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SouthgateStar.com
NOVEMBER 10 — DECEMBER 13, 2022
Complimentary
Finance Director David Angileri retires
Long-time employee honored by who’s who of elected officials DAVE GORGON A “who’s who” of past and present Southgate elected and appointed officials came to pay their respects to David Angileri, who retired after nearly 29 years, the vast majority of them as the city’s finance director and assistant city administrator. At the end of a City Council meeting on Oct. 19, Mayor Joseph Kuspa invited other city officials to the front of the council chambers, where they gathered with Angileri for a special presentation and a group photograph. Since 1994, Angileri worked for four mayors – the late Norma Wurmlinger, Suzanne Hall, Dennis David and Kuspa. He also served alongside three city clerks, four treasurers and 25 council members before retiring with the most seniority among current city employees. Fourteen officials – including the three living mayors, current 28th District Court Judge Elisabeth Mullins and retired Judge James Kandrevas –
Angileri
were on hand for the historic photo. Mayor Kuspa said Angileri’s “employment encompasses over 45 percent of the City of Southgate’s history as a city. So he has been around for nearly half of our existence as a city.” “It was a wonderful event that illustrated Mr. Angileri’s positive impact on our city for nearly three decades,”
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Kuspa said. “Everyone was there out of respect for what he has accomplished and to wish him well on his retirement.” A wall-hanging plaque that was presented to Angileri at the council meeting includes a retirement message, which thanks him for “28+ years of exemplary service, resilience, integrity, creativity and lifelong friendships.” It’s presented “on behalf of the residents, employees and elected officials of the City of Southgate.” Angileri, whose official retirement date is Oct. 31, said the recognition at his final council meeting was unexpected and surprised him. He said city employees “became my second family. You see the people you work with more than you see your family. I enjoyed my job tremendously. I lived in that city, I coached in that city, the kids all went to school in Southgate. I wasn’t born there or grew up there, but I spent a lot of time there during the last SEE RETIRES, Page 3
Page 2 • November 10 — December 13, 2022 • SOUTHGATE STAR
GET GREAT NEW GLASSES, SAVE SOME MONEY! Many people - most, perhaps - go to an optometrist, get an eye exam and then follow the lady in the white coat over to the wall of frames and pick out a new set of glasses. The story ends with the customer paying way more than he or she ever expected. If that pretty much describes you, Bob Schmittou says there is something you should know: He can save you money, maybe lots of money. Schmittou, a proud military veteran, owns New Eyes Optical, located on 1616 Ford Avenue, right at 16th Street in Wyandotte. There are no doctors at New Eyes, just lots of frames and Schmittou, who can get you into fashionable new glasses for a lot less than all of the other chains and franchises out there. Just bring your eyeglass prescription to him and see what kind of magic he can work for you. “I am kind of like what the pharmacy is to your doctor,” Schmittou said. “Your doctor writes you a prescription. He doesn’t try to sell you the drugs. You go to the pharmacy. The same is true with us. You bring us a prescription and we will fill it.” New Eyes Optical does not accept insurance, but their low prices mean that is often not an issue. Schmittou has been in the eyeglass game for a long time. He enlisted in the Army after graduating from Lincoln Park High School and Uncle Sam sent him to school to learn how to make eyeglasses. He did that in the Army for nearly four years and then worked for Lenscrafters and for private doctors after that. In 2012 he opened New Eyes Optical and has been there ever since. Schmittou said he has over 1,300 frames in his building and can make arrangements to get others if customers come in with a specific brand or style in mind. For sunglass lovers, Schmittou said he has the largest selection of Ray Ban and Oakley sunglasses in the area. If you come in, you will deal with Schmittou himself. He and his wife Pam are the only employees. Schmittou does the fitting of the eyewear, and Pam orders frames and keeps the shop looking fresh by arranging the frame displays and decorating. So, if you are in the market for new glasses, would like a little personal attention and a really low price, give Schmittou a call at 313-587-4204, drop an email at neweyesoptical2012@gmail. com or contact them through their Facebook page, Facebook.com/neweyesoptical.
