AACHM Oral History: Patricia Manley

Wed, 08/24/2022 - 8:47am

Patricia Ashford Manley was born in 1945 in Ann Arbor, and she was raised by her mother. She remembers attending Jones Elementary School and trying out for cheerleading at Ann Arbor High School. Manley graduated from Western Michigan University in 1970 and later earned her master’s in counseling from Eastern Michigan University. She worked as a teacher, cheerleading coach, and guidance counselor at Huron High School for thirty-one years, and was principal of Thurston Elementary School for ten years. She and her husband Lamont Manley enjoy traveling and going to concerts together. They have been married for 43 years.

View historical materials.

Legacies Project Oral History: George Ramsey

Wed, 01/15/2020 - 10:04am

George Ramsey was born 1938 and grew up on East Warren Avenue in Detroit. He remembers experiencing the Detroit Race Riot of 1943 as a young child and the Detroit Riot of 1967 as an adult. He attended Northeastern High School with classmates who became famous Motown singers. Ramsey served in the United States Air Force and USPS before becoming a road manager for a Motown recording group in the late 1960s. He worked for Motown music producer Lamont Dozier in California in the 1970s.

George Ramsey was interviewed in partnership with the Museum of African American History of Detroit and Y Arts Detroit in 2010 as part of the Legacies Project.

Legacies Project Oral History: Robert Harrington

Tue, 12/10/2019 - 10:58am

Robert Harrington was born in 1939 in the East Side of Detroit. His father worked for the National Bank of Detroit, and his mother was a professor at Wayne State University. He remembers the everyday routines of the 1950s including milk delivery and food preservation. As a child he enjoyed visiting Belle Isle, Boblo Island, and going to the movies. A civil engineer, Harrington specializes in pavement for racetracks and is a consultant for NASCAR.

Robert Harrington was interviewed by students from Skyline High School in Ann Arbor in 2018 as part of the Legacies Project.

AADL Talks To Wayne Kramer

Thu, 03/08/2012 - 9:58am

While he was in town for the 40th anniversary of the John Sinclair Freedom Rally, Wayne Kramer, lead guitarist and co-founder of the seminal Detroit/Ann Arbor band, MC5, sat down to talk with us. Wayne discusses the early years of the band and the influence of jazz, Sinclair, and Detroit culture on their music. He also talks about his troubles in the years following the band's dissolution; his current work with Jail Guitar Doors and fondly recalls the concerts in West Park.

Read more about Wayne Kramer and the MC5 at aadl.org and freeingjohnsinclair.org.

AADL Talks To: Leni Sinclair

Fri, 12/09/2011 - 10:00am

In this interview, photographer and activist Leni Sinclair recalls the origins of the Detroit Artists Workshop and first Trans-Love commune in Detroit, and their strategic retreat to Ann Arbor following the Detroit Riots. She also talks about the groups' politicization as the White Panther Party and reflects on life at their Hill Street commune, including what led to its breakup in the mid 1970s.