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My Time with Bo
Earlier in the summer, the talk around Southeastern Michigan was about Bo Schembechler and when did he know that Dr. Robert Anderson allegedly sexually assaulted numerous male student athletes and some women during his tenure at University of Michigan (1966-2003). As the legendary baseball manager of the Yankees and Mets Casey Stengel used to say about the deceased, “they’re [Anderson and Schembechler, in this case] dead at the present time.”
The University of Michigan’s athletic director from 1968-1988, Don Canham, could have and should have fired Anderson. But he’s dead at the present time, too.
Glenn Edward “Bo” Schembechler came to the University of Michigan as head football coach in 1969 after coaching under Ohio State’s legendary coach Woody Hayes. After a brief marriage to Hayes’ secretary, Bo married a nice lady named Mildred (Millie) in 1968 and adopted her three sons. (They subsequently had another son together.)
Adding fuel to the Anderson controversy was a news conference with Bo’s stepson, Matt, and some former students who claimed that they were abused by Anderson. Matt claimed that when he was 10 in 1969 and needed a medical checkup, his stepfather recommended that he should make an appointment with Dr. Anderson.
Matt came home and reported to his stepfather that Anderson touched him inappropriately. “That was the first time that he [Bo] closed fist punched me,” Matt told the media. “He knocked me all the way across the kitchen.”
Matt’s mother went to see Don Canham, and we don’t know what the conversation yielded as she’s also deceased. None of us can be sure what happened and what Bo Schembechler did or didn’t do. But here’s what I do know, based on the numerous times (maybe a hundred) that Bo and I were only a few feet apart.
Irwin J. Cohen THE BO I KNEW
Bo was a bully and worse, but very likable with tons of charisma. You’ll find a similar opinion in my late good friend Joe Falls’ 1997 book, 50 Years of Sportswriting. Chapter 11, titled, “Boo on Bo,” chronicles the times Bo lied to Joe.
Bo was named president and chief operating officer of the Tigers early in 1990 by team owner Tom Monaghan. Jim Campbell had the title previously and was easing into retirement but wanted to come around whenever he wanted and wanted someone who relied on his advice. Campbell was happy an experienced baseball man wasn’t put in charge.
I was hoping that Bo would meet his new employees by calling them into his new plush, paneled office, get to know them and possibly hear some new ideas. He never did. Bo wasn’t much of a listener and came with preconceived notions. I had access to him in the morning roundtable coffee schmooze sessions in the dining room before we went to our workstations.
I sent ideas to Bo via inter-office memos delivered by our mailroom guy. One idea I wanted to see implemented quickly was transforming the sidewalk around the exterior of the stadium into a baseball-style Hollywood Boulevard, hand and autograph impressions in cement. Time was the enemy as the most popular first basemen in Tigers history died in 1986, Norm Cash and Hank Greenberg.
Bo never responded to any of my memos. One time we were the only ones in the dining room, and I brought them up. “The trouble with you, Cohen,” Bo bellowed as he pointed his finger at me, “is that your ideas cost money.”
One Friday January morning in 1992, I walked past Bo’s office as he was pacing back and forth. “Cohen,” he yelled, “do you know how to drive? If you do, let’s go.”
We rode the elevator down in total silence and headed to his shiny, new black Cadillac. His usual driver wasn’t around, and Bo got behind the wheel. I quickly figured out that he was headed to the airport to fly to New York to appear on one of those Saturday college football pre-game shows.
Over and over Bo kept saying, “I’ll never make it.”
We did make it without much conversation. As he was exiting the Caddy, he said, “Take it back and tell the driver he’s fired.” I obeyed half of the commandment.
We all have Jewdar — Jewish radar. Mine told me not to trust Bo. One morning I was the first one at the roundtable and reading the paper. The headline screamed, “Scuds Fall on Israel” (during the Iran-Iraq war).