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Estate Planning 101 Which plan do you need?
Time to clear up the confusion about Estate Planning ... The following definitions lack legal precision, but makes it easier to get a clear picture of what may be needed in your case. ■ Will – letter of intent of where you want your personal property to go – or not go. ■ Living Will – Documents your wishes during your final days including final healthcare choices and possibly your burial wishes. ■ Trust – This is a “company” that you start, and you become the CEO, “Trustee” and “Settlor.” The company outlives you, but continues to manage your assets as if you were alive by the successor CEO – whom you designate. ■ Power of Attorney – Financial and Healthcare – you need both – the first so someone can pay your bills, the second, sometimes called a Patient Advocate, designates someone to make “hallway at the hospital” decisions to take the stress off the family. ■ Ladybird Deed – probably the best thing that has happened to owning a home. I love these deeds – you grant yourself a life estate – in your own property - but retain the power to sell or borrow against the property. If you do not sell before you pass, this “springs” the house out of your estate, and your heirs have instant ownership, subject to any mortgage or taxes owed or similar. Again, this is just a general description of the more popular terms – no one choice is a “silver bullet” but depending on how your estate gets planned out you can expedite a clean and clear process for the assets you worked a lifetime to save. Why wouldn’t you want to do that? Stop by or call and make an appointment and I’ll tell you what you’re going to need to do this right. To my numerous former clients – thank you for allowing me to draft your estate plan!
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SOUTHGATE STAR • November 10 — December 13, 2022 • Page 3
RETIRES
Continued from page 1 28-plus years, for sure.” Mayor Kuspa said: “Having worked with David for the past 13 years, I always appreciated his institutional knowledge and attention to detail. He did a remarkable job during some very difficult times. Mr. Angileri’s contribution and commitment to this community is truly unmatched. “David was a valuable member of my administrative team and will definitely be missed. However, we all wish him a long and enjoyable retirement with his wife and family.” With the graduation from Southgate Anderson High School by all of his four adult children and wife Michelle’s retirement in June after 34 years of teaching in the Melvindale-Northern Allen Park School District, Angileri said the time to retire from the city was right. He said he plans to spend more time with his family, traveling with his wife and working as a part-time bartender at Default, a new restaurant in Wyandotte. He also hopes to continue coaching football at Anderson, where he has been an assistant coach on the varsity and this year guided the freshman team. Angileri had worked the last month alongside his successor, former longtime Riverview City Manager Douglas Drysdale. “Doug is a bright guy,” Angileri said, “and he’s been doing this for the past 18 years, so the transition has been very smooth.”
Born in Detroit, Angileri grew up in Melvindale, graduated from Melvindale High School in 1981 and joined the Navy when he was 17 years old. He worked on the navigation of submarines. “I would not say I was a very good student,” he said. “I didn’t know what I was going to do. The service became kind of like a chance to grow up and find out what I wanted to do. Four years later, I got out of the service and went to college.” Starting at the University of Michigan-Dearborn at age 21, Angileri said he “put my head down and worked on academics” while being part of a business fraternity. He earned a bachelor’s degree in finance and economics. He was hired as city controller in Melvindale and worked two years in his hometown. He remembers being interviewed for the job in the barbershop owned by then-Mayor Thomas Coogan. He married Michelle in 1991 and they had four children, Dakota, Noah, Hunter and Riley. The family lived in Southgate for 27 years, coinciding with most of his employment with the city, before David and Michelle moved to Wyandotte two years ago. Angileri held dual roles in the city: finance director and assistant city administrator. Each of those roles has multiple duties. The finance director is in charge of the city budget, keeping track of how the city spends its money and preparing for audits. As assistant administrator, he served as personal director and human resources director, keeping track of benefits, health care
and time off. “My job was not to make people happy,” he said. “I made sure the city’s budget was balanced.” One of his career highlights is that “we’ve always had a balanced budget,” Angileri said. “We were never in trouble with the state for being over budget. And we were taking down the city’s debt. We have a very low debt
with the City of Southgate. “Even during the crash of 2010 – the housing bubble – we didn’t lay off anybody. We worked with our employees to make sure that didn’t happen… I worked with a lot of employee groups and a lot of elected officials who I not only considered my bosses, but also my friends.”
