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Street'off Wide Track (Woodward) • Pontiac HITCH'S H BANQUET ROOMS AVAILABLE FOR ANY OCCASION From 100 to 400 We Can Assist Your Party Needs With Everything From Hors d'Oeuvres and Cocktails To A Sitdown Black Tie Affair For More information, Please Call 666-4440 Your Host: Bill Mitchell Your HoStess: Juanita 6665 HIGHLAND ROAD (M-59) Across from Oakland-Pontiac Airport, Pontiac, Mich. 64 Friday, June 12, 1987 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS the night that he asked me to marry him, because he also had the same questions about careers and abOut religion and about that type of thing. And I answered the questions right — we're married." (Both laugh.) Small said Kramer's will- ingness to convert was impor- tant, "although I don't know that I can say we wouldn't have gotten married otherwise. But as I felt more and more that I wanted to marry her, it became more and more a paramount thing hanging over the possibility. There were just, basically, two things . . . (religion) was one of them, and career, moving and stuff like that, was the other one?' Small received his answers while the two were watching One Day at a Time on TV. "They asked a couple of ques- tions in the TV show;' said Small, "that were like the same questions I'd been wrestling with for her . . . so just in con- versation I said, 'do you ever think about what we would do if we were married, what we do, career-wise, etc.?' " The career problem, with both in radio, dealt with the fact that ad- vancement in the radio business inevitably meant traveling to new cities. Since there are more limited oppor- tunities iri the sportscasting field, Kramer felt that, if they married, they should move to the city where Russ found work, then she would try to find herself a job in that area. Small continued, "and I said, 'oh, O.K., and what about religion and stuff?' And again, as she said before, she gave the right answers. She said, 'well, I sup- pose if we wanted to get mar- ried I'd like to convert: " The decisions Small and Kramer made about marriage, family and religion were taken in the midst of progressing radio careers which involved a great deal of travel. Small attended the Universi- ty of Massachusetts, intending to study print journalism, but soon went to work for the school radio station as a sportscaster, and by the time he was graduated in 1976, he had decided to pursue a broad- casting career. Armed with a five-year plan, he quickly land- ed a job in New Bedford, Mass- achusetts, doing news and a lit- tle sports for WNBH. A year later, he took a job at WMNB in Adams, as sports director, beating his five-year timetable by four years. Kramer was graduated from college around the same time as Small, earning a bachelor of science degree in elementary education from East Stroudsburg State in Penn- sylvania. She spent some time as a substitute teacher before applying for a sales job at WAHT, a radio station in Lebanon, Pa. Instead she was offered a position writing and announcing commercials, and accepted it. She eventually did some D.J. work there, then mov- ed on to WKBO in Harrisburg in 1978, as a morning D.J. After two years, the station hired a sports director named Russ Small. "The joke part is," said Kramer, "the guy that was my boss, when he hired Russell he says, got the perfect guy for you, and he said, 'let me show you his picture; and I said, no, I don't want to see his picture, I don't want to — no. And then sure enough, it turned out O.K." From there., their professional history gets more complicated. As Small moved up in the business, and moved from city - to city, Kramer followed, always finding part-time or full-time jobs after arriving in their new town. In 1982, they moved to Baltimore, where they were married. A month later, Small took a job as sports director at KSTP in Minneapolis, where he also did color commentary for the North Stars' hockey games. Kramer got a late-night D.J. shift at WLOL, but left after six months because she didn't like the hours. She then landed a news job at KQ,R,S, and stayed for two years. In 1985, the family, which now included five-month. old Jason, moved to Louisville, where Russ joined the state- wide Kentucky Radio Network. Kramer .soon found a new job there, but they did not like Ken- tucky, and consider the move their major career mistake. "No sooner did we get down there;' said Kramer, "we both realized that we weren't very happy there. It wasn't the place that we wanted to stay. It just didn't work out. And so we got to work trying to find another job right away. And it was kin- da like — this was actually the first time since we'd been mar- ried, whoever gets the first job, that's where we're going (they both laugh). And Russell got it here in Detroit?' The two narrowed their job search to, "six or seven cities:' including Detroit, where Karen has family. Small's parents live in Boston. Since two of Detroit's pas- sions are sports and rock music, the two had picked a good town for their respective radio talents. Kramer landed a part- time job at WDTX, which became full-time late last year. "Professionally, I liked (Detroit)," said Small, "because in sports, there's just so much going on. One of the things I disliked most about Kentucky was that there was nothing but college basketball going on. And here there's so much of everything?' Kramer said she feels, "this is a great radio town. I mean, there's tons of stations, there's always activity going on, there's always stuff happening?' She added, "and this is it. We're not moving again:' The couple now lives in a house in Canton. While they enjoy living here, their first impressions of the area were not totally positive ones, as Small relates. "No mat- ter where you are in this coun- try, you've heard of Detroit, and its problems, but the magnitude of them surprised me .. . I think it's the children killing the children that is the biggest surprise to me. Somehow, 40 year-olds killing each other seems to happen everywhere. I don't know anyplace that I've ever been, or heard of, where there's so many 12 year-olds with guns shooting other 12 year-olds?' As far as their religious life, Small says they are, "good Jews who practice poorly?' They have discussed the need to be more observant. "We're more compelled now where the baby is almost two years old;' says Kramer. "It's certