Jones School Pre-Schoolers Enjoy A Picnic At West Park
(📸 Doug Fulton, Ann Arbor News, May 1966)
Picnicking weather has been hard to come by this spring, but these Jones pre-school youngsters found enough sunshine at West Park yesterday afternoon to enjoy a favorite spring and summer pastime. Overseeing the activities (left to right) are Woodrow McGowan, a bus driver; June Jackson, a helping mother; Madeleine Coleman, pre-school teacher; Jeannette Hinton, a teacher aide; and Rea Wolfson, an assistant teacher. Field trips are a regular activity.
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1) Old Goodyear's Sign Coming Down
(📸 Ann Arbor News, May 1950)
This S. Main St. sign, which has marked the entrance to Goodyear's for more than 30 years, was taken down yesterday as the store made plans to streamline and modernize the store front as part of the extensive expansion and remodeling program. The new block letter sign will run in a horizontal line across the front cornice.
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2) Goodyear's
(📸 Susan Wineberg, Susan Wineberg Collection, May 1983)
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Migrant Workers' Children Visit University of Michigan Museum
(📸 Doug Fulton, Ann Arbor News, August 1966)
A group of Mexican-American migrant workers' children gaze in awe as Janis Cash (left) and Meredith Plaxton (far right) guide them through exhibits in the University museum of natural history. The trip is part of a six-week summer school sponsored in Stockbridge by Michigan Migrant Opportunity.
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Mary Hunt died April 25, 2026 at the age of 81. Before she became co-founder and co-owner of the Ann Arbor Observer magazine with her husband (July 1976 to 1986), local historian Wystan Stevens captured these candid moments. Mary was a well-known Ann Arbor voice, and her dedication to our community lives on through her writing.
1) Mary Hunt & Cybilla At Home - September 24, 1975
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2) Don & Mary Hunt Browse Books At The C. V. Wurster Estate Sale - April 11, 1976
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3) Mary Hunt At The Old Town - April 9, 1976
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(📸 Wystan Stevens, Wystan Stevens Collection)
James Calhoon Inspects His Prize-Winning Bird House
(📸 Ann Arbor News, May 1938)
PRIZE-WINNING HOME IS TAKEN FOR THE SEASON: James F. Calhoon, eight-year-old son of Prof. and Mrs. F. N. Calhoon of Liberty Rd. is inspecting the progress of the first occupants of his bird house in a moment of their absence. The house won for him second place in his age group in a state-wide contest. More than 2,500 houses were entered in the contest, and the shelters were placed on exhibition at the Michigan Flower show in Detroit this spring. James competed with boys up to 10 years of age. A pair of bluebirds has taken up residence in the house which has been placed high in a blossoming apple tree at the Calhoon home.
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Jan Barney Newman (August 9, 1938 - April 9, 2026) was a dedicated educator and entrepreneur committed to uplifting and engaging learners of all ages. Jan came to Ann Arbor with her husband, Dr. M. Haskell "Hack" Newman, in 1962 and they returned in 1971 to raise their four sons. After obtaining her Masters in Education, Jan taught at Tappan Middle School where her creative approach to student engagement led to the invention of a card game to help her middle schoolers master Greek mythology. This was the beginning of Aristoplay Games, the educational game company she co-founded whose products made their way into museums and stores across the country. Her passion for making education enjoyable later expanded into the opening of the Learning Express toy store.
Jan was a committed community servant. She was a board member for Girls Group, the Bank of Ann Arbor, and for twelve years served as a Trustee for the Ann Arbor District Library, including two years spent as President.
We are thankful to Jan for her faithful service to the library and the broader community. Her memory will live on through the generations of learners she inspired.
Learn more: /node/669635
1) Jan Barney Newman of Aristoplay
(📸 Alan Warren, Ann Arbor News, September 1997)
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2) Tappan Junior High Students Make A Game Of The Classics
(📸 Larry E. Wright, Ann Arbor News, May 1978)
Tappan Junior High School students Nick Roopas, Robbie DiGovanni and Beth Reed play 'Myths and Legends' with Jan Newman.
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3) Jan Newman Serves Grits Soufflé To Her Family
(📸 Doug Fulton, Ann Arbor News, February 1965)
Young Chris (left) and Nick Newman may be growing up in the North but they are acquiring Southern appetites whetted by their mother's Southern cooking. Dr. and Mrs. M. Haskell Newman are both from Oklahoma and their ancestors originally came from the deep South. Here the boys anxiously wait for the first serving of their mother's Grits Souffle. Many of Mrs. Newman's Southern dishes are from old family recipes ... and Southern family recipes are usually a carefully guarded secret.