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Page 4 • November 10 — December 13, 2022 • SOUTHGATE STAR
Members of the Abercrombie family have fun at the Southgate VFW trunk or treat.
Halloween happiness At least 300 kids and their families participated in a trunk or treat on Oct. 8 at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post in Southgate. Bar manager and event coordinator Jill Thiel said VFW members, auxiliary members, veterans and friends took to the post parking lot to distribute treats and serve food for the attendees, many of whom learned about the successful event via social media.
SOUTHGATE STAR • November 10 — December 13, 2022 • Page 5
Members of the Lewandowski family of Southgate have fun at the trunk or treat at the Southgate Veterans of Foreign Wars. They are Mia (left), Trinity, Amie, Amanda Plemmons and Ava.
Amanda Krogol (left), a teacher at Allen Elementary School in Southgate, is joined by children Evelyn, 3, and Abby, 7, along with David and Darlene Krogol at the VFW trunk or treat.
VFW trunk or treat coordinator Jill Thiel is flanked by Aubrey Christian (left) and Harlee Alverio
Bill King, senior vice commander of the Southgate VFW, and wife Janet passed out treats at the VFW trunk or treat.
Page 6 • November 10 — December 13, 2022 • SOUTHGATE STAR
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SOUTHGATE STAR • November 10 — December 13, 2022 • Page 7
Gabriel Richard Catholic Thespian Guild Presents INTO THE WOODS November 11-13
By Autumn Stevens, Gabriel Richard Senior This fall, the Gabriel Richard Catholic High School’s Thespian Guild will be presenting their fall musical, Into the Woods. Into the Woods is a famous musical written by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine. This story follows the Baker and the Baker’s wife throughout their journey through the woods, as they encounter many hardships and difficulties. Along the way, the Baker and the Baker’s wife encounter characters from your favorite childhood tales such as Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, and Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk. This famous show takes your favorite stories and revamps them into a new and exciting musical.
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This show is the cast’s fourth show under director Brenden Delaney and assistant director/choreographer, Shivonne Delaney. This couple has helped the cast and crew through the process of perfecting this difficult show, as well as vocalists Brittany Dimmitt and Rachel Hiatt. The cast and crew of Into the Woods cannot thank them enough for their determination and perseverance. This cast of young actors and actresses have been working very hard and are anxiously awaiting opening night. Come support these young teens by seeing a show for all ages! The Gabriel Richard Thespian Guild’s production of INTO THE WOODS will be performed on: Friday, November 11 at 7 p.m., Saturday, November 12, 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, November 13 at 4:00 p.m. Tickets will be available at the door or online at grathletics.org.
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Page 8 • November 10 — December 13, 2022 • SOUTHGATE STAR
Happy Harvest Festival Summer has slipped out the back door and fall is upon us, but the fun has not stopped at Market Center Park. On Oct. 8 and 9 the park was home to the city of Southgate’s Harvest Festival. There were barbeque food trucks, live music, shopping, vendors, a beer tent, pumpkin painting, face painting, a kids’ zone and trick or treating. A great time was had by all. The festival was presented by Downriver Community Federal Credit Union and was run in conjunction with a national Faith and Blue event, which celebrated first responders. The Harvest Festival was just the first in a series of holiday events sponsored by the city. On Dec. 2 at 5:30, the city will hold its annual tree lighting at Kiwanis Train Park (Trenton Road at Leroy); On Dec 3-4 from 6-9 p.m. there will be Santa Express train rides at the park; from Dec. 11-31 Market Center Park will be open from 5-10 p.m. with it Light up the Park event; and on Dec. 31, Market Center Park will present Noon Year’s Eve from 11:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. Come on out and enjoy some holiday fun. Photos by Dave Chapman.
