AADL Talks To: Geoff Larcom, Former Sports Editor and Columnist for the Ann Arbor News, and Media Relations Director for Eastern Michigan University

Tue, 11/05/2024 - 3:25pm

Geoff Larcom was born and raised in Ann Arbor. He followed in his parents’ footsteps to pursue a career in journalism, working for his high school yearbook, then the Michigan Daily while a student at the University of Michigan. He then spent 25 years working for The Ann Arbor News, initially as a copy editor, then, after three years in sports at The Detroit News, he served for 12 years as Ann Arbor News sports editor.  He spent his last 10 years with the News as a metro reporter and columnist. After the News closed in 2009, he became  Executive Director of Media Relations at Eastern Michigan University. Geoff talks with us about his career; his memories of The Ann Arbor News during many changes within the industry; and about the life and career of his father, Guy C. Larcom, who holds the distinction of serving as Ann Arbor’s first City Administrator, and his mother, Taffy Larcom, who was a professor of journalism at EMU. 

AADL Talks To: Jan BenDor and Catherine McClary, Women's Rights Activists

Tue, 10/01/2024 - 1:42pm

Women’s rights activists Jan BenDor and Catherine McClary have been working together for over 50 years. Among their many pioneering contributions to regional and national causes are the Women’s Crisis Center, domestic violence reform, and legislation to combat job, housing, and sexual discrimination. Jan, a member of the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame, is the founder of the Rape Crisis Center movement in Michigan and has pioneered programs for law enforcement training in the treatment of domestic violence and sexual assault. Catherine, retiring Washtenaw County Treasurer, was the youngest person elected to the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners and has been recognized nationally for her work fighting home foreclosures and championing the rights of women and people of color. Jan and Catherine talk about their pioneering roles in the rape awareness movement, including their writing and distribution of the influential “Freedom From Rape” publication and their involvement in the passage of Michigan’s landmark 1974 Criminal Sexual Conduct Act, which would become a national model. They also talk about their work to establish the first publicly funded domestic violence shelter in the country and offer their perspective on the continuing challenges women face in the wake of the 2022 Dobbs decision.

AADL Talks To: Andy Sacks, Photographer and Documentarian

Wed, 09/25/2024 - 9:29pm

Andrew Sacks is an award-winning photographer and documentarian in the Ann Arbor area. He came to the University of Michigan in the late 1960s to study art and immediately joined the Michigan Daily newspaper, covering a variety of assignments, from sit-ins and student demonstrations to regional and national political campaigns. During this period, he also played jazz piano with various Ann Arbor musicians. Andy recalls the people and some of the many memorable events that shaped his life and work over the years. Andy’s vast photo negative collection is available at the Bentley Historical Library.

AACHM Oral History: Carl James Johnson

Thu, 07/13/2023 - 1:57pm

Carl James Johnson was born in 1945 in Willow Run, Michigan. His family moved to Ann Arbor when he was seven years old, after his mother suffered a stroke. He attended Jones School and Tappan Junior High and participated in the French Dukes drill team in the early 1960s. Johnson served in Vietnam in the Navy Seabees unit, where his drill experience spared him from direct action. For most of his career he worked as a caterer at the University of Michigan and Domino Farms. He celebrates his Black and Native American heritage by volunteering on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

View historical materials.