Bo entered, stopped in his tracks while reading the headline. “Cohen,” Bo boomed in capital letters as he pointed to me, “You are going to get us,” as he pointed to himself, “into a war.”
As I was rising out of my chair to confront Bo getting ready to say, “You mean me, the Jew?” the phone rang. Bo picked it up and said, “Alice, [his secretary] I’ll be right up.”
Bo didn’t come down again for several days, and I never got into my first physical fight.
I have many fond memories of my Tiger days. I loved and respected Tom Monaghan, but not so bellicose Bo.
Bo Schembechler
Author, columnist, public speaker Irwin J. Cohen headed a national baseball publication for five years and interviewed many legends of the game including Joe DiMaggio and Hank Greenberg. He earned a World Series ring while working for the Tigers in a front office position in 1984. He may be reached in his dugout at irdav@sbcglobal.net.
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guest column Remembering the JCC Locker Room
For the past year or so, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 10:30 a.m., I get in my car and take a ride to a nearby community pool for the 11 a.m. Senior Swim Hour. In the locker room, after my workout, I quickly shower and get dressed. If there are one or two other guys around, we say “hello” and maintain social distance.
It’s cordial, but I can’t help contrasting my current locker room experience with my long tenure at the JCC Executive Locker Room and Health Club, which I visited three to five times a week for about 35 years.
As the one-year anniversary of the closing of “the Center” (as we referred to it) approaches, it seems like a natural time to reflect further on my experience there.
The JCC Health Club was obviously only a part of our larger JCC. But when I said, “Honey, I’m going to the Center!” my wife knew I was talking about the Health Club locker room, pool and gym. The Center was a place where mostly Jewish folks went to schmooze and work out (probably in that order).
What was unique about it, compared to other health clubs, was its Jewish character. It always tended to attract more of an older than younger clientele, but it was also a place where people from different generations co-mingled on a regular basis. It truly served to connect
Dr. Jeff London
diverse segments of our Jewish community. L’dor v’dor.
DAVID SACHS
The men’s Executive Locker Room at the JCC
THE REGULARS
On arrival at the Center, I’d often have brief conversations with the people in my row of lockers, many of whom I saw almost every time I came. When I went to the exercise floor, I chatted with folks I knew from many aspects of my life. I saw Larry and Sharon who I knew since college; I recall how they encouraged me after my hip replacement.
continued on page 12
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PURELY COMMENTARY
guest column Investing in the Future
In early August, the Biden administration announced a goal to make half of all new cars sold in the U.S. electric by 2030. In June, the congregation I serve, Temple B’nai Israel in Kalamazoo, installed an electric car charger with the assistance of Hope for Creation.
Through the congregation’s relationship with Michigan Interfaith Power & Light, as well as other groups, it has become clear that strong, clean car standards have the power to drive down vehicle pollution as well as spur innovation in the development of new clean car technologies.
Therefore, our congregation made the decision to invest knowing there are members who would benefit but also because our values teach us the importance of caring for the planet. Investing in electric vehicles is one way we can shift our dependency away from the fossil fuels that are causing our climate crisis.
As Reform Jews, we look to the Book of Deuteronomy for the basis of our belief in caring for the Earth. Verses 20:21-22 speak of actions during wartime that directly impact the Earth: “When in your war against a city … you must not destroy its trees, wielding the ax against them. You may eat of them, but you must not cut them down.”
From these verses arise the value of bal tashchit — which is translated as “do not destroy.” Humanity is taught
Rabbi
Simone Schicker that they shall not destroy fruit trees during wartime. But Judaism does not only draw from the Torah, but also from the later commentaries of the rabbis, the sages, of the Mishnah and Talmud. These sages extrapolate from this idea to include all ecological
TEMPLE B’NAI ISRAEL
Electric Vehicle Expo held at Peoples Church in Kalamazoo on July 18, 2021. Peoples Church and Temple B’nai Israel are among a few religious communities in Kalamazoo that have installed electric vehicle chargers as part of their commitment to climate action.
continued on page 10
essay Carl Levin Was a Community Relations Senator
The night I learned that Sen. Carl Levin had passed away I did not feel shock but tremendous sadness and loss. His death marked the end of an era and the passing of a longtime friendship with the Jewish Community Relations Council, now known as JCRC/AJC, the Jewish Community Relations Council/American Jewish Committee.