SOUTHGATE STAR • November 10 — December 13, 2022 • Page 9
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The lower Detroit River and Lake Erie are a major flyway for hawks and other raptors and a Lake Erie Metropark and the John Dingell Wildlife Refuge are prime areas to spot these birds.
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Fall fun at the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge The wind is getting chilly, the leaves are falling from the trees and the smell of Fall is in the air! Fall is my favorite season of the year; here are some programs you can enjoy this Fall at the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge. To sign up for a program please go to our Facebook page, www.facebook. com/DetroitRiverIWR/events. If you have any questions about a program or need help signing up for a program, please email us at DetroitRiver@fws.gov. November 5: 1 – 3 p.m. at the Refuge, Ecology Hike Join a park ranger on a hike through Humbug Marsh and learn about our local ecosystems November 13: 10 a.m.- noon, Hawk Watch Outreach, Join us to learn about Hawks and their Fall migration at the Lake Erie Metropark Hawk Watch site (near the boat launch).
November 23: 12:30 – 2 p.m. at the Refuge, The Amazing Bald Eagle Learn about bald eagles at this presentation in partnership with Trenton Parks and Rec. November 27: 1 - 3 p.m., Hawk Watch Outreach, Join us to learn about Hawks and their Fall migration at the Lake Erie Metropark Hawk Watch site (near the boat launch).
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December 3: 1 – 3 p.m. at the Refuge, Ecology Hike Experience the beginning of winter and learn about how wildlife adapts to the cold in our area. December 4: 11a.m. - noon, Virtual Habitat Exploration presentation, Join us to learn about the different habitats and wildlife located at the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge.
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Page 12 • November 10 — December 13, 2022 • SOUTHGATE STAR
Have an Event or Fundraiser? Let us know at 734-282-3939
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Rouge River revived
The story of how community came together to save a waterway Susan Pinkowski Our favorite Downriver scientist, John Hartig, was asked by the University of Michigan Press to collaborate with other noteworthy professionals on the amazing story of how 48 communities came together to restore our oxygendepleted, polluted, and dangerous Rouge River. The transformation of our local river was nothing short of tremendous. Likewise, the literary collaboration among two scientists, two engineers, two journalists, an anthropologist, an architect, a filmmaker, two biologists and four people who have made environmental education their life’s work, is also tremendous. Rouge River Revived recounts the history that destroyed this river, and how it was slowly brought back to life. Dr. Hartig recently gave a talk to folks gathered at the Dearborn Historical Museum about the factual accounting laid out in this book. Had we treated the river, and actually our planet, the way the First Nations did, we would have avoided not only the cesspool that the Rouge became, but also could have avoided the increasing climatic changes we are learning how to live through. The First Nations believed that water was sacred, that it was the source of life, and they felt a sense of stewardship towards it. They also believe that land itself is a sacred living being, and it would be to our great benefit to adopt those beliefs. The book explains how the fur traders came for beaver pelts and pretty much decimated the entire population. More Europeans came eventually transforming our forests for agricultural use. Then commerce, agriculture and lumbering took off and changed the landscape of our watershed. If that wasn’t bad enough, industry staked a foothold and rapidly expanded. The Rouge was dammed for hydroelectric power by Henry Ford between 1910-1920, and eventually a total of 62 dams wound up on the river. When Henry Ford built the largest manufacturing facility in the world in 1915, the end of the Rouge had to be
dredged to 23’ feet deep to allow in freighters for shipping purposes. He even changed the course of the river to get a straighter shot to the Detroit River, which created Zug Island. Then the war started, and civilian productivity turned into military productivity almost overnight. Things went downhill from there. All of this industry produced waste in the form of oil and petroleum products that were casually dumped into the Rouge River, eventually totaling up to 5.9 million gallons each year.