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Alfred H. Slote (September 11, 1926 – April 26, 2026) was an Ann Arbor legend. To us, here at AADL, we remember him fondly as the local author who based many of his novels for children in "Arborville". A resident of Burns Park, with a trusty Royal typewriter, he was an advocate for books, reading, and our library system. Al Slote wore many other hats in our community, too numerous to mention here, and leaves behind a legacy of creativity, generosity, and humor.
1) Al Slote & Mathilda
(📸Leisa Thompson, Ann Arbor News, April 2000)
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2) Alfred Slote, Writer Of Children's Books
(📸Cecil Lockard, Ann Arbor News, May 1981)
AUTHOR - Alfred Slote works at home writing children's books. He first wrote a series of sports books about the mythical town of Arborville, which had an uncanny resemblance to Ann Arbor. Now he is writing science fiction for children, the latest of which is 'C.O.L.A.R.'.
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3) Al & Elizabeth Slote Sign Books At Borders Book Shop
(📸Tracey Steele, Ann Arbor News, June 1993)
Al Slote, of Ann Arbor and his daughter Elizabeth Slote, who lives in Cambridge, Mass., recently signed books at Borders Book Shop in Ann Arbor. Among Al Slote's best-know books is "Finding Buck McHenry."
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1) Robert Tilford Of The Ann Arbor Lions Club Displays The Cooled Container Used For Transporting Donor Eyes At The Michigan Eye Collection Center
(📸 Ann Arbor News, March 1958)
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2) Mrs. Wilfred Graf, Of The Numa Club, Donates A Container Used For Transporting Donor Eyes To Dr. John Henderson At The Michigan Eye Collection Center
(📸 Eck Stanger, Ann Arbor News, January 1962)
SUPPORT EYE PROGRAM: President Mrs. Wilfred Graf, on behalf of the Numa Club, presents Dr. John Henderson, medical director of the Michigan Eye Collection Center, an eye receptacle used for transporting a donor eye to Ann Arbor. The Numa Club, which is a local organization of wives of Lions Club members, is primarily interested in contributing to the Eye Bank, located at the University Medical Center. The Collection Center makes it possible for individuals to sign pledge cards donating their eyes to the bank at the time of death. The Lions Club co-operated with the Medical Center in setting up the eye bank for corneal transplants and research.
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3) Robert V. Austin Tunes In On The Eye Bank Network With His Ham Radio
(📸 Duane Scheel, Ann Arbor News, March 1964)
RADIO WORKS FOR SIGHT: Robert V. Austin, 305 Wilton, tunes in on the Eye Bank Network, manned by about 50 ham radio operators in as many cities. The network aids in the rapid transfer of eyes from eye banks that have surpluses to hospitals in need of eyes for operations. The radio network makes it possible to transfer eyes from one city to another within a matter of hours. Time is the most important factor in many eye operations, some having to be made within 24 hours to have a chance for success. Austin, an Eye Bank Network operator for about two months, has already been instrumental in transferring a pair of eyes from the Michigan Eye Collection Center at University Hospital to Omaha.
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1) Sugar Bin Bakery - Street Corner At Night
(📸 Wystan Stevens, Wystan Stevens Collection, April 1978)
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2) Night View Of Bimbo's On East Washington Street
(📸 Wystan Stevens, Wystan Stevens Collection, April 1979)
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Yin or Yang? Color Personality Test at Gill Lumber
(📸 Eck Stanger, Ann Arbor News, April 1939)
Yin or Yang? Ann Arbor women are being color psychoanalyzed in demonstrations concluding tomorrow at the Gill Lumber Co., 524 S. Main St. Yin describes the gentle, delicate type and Yang, the strong forceful personality. Miss Frances Robinson of Detroit, studying decorative design in the University, is seated at the machine, while Mrs. Wayne Cowell, left, and Mrs. Robert Wuerfel watch the expert, Mrs. Norma Reid, extreme right, conduct the demonstration.
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(📸 Ann Arbor News, February 1957)
COOKIE CONNOISSEUR: Happy with the current break in Ann Arbor's wintry weather, this wild squirrel chomps on a cookie which may have been tossed outdoors by a thoughtful resident.
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Happy National Library Week from us here at the Ann Arbor District Library, where we're still offering “Books 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓂𝑜𝓇𝑒!” ✨
Children Outside The New Northeast Branch Of The Ann Arbor Public Library
(📸 Cecil Lockard, Ann Arbor News, October 1981)
Two hesitant book lovers peek in from the outside
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