As a past president of the organization, I recall a very cold winter day, probably in the 1980s, going with Jewish community leaders and leaders of the Arab American
community to discuss the burgeoning of an organization linking Arab Americans and Jewish Americans who were working on local issues of importance to both groups. Sen. Levin offered his help in any way possible. This came as no surprise. Sen. Levin was later honored by the organiJeannie zation as was his sister and Weiner brother. The senator was no stranger to making alliances or to working with people of all backgrounds and all races, ethnicities and religions. He was non-judgmental, open to ideas, but not willing to compromise his basic beliefs. He was truly “our” senator because community relations work in the Jewish community is committed to those very
Sen. Carl Levin with current JCRC/AJC Executive Director Rabbi Asher Lopatin, at the Huntington Woods July 4th Parade, 2018.
PURELY COMMENTARY
INVESTING IN THE FUTURE continued from page 8
destruction during times of war as well as peace. The expanded rulings include not feeding livestock polluted water, not diverting or destroying water and not throwing away food or wantonly breaking usable items. These interpretations have shaped how we, as a Jewish congregation, engage with the world we live in.
Another value guiding the Congregation’s decision to invest in an EV charger, along with other measures to make our building more energy efficient and less polluting, is the value of betzelem Elohim — the understanding that all people are made in the image of God. This directly relates to how we view one another.
All people should have access to clean air and water, but we know this is not the case here in Michigan. Lowwealth and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) communities experience disproportionate harm from dirty vehicle pollution, leading to increased rates of asthma and other respiratory illnesses. We also know that low-wealth and BIPOC communities also are often closest to highways and bear the greatest burden from vehicle pollution.
We have a responsibility to act on our values, which teach us to care for the Earth and that all people are important and indeed, made in the image of God.
I am proud to lead a congregation who wants to put their values into action in any way that they can and know that there is still much to be done. The installation of an electric car charger is but one piece of a large puzzle that we must all work together on building.
As the EPA and Transportation Department now begin to work out the details of longer-term emissions standards, they have an opportunity to help create the conditions necessary for all life to thrive by supporting cleaner cars. We urge them to make these standards as strong as possible.
TEMPLE B’NAI ISRAEL
Electric Vehicle Expo in Kalamazoo
Simone Schicker is the rabbi of Temple B’nai Israel in Kalamazoo.
CARL LEVIN continued from page 8
Sen. Carl Levin with longtime JCRC/AJC board member, Micki Grossman, of blessed memory, from JCRC/AJC archives.
same practices.
Carl Levin was a bridge builder so the relationship with our agency was a perfect fit. The agency’s role in the community is to build bridges, alliances and coalitions between the Jewish community and other communities. Sen. Levin assisted us in those efforts.
During those same years, Sen. Levin met frequently with advocates working to free Jews in the Soviet Union known as “Refuseniks.” He signed every petition and visited with people who had been freed but had been forced to leave loved ones behind. He spoke tirelessly on behalf of the cause of religious freedom and particularly for Refuseniks.
Much of the work Sen. Levin did on behalf of the Jewish community and all Detroiters was done quietly, with little or no fanfare or publicity. It was the wellbeing of the people that drove him. So, for us, a call to our senator was not difficult — we knew the answer would be, “I’ll do what I can.” And he did. Michigan has a history of ethical leadership in the Senate. We had Sen. Phil Hart. And we had Sen. Carl Levin. Neither can be replaced.