That seems scandalous now, but it was business as usual back in the late ‘40s. When 11,000 ducks and geese died in one week, our local duck hunters were outraged. They had had enough and scooped up the dead fowl for a ride to the steps of Michigan’s government in Lansing where they were dumped in protest. Unfortunately, that changed nothing, and the pollution continued. In the 1960s 12,000 more waterfowl died. Still no governmental reaction or action.
Then the spark of an acetylene torch caught the Rouge River on fire in October of 1969, shooting flames 50 feet into the air. The Detroit Free Press reported at the time that when you have a river on fire, you have problems. We had definite problems but no solutions. Around that same time, many residents of Detroit were moving into communities in the watershed, expanding the capacity of the stormwater drainage and sanitary sewage systems. The system would hold until a significant storm would overwhelm it, causing them to dump untreated sewage into the Rouge River. At one time, 168 sewage overflows were identified in the river. As more people moved to the suburbs in the Rouge River watershed, more ground was paved or asphalted, which increased stormwater runoff and sewage heading to the Rouge. Eventually, the unthinkable happened – the carp were dying in the Rouge River, and carp are one species that can handle heavy pollution. The river was so bereft of oxygen that it eventually began to smell like rotten eggs caused by hydrogen sulfide that was being formed in the river from decomposition of sewage. The stench was horrible. If you didn’t have air conditioning, your only choice to get a cooling breeze was to open your windows, but the smell floating inside the house quickly changed your mind. The people of the cities of Dearborn and Melvindale petitioned their governments in 1985 to eliminate the odors. Worse than that, a man accidentally fell into the river in the mid-1980s while out enjoying the park with his family. He climbed out, dried off, and continued his event. When they went home later, he fell ill and soon died from leptospirosis, also known as rat fever. That was the last straw. Wayne State did a study about the quality and quantity of the combined sewer overflows, looking at all 168 points of entry on the Rouge. They discovered that even if Detroit spent millions to fix the problem, it wouldn’t be successful unless all 48 communities in the SEE ROUGE, Page 15
ROUGE
SOUTHGATE STAR • November 10 — December 13, 2022 • Page 15
watershed joined in. That seemed like an impossible undertaking, but we are fortunate in that one man decided to take the challenge: Jim Murray, a Washtenaw County drain commissioner who had grown up in the watershed and was then chairman of the Michigan Water Resources Commission. He brought the 48 communities, three counties, the general public, SEMCOG, schools and industries, Friends of the Rouge, the U.S. EPA, Michigan’s DNR, and other NGOs together in a watershed partnership to get the job done. Joining this effort at Mr. Murray’s instigation in a big way was Congressman John Dingell, who managed to get $350 million of funding over the years to restore the Rouge River. Soon U.S. District Judge John Feikens was assigned a lawsuit started by the EPA to stop pollution from the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department. The pollution included “stormwater runoff, sewer overflows, illicit sewer connections, failed septic tanks, and a whole host of sources from all 48 watershed communities.” Judge Feikens worked with Murray and Dingell, and ordered that to get the funding, the communities had to match the federal funding. These communities were, not surprisingly, experiencing difficulties in working together on this vast project but through the leadership of those three, consensus was reached. Communities and other partners contributed another $650 million over time to further the rehabilitation and restoration of our watershed. They worked John Hartig beyond political boundaries and disciplinary boundaries to solve the pressing problem of the Rouge River being a public health problem. Murray also brought on Dr. William Stapp who transformed the educational approach to this watershed for students in the area communities. His work was so ground-breaking that it became a model for other governments and eventually earned him a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. The section in the book on his work and the work of the citizen scientists is very interesting. The work they accomplished is spelled out in detail in the book, which includes habitat restoration, sediment remediation, reconnecting the Oxbow in Dearborn, creation of a fish ladder, PCB removal and much, much more. This work literally restored life back into the Rouge River. There are now 23 miles of the Rouge that can be canoed and kayaked. And you don’t have to worry about falling in anymore. Kurt Kuban has an entire chapter in the book with
It took cooperation between 48 Michigan communities to bring the Rouge River back to life.
