soon, people became nostalgic for classic cars. Grieving families saying goodbye to their loved ones began asking if the antique Packards could be utilized during funeral processions. The vintage models provided some comfort, reminding them of their moms and dads.

“It just took off from there. I credit everything to the Woodward Cruise for starting it. All of a sudden people wanted to use the old cars,” Mandziuk said. “They are not just a hobby, but a labor of love to provide extra meaning for families. Sometimes the Packard hearse will go on two, three runs in one day. People have come in making arrangements. They’ll see the old hearse out there and say, ‘Is that just for show or do you actually use it?’”

From Mandziuk’s viewpoint, the Packards were built to last.

“I use them year-round. If it’s raining outside, it don’t bother me. They were built back in those days for that type of service. They never get stuck in the snow,” Mandziuk said.

Whether it’s rebuilding the engine or conducting maintenance, Mandziuk doesn’t shy away from working on the cars when needed. He learned by watching his dad.

“He would always talk about the class the hearse used to have,” Mandziuk said. “As the years went by, they just got boxy looking.”

During an interment, the Packards can be en route to a number of cemeteries, including Guardian Angel in Rochester, Resurrection in Clinton Township and White Chapel Memorial Park Cemetery in Troy. Veterans buried at Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly are often transported by a Mandziuk hearse. Since funeral assistant Larry Pokrywka is the only member on staff who knows how to maneuver a stickshift, he drives the hearses during processions.

Keeping it in the family, Mandziuk’s niece, Ashley J. Cicotte, wrote a history on the hearses. One recollection that stands out was when a local family laid their son to rest. He loved the color purple, so the family went to several funeral homes “searching for the perfect element for the service,” according to Cicotte’s essay. When they came upon a black hearse with purple interior in the Mandziuks’ fleet, they made the proper arrangements with the funeral home to honor their son.

Another highlight was the time a 102-year-old World War II veteran went to his final resting place in a Packard. When his daughter found out, she “was driven to the point of grateful tears” during her time of grief, Cicotte wrote, because her dad had once owned a Packard.

There also was the time in which Mandziuk got himself in a bit of trouble with the Packards. He “bought” his first 1941 Packard Sedan in exchange for one family’s funeral expenses. Dad wasn’t too happy with the method of payment, but eventually got over it. Mandziuk still has that Packard and drives it around at times.

Families sometimes ask for a Packard hearse to transport their loved ones to their final resting places.

Photo by John Cicotte

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