The voice of Sen. Levin, his work on behalf of the community, his care and concern for Michiganians all serve as a role model to public servants. We will miss him, but we are committed as never before to continue his legacy.
Jeannie Weiner is past president of the JCRC/AJC.
For more on Sen. Levin, please see Looking Back on page 62.
PURELY COMMENTARY
JCC LOCKER ROOM continued from page 6
I rode my favorite exercise bike next to Alan, who lived around the block from me in my early years, and we talked about our legendary days (in our own minds) as kids, playing baseball together at MacDowell Elementary in Detroit.
But the real highlights of my visits (as I look back on those many years) were the conversations I had with my locker mates after our workouts. My good friend Larry joined the JCC, in large part, to meet me there and share the best post-workout whirlpool in the known world, when it was working.
I shared conversations with Larry and others in the dry sauna, while other folks shvitzed together in the wet sauna. And then, after a shower, I returned to my locker and took my time getting dressed, sharing seemingly frivolous and, only in retrospect, serious interactions with my neighbors.
MANY CONVERSATIONS
One guy in my row was a big talker who I too often allowed to draw me into ridiculous political arguments. But even he showed his softer side, when he dressed in his veteran’s garb to attend the funeral of a fellow Jewish War vet.
Sam was a retired attorney about 15 years older than I, who shared his philosophies and jokingly called me “my liberal friend” each time I showed up for my workout. Nathan always seemed to be at the Center, no matter when I came. He had grown up under the Soviets before emigrating to America and had a lot of stories to share. Not surprisingly, his view of American politics was fascinating.
A few of the guys endured the loss of their wives during the time I knew them. I watched and listened as they stood by their partners through serious illnesses and then as they talked about how sad it felt to be left alone.
Ken was a special guy, about 8 years older than I, who talked with me about his many trips with his wife, not to impress me, but to encourage me to travel while I was still able. He also told me great jokes and stories.
He was kind enough to purchase a children’s book I had written, and he made sure to tell me each time he read my book to his grandson, which he knew meant a lot to me. Ken passed away in the past year, and I made sure to send his wife a note of how much our locker room relationship meant to me.
I spoke with many other guys whose lockers were in nearby rows. I recall talking with Jay at the time of my daughter’s wedding a few years ago. I told him I was very happy, but I couldn’t understand my wife’s and daughter’s level of concern about the party. He smiled and suggested that both of them had been planning for that day since before my daughter was born!
Danny never missed a chance to talk about how much we both loved the ’60s singing group, the Vogues.
A retired psychiatrist nearby reached out to me during my own recent retirement from psychiatry and offered counsel and support. Marvin, about 10 years older than I, encouraged me to keep doing my balance exercises, since he promised I would need them even more as I got older.
FAMILY TIES
But I’ve saved the best for last … my cousin Leo. Leo, who was my mother’s first cousin, talked with me about growing up with my mom and my aunts. He shared with me how lucky he felt to still be alive and fairly healthy into his 90s. He talked about how he missed his brother who had died of complications of Alzheimer’s. We laughed together at stories about our family. Leo talked about his two Bernices, the two women with the same name to whom he had been married, and how much he missed each of them when they passed away.
I felt like Plato at the feet of Socrates, learning from my elder about what was truly important and what wasn’t. His smile, his laugh and the twinkle in his eyes will always be with me. And I watched at the end of his life when his daughter and son-in-law lovingly brought Leo to the Center, so he could see his friends at a familiar place which he clearly loved.
On some level, it was just a locker room. But to those of us who frequented “the Center,” it was so much more. I’m sure the dues we all paid couldn’t add up to enough to keep the JCC Health Club solvent. So, when the powers that be finally decided they needed to shut it down, who am I to explain why it had been worth keeping it going all those years?
Or perhaps I just did.
May the Center rest in peace. Amen.
Dr. Jeff London is a retired child psychologist from Farmington Hills.
PHOTOS BY DAVID SACHS