details about all the recreational activities available on the Rouge, which started with his three-day maiden canoe voyage to see if it was even possible! That grueling trip expanded over time into a group of people dedicated to clearing the logjams and creating the Lower Rouge Water Trail. It’s an enjoyable read. More kayak and canoe launches were installed as more communities joined into the project. He gives details on Hines Park, Johnson Creek, Carpenter Lake Nature Preserve, the Holliday Forest and Wildlife Preserve, Rouge River Gateway Trail, Rouge Park, Dynamite Park, and the lower Rouge. You could easily spend an entire summer getting acquainted with all the recreational opportunities available in the watershed. You can get more acquainted with kayaking the Lower Rouge by reaching out to the Friends of the Rouge River. https://therouge.org. They created a 27mile Lower Rouge River Water Trail which connects people, communities, and the history of the area for the enjoyment of all. We’re not done restoring the Rouge River and we’re certainly not done saving the planet from unknown horrific weather challenges. John Hartig and Jim Graham remind us to not be complacent, we must realize that our voices and our actions really do matter. They end with a list of personal things that we can do. Please adopt as many as you can: Value all life and take care of all species, as First Peoples did before us Make the Rouge River your river, and teach your children and other family members that we are part of the Rouge River ecosystem, and that what we do to our ecosystem, we do to ourselves
Go out to the Rouge River on a regular basis and experience its beauty Tell stories about the river to your neighbors and friends that show you have a personal relationship with it and have a deep respect for it, a reverence Get involved in caring for the river. Don’t sit on the sidelines – volunteer with Friends of the Rouge, the Alliance of Rouge Communities https://www.allianceofrougecommunities.com or a local school, church, or community group working to protect and restore the river Advocate for the ecosystem approach, and make sure all schools are teaching that humans are part of nature and ecosystems and practice citizen science as described in chapters 7 and 8 Sign the personal letter to the Rouge River watershed [or make one for the planet!] presented at the end of chapter 9, making a pledge to better care for the river for both present and future generations Start or continue your journey to live more sustainably through your personal choices – recycle, practice energy conservation, carpool, install a rain barrel, build a rain garden or pollinator garden, stop using single-use plastics, become a watershed ambassador and steward. Please join the volumes of people already working towards these goals. Check out the Rouge River on your next day off – you won’t regret it. Nature and possibilities will fill your soul. For more information on rain gardens and climate mitigation, head on over to my web site at www. PinkowskiBytes.com for some of the earlier articles published in this newspaper.
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Page 16 • November 10 — December 13, 2022 • SOUTHGATE STAR
Photos by Dave Chapman
Titans turnaround football season comes to a close When future generations look back at the history of Southgate Anderson football, this year’s 5-5 record will likely not raise too many eyebrows. But here, in the moment, it feels like something has fundamentally changed. This is the first time in seven years that the Titans did not finish with a losing record. It marked the first time since 2011 that the team qualified for the Michigan High School Athletic Association state playoffs (the team had a playoff game in the COVID year of 2020 when all teams made the playoffs). And maybe most importantly, the Titan showed they can compete with the top tier of teams in the Downriver League. Anderson handed co-champion Carlson its only loss this season and played two one-score games with Trenton, the other league co-champ. Southgate also beat Wyandotte – a team with which they used to have a great, competitive rivalry with – for the first time in nine years. SEE TITANS, Page 17
HANK MINCKIEWICZ Southgate Star
TITANS
Continued from page 16 Added to those things is the fact that workhorse running back/linebacker Chase Barbosa will return for his senior year next year and that highly efficient quarterback Jackson Sage has two more years to play and you can see why Titan hopes would be high. The 2022 season came to a close on Oct. 29 when the Titans lost at Trenton in a first-round MHSAA Division 3 playoff game. The Titans had lost to the league rival Trojans 28-20 in the second week of the regular season and in the playoff game Trenton broke free from a 13-13 halftime tie to win 34-27. The playoff game, like the first meeting, was a seesaw affair. After a scoreless first quarter, Trenton’s Nate Ariganello scored on an eight-yard run. Anderson answered when Sage rushed in from a yard out. There were fireworks in the final minute of the half as Trenton quarterback Ty Norgren tossed a fourthdown touchdown pass with just over 30 seconds left before halftime.
