TOWER the
Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2015 Volume 88 Issue 12 thetowerpulse.net
A WEEKLY TRADITION SINCE 1928
@thetowerpulse
Gross e Pointe S outh, 11 Gross e Pointe B oule vard, Gross e Pointe Far ms, Michigan 48236
Time for a change:
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ZOE JACKSON ’16 // Page Editor ver since he can remember, clocksmith Phil Wright has been interested in the way things work. “When I was a kid, and I tell everybody this, if I got a toy that was mechanical, I tore it apart. I wanted to see how it worked. I was just a gearhead. I liked that kind of stuff,” Wright said. The third generation carpenter and self-taught horologist, or clockmaker, hails from South Charleston, Ohio, where he is the owner of the aptly named The Tower Clock Company. South Charleston isn’t exactly around the corner from Grosse Pointe, and Wright has been living in South’s S-lot while repairing the clock tower. “There’s a lot of action,” Wright said, of living in an RV in South’s parking lot for weeks at a time. It was crucial to have a specialist like Wright working with South’s clock, engineer Michael Torongo said via e-mail. “The clock tower needed to have worn parts replaced, adjustments to weights and mechanisms and a complete overhaul on the frame,” said Torongo. “We found Phil because I knew that the clock at Greenfield Village was recently renovated, and I found out Phil was the guy that
did it.” Greenfield Village’s clock tower is very similar to South’s 134foot tower in age, style and mechanics, Torongo said. Wright became involved in this rare career early on, he said. “I met a guy who is a steeplejack, the guys that climb around on top of buildings and paint the
When I was a kid, and I tell everybody this, if I got a toy that was mechanical, I tore it apart. I wanted to see how it worked. I was just a gearhead. I liked that kind of stuff. PHIL WRIGHT HOROLOGIST
little things up on top,” Wright said. “I didn’t want to do that, but he did (clock repairs) on the side, and I got interested in that.” This same man gave Wright the opportunity to work on a courthouse clock from the next county over, he said. Wright was able to tinker with it and learn how it operated. From there, he was able to start his own business. Because of his rare expertise, Wright said he travels around in his RV to do different jobs. Living
Historic clock in the tower is restored
in a motor home can come with some surprises. “One morning I turned the coffee maker on, and it’s worked every day before, but today I have no power at all in the RV,” Wright said. Overall, though, traveling around to work can be pretty enjoyable, he said. “I get homesick, but the nice thing about it is that 75 percent of my work is all done at home, and being self-employed is nice too, so I can take a day off whenever I want,” Wright said. From the three unique times he has visited, Wright has stayed at South cumulatively for close to a month. He said he needed to spend time on South’s clock tower because some of the mechanisms were not working properly, and this necessitated his physical presence. Problems with the clock have persisted for years, Principal Moussa Hamka said. “The clock wasn’t keeping the correct time, even when we would reset it, and would lose the time or stop,” Hamka said. Also, the bell that is supposed to chime on the hour was not chiming, Hamka said. Because of these problems, Wright first came out to South in the early spring.
LIKE CLOCKWORK // Horologist Phil Wright, a third-generation carpenter, examines the gears which cause bells to chime every hour in South’s historic clock tower. Wright is a self-taught PHOTOS BY EMMA RUSSELL ’17 clockmaker.
Visit www.thetowerpulse.net for more on the clock tower repairs.
South, Wayne State to perform joint holiday concert
HOLIDAY TUNES // The band and orchestra posing in Vienna, Austria last year. Most of these students will be performing today in the joint holiday performance. two orchestras have played together, Gross said. The last time was in 2006. In the concert, both the South orchestra and Wayne State’s orchestra will play one of Beethoven’s symphonies, Gross said. In addition, each school will perform a holiday piece. South is playing “Christmas Festival” by Leroy Anderson, and the Wayne State Orchestra is performing the music of “The Nutcracker” by Tchaikovsky. “Each orchestra is performing a classic piece, and coincidentally, the South orchestra is playing Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, and the Wayne State orchestra is playing Beethoven’s Symphony No. 8 ,” Gross said. Learning Beethoven did not end up being a ma-
jor problem for the students after a The students are excited to There will be two few rehearsals, Sunny Xia ’16 said. play with the Wayne State orBeethoven symphonies “Beethoven was difficult at first, chestra and see some former but as we rehearsed more and got South students, Xia said. and some Christmas a chance to practice the piece indi“I think it will be interestmusic. It will be an vidually, it wasn’t really a problem, ing to have a joint concert with evening of great music. and we’re actually still learning the Wayne State’s orchestra,” Xia piece,” Xia said. “We’re always imsaid. “Especially since at least JAMES GROSS proving each time we rehearse. It’s two of the members are South ORCHESTRA TEACHER a continuous process.” alumni.” During the concert, both orThe concert starts at 7:30 on chestras will perform their own individual set, Dec. 9 in the auditorium, and it is free. Gross said. The addition of Wayne State’s orchestra “There will be two Beethoven symphonies and does not change the format from a regular concert some Christmas music,” Gross said. “It will be an for the orchestra. evening of great music.”
THIS WEEK AT SOUTH
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South Orchestra and Wayne State University will play together today. <see above>
Tomorrow from 3:30 to 5 p.m. there will be a “Hour of Code” in the Media Center for students.
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GRIFFIN BROOKS ’16 // Staff Writer Tonight the Wayne State University orchestra travels to the South auditorium to perform a joint concert with the high school orchestra. Wayne State’s orchestra plays throughout metro Detroit at different events, so it was their orchestra professor who initiated the idea for the concert, South orchestra teacher James Gross said. “The university orchestra is like an ambassador for the university,” Gross said. “They represent Wayne State University when they go out and play in different communities, so they asked if we would be interested in playing a concert with them down here at South.” This is the second time in the last 10 years the
PHOTO COURTESY OF GPSBO.ORG
The GPS Choir will perform in caroling groups on Friday in the Multipurpose room. <see page 3>