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AUGUST 23, 2023 Vol. 36, No. 18
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‘G.I. Blues’
Historic Macomb County Building still in use 10 years after fire
RESIDENT RECALLS ARMY DAYS WITH ELVIS BY MARIA ALLARD allard@candgnews.com
BY DEAN VAGLIA dvaglia@candgnews.com
Photos by Maria Allard
ABOVE: Johnny Lang holds up the photo of himself and Elvis Presley playing football while stationed in Germany. Lang, of Harrison Township, is pictured on the right with Presley in the center. RIGHT: Johnny Lang, who served in the U.S. Army with Elvis Presley, wrote about his time with “The King” in the book “My Army Days with Elvis: Friendship, Football, & Follies.”
HARRISON TOWNSHIP — Every time Elvis Presley fans find out Johnny Lang knew the superstar personally, they ask him the same question: “What was he like?” Lang, 87, never hesitates to respond. “Nothing but heart,” the Harrison Township resident said. “He was wonderful, just wonderful.” Lang became friends with Presley — dubbed the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll — when they were both drafted into the U.S. Army, serving from 1958-60 in Germany. By the time Presley began his military stint, the singer already had several hits under his blue suede shoes, including “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Jailhouse Rock,” “Love Me Tender” and “Hound Dog.” Lang’s bond with Presley was so special that he wrote the book “My Army Days with Elvis: Friendship, Football, & Follies,” released in January 2023. After the book came out, Lang did an autograph session at his regular hangout: the Alibi Inn in Clinton Township. On Aug. 8, the author shared his stories during an Elvis Presley themed
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MACOMB COUNTY — After 90 years and a fire, it seems nothing can topple the old Macomb County Building. Overlooking the Clinton River, the building is a centerpiece of the Mount Clemens skyline. The art deco architecture sets it apart from its neighbors in the stone courthouse and glass-sided county administration building, but the faces along the roof speak little of the old building’s turbulent creation or its long-standing role in Macomb County’s legal system. Opened on June 5, 1933, the County Building has its origins in the county’s need for a new courthouse a decade prior. Built by St. Clair Shores architect George Haas for $700,000 as a replacement for the county courthouse, its creation was not without controversy. The county ran out of money during the project — which was already $155,000 over its budgeted cost of $545,000 — causing county employees to go weeks without pay while the county “existed on loans and began issuing script to employees and vendors,” according to a history of the building by historian Cynthia Donahue. During construction, the building went 18 months without a roof and only the lowest four floors were completed when it opened. The rest of the interior was finished on a “room by room” basis. From opening day, the building housed Macomb Coun-
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