Sage then lit a firecracker of his own, leading the Titans to a score in just 13 or the remaining 26 seconds. He hit Ryan MacDonnell and Tom Laskowski with big passes and then he found his favorite target, Colin Thomas, with a 13-yard touchdown strike. A big kickoff return to start the second and a big run from scrimmage got Trenton into the red zone early in the second half and Norgren scored on a 20-yard run. The Titan dogged answered back when Sage hit Thomas again with another scoring pass to knot the game at 20. Ariganello put the Trojans up 27-20 with a 28-yard scoring run near the end of the third quarter before Barbosa scored on a short run in the fourth quarter. The touchdown was set up by a 64-yard pass-and-run from Sage to Andrew Gates. The touchdown was Barbosa’s 18 of the season as he rushed for more than 1,000 yards this year. But with time running down in regulation, Norgren, a three-year starter for the Trojans, scored on a fiveyard run to give his team a 34-27 lead. Southgate got one more possession, but the Trenton defense held and the Trojans ran out the last few seconds of the game. The victory pushed Trenton into the district championship game against Carlson. The Marauders
dominated the Trojans in their first meeting of the year. The loss was Southgate’s third straight after building a 5-2 record through the first seven weeks of the season. On Oct. 14, the Titans lost 49-21 to Woodhaven and on Oct. 21 they fell to visiting Allen Park 33-21. The Allen Park game was much closer than the final score indicated. Allen Park scored on its first possession of the night, but led just 7-6 at halftime. The Jags then scored on their first possession of the second half, but Anderson quickly scored and tied the game at 14-all. Barbosa scored the first Southgate touchdown on a five-yard run and he scored the second on a 27-yard scamper. He also carried in the two-point conversion after his second touchdown. But Allen Park scored on its next two possessions and that proved to be the difference in the game. Midway through the fourth quarter, Sage hit Thomas with a 29-yard scoring pass to cut the Allen Park lead to 27-21. But Allen Park sealed the deal by going 90 yards in 12 plays, eating up more than six minutes of game time. The Jags capped the march with a touchdown and the final score of 32-21 was complete.
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STA’s Sparrow Centeno qualifies for CC finals It was not a high-impact kind of a season for the Anderson cross country squad, but the team had something to celebrate after the MHSAA Division 1 regionals at Milan High School – a state-meet qualifier. Junior Sparrow Centeno finished 15th in the 77-runner race and it was good enough to punch her ticket to the state cross country finals at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. The state finals were run Nov. 5, after the Southgate Star’s press deadline.
Centeno ran 19:31 in her qualifying race. Emily Cooper of Ann Arbor Pioneer won the race in 17:49. Centeno’s teammate Lena Hales ran a strong race at regional and just missed qualifying. She ran 20:57 and finished 26th. At the Downriver League championship meet on Oct. 20 at Lake Erie Metropark, Centeno was third behind Samantha Cost of Wyandotte and Payton Scheffler of Woodhaven. She ran 20:28.
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It’s playoff time for high school volleyball teams from around the state and the Anderson Titans opened the Michigan High School Athletic Association postseason by hosting a district tournament. Joining the Titans at the tournament were Dearborn Edsel Ford, Wyandotte Roosevelt, Allen Park, Taylor and Lincoln Park. Edsel beat Wyandotte in the first round and Allen Park beat Taylor. The tournament concluded on Nov. 4, which was after the Southgate Star’s press deadline. The district winner advanced to regionals at Lincoln Park against the winner of the Dearborn High district.
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Page 20 • November 10 — December 13, 2022 • SOUTHGATE STAR
Gilbert Rose of Chelsea Menswear passes away at 87 I find as I sit down to write this column that I am at a loss for words. Not like me, right? But this is hard: My father, Gilbert E. Rose, died early Wednesday morning, the 26th of October, a month after my PETER mother Arlene died. ROSE Our family has long been vocally grateful for the fact that we are all still here. In quite short order, that has changed, but the gratitude remains. I think it’s remarkable that I got to work with and learn from my dad for 50 years. In a very real way, though, that makes it harder. He was here every day of the year. He was the first one here nearly every day, too. So as I walked in, I saw the familiarity of my father at his desk, already on the phone dealing with something first thing in the morning. The familiarity, routine and longevity of that morning greeting was absolutely taken for granted until he had a stroke in December of 2021. He arrived here in 1962 to lend a hand to a men’s and women’s business that was just poking along since its inception in 1943. By the time I joined the family business in 1972, we were a company of five stores, and Wyandotte had a new anchor store in the Willow Tree. Chelsea got a new front in 1971 which remains today. Maybe it’s only in my own mind, but I see it as iconic. Whatever, it was and is unique. As was he. When the phrase “never give up” is spoken, it is understood that it refers to Gilbert Rose. It would be easy to delve into specific accomplishments over the course of his 60 year time in the business, but I don’t want to. What I want to do is paint the true picture of my father, who was, in a word, relentless. He got so many things accomplished here in Wyandotte because he just never quit on the things he championed. He didn’t win ‘em all, but if he believed in a project,
he found the way, nearly every time. He didn’t do it for the credit. He just wanted improvements made in the world in which he did business. People that appreciate his efforts over the decades see him as being civic minded, and of course, it’s true. But the greater truth is so simple it disarms. My father simply felt that everywhere he went was his own front yard. Indeed, people are lamenting now and remembering now his obsessiveness in doing his part in the parking lot behind Chelsea, which was littered every night by people that think their mess is for my father to pick up. He groused about it, you bet. But he never stopped. He didn’t just walk by litter, it irritated him, wrecked his view of his surroundings. I’m not kidding or over-exaggerating at all. He picked it up and disposed of it, every single time he saw it. He was also intensely interested in goings on in and around the downtown that may or may not have an impact on the viability and vitality of Wyandotte and all of Downriver.
He was interested, period. Which made him very interesting to talk to, and a great source of information on any new project, big or small, that was in the works. Like me, he was amazed by the extent of the investment in this city, through local people’s passions and obsessions and money, and with an understanding of what Wyandotte and Downriver are. Wyandotte finally reached a level that tips us into a growth mode, hopefully for a long time to come. And he got to see that happen. And you know what? All it did was raise the bar. Because one of the driving forces of Gilbert Rose was being perpetually dissatisfied. In his business and in his civic engagement, he saw things that were not as good as they could and should be, and went after fixing them, or directing the attention of the proper departments of the City to get things fixed and improved. That wish for betterment rubbed off on me. I am both very much like him and very different, of course.
Over the course of the years together, there were countless things we disagreed on, and still kept going, getting it done. Over that same course of time, we both enjoyed the ability to share successes and figure it out when things went wrong, together. For a long time. Since his stroke, he has not been in the store. I no longer got to see him in the surroundings he created, at his desk with an urgency, every day of the year. Get something done today! Not as a criticism, but as an exhortation to do more, and do it better. It was Gilbert that gave me the book that ultimately opened my eyes to what became an obsession of mine (which I communicate all the time). He helped me and my brothers throughout our lives, and others, too. I am grateful beyond anything these words can convey, and I miss him tremendously already, along with my mom. I am proud to be their son. And while all of this may seem a bit much, consider that more than anything else, I got to hang out with my parents for 68 years. Not all bad. Gilbert Rose left an impression. He made a mark. He made things better. He did the best he could, as he said to me the day before he left. Yes, you did, Dad. You were a very good man.
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Sayonara, Dad
SOUTHGATE STAR • November 10 — December 13, 2022 • Page 21
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