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AACHM Oral History: George Goodman

George GoodmanGeorge D. Goodman was born in 1940 and grew up in Ypsilanti. His father George worked at the Ford River Rouge plant and his mother Thelma owned and operated Goodman’s Fashion Center on Harriet Street. After graduating from Roosevelt School and Eastern Michigan University, he served as a U.S. Army officer in Germany for 5 years. Goodman is best known for being the mayor of Ypsilanti from 1972 to 1982. He was also director of the University of Michigan Opportunity Program and the Michigan Municipal League. He and his wife Judith have been married for sixty years, and they have two sons.

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AACHM Oral History: Patricia Horne McGee

Patricia Horne McGeePatricia Horne McGee was born in 1946 in Ypsilanti, where she attended Perry Elementary and Ypsilanti High School. She recalls the mutual support and accomplishments of many childhood friends and neighbors, and reflects on rising tensions between Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. Horne McGee has two master's degrees from the University of Michigan and UCLA. She taught child development and social work for fifteen years at Ferris State College and Mercy College. After leaving academia, she worked for the Wayne County Intermediate School District and she was director of Head Start for Washtenaw County.

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AACHM Oral History: Lois Allen-Richardson

Lois Allen-Richardson

Lois Allen-Richardson was born in 1942 in Ypsilanti, where she remembers attending Harriet Street School and spending time at Parkridge Center. As a young adult, she worked briefly at Goodman’s Fashion Center in the heart of Ypsilanti’s Black business district. Allen-Richardson is an ordained minister and served as a missionary in Haiti and Trinidad. Since 2000 she has been a member of the Ypsilanti City Council, where she has been a strong advocate for the city’s south side. In June 2020, she became Ypsilanti’s first Black woman mayor after the resignation of her predecessor.

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Haab's 1934-era "Thank You" Dinner, October 1988 Photographer: Robert Chase

Haab's 1934-era "Thank You" Dinner, October 1988 image
Year:
1988
Published In:
Ann Arbor News, October 18, 1988
Caption:
OLD FASHIONED PRICES -- Folks line up for modern food at 1934 prices in Ypsilanti at Haab's 8th annual "thank you" to the community. Below, a co-owner Mike Kabat rings up a total of $4.21 for a 5 person lunch. A torrential downpour on Monday night made only a small dent in the crowd that flocked to the restaurant for the anniversary dinner. A total of 1,594 people took advantage of the rolled back prices. Chicken dinners sell for 50 cents, while barbecue sandwiches are sold for 25 cents. 1,210 chicken dinners were sold along with 113 barbecue sandwiches. The average diner spent $1.18 on a meal, because beverages, cocktails and other food items were at regular prices. That's the good news. The bad news is that the Depression era prices were only good Monday.

Haab's 1934-era "Thank You" Dinner, October 1988 Photographer: Robert Chase

Haab's 1934-era "Thank You" Dinner, October 1988 image
Year:
1988
Published In:
Ann Arbor News, October 18, 1988
Caption:
OLD FASHIONED PRICES -- Folks line up for modern food at 1934 prices in Ypsilanti at Haab's 8th annual "thank you" to the community. Below, a co-owner Mike Kabat rings up a total of $4.21 for a 5 person lunch. A torrential downpour on Monday night made only a small dent in the crowd that flocked to the restaurant for the anniversary dinner. A total of 1,594 people took advantage of the rolled back prices. Chicken dinners sell for 50 cents, while barbecue sandwiches are sold for 25 cents. 1,210 chicken dinners were sold along with 113 barbecue sandwiches. The average diner spent $1.18 on a meal, because beverages, cocktails and other food items were at regular prices. That's the good news. The bad news is that the Depression era prices were only good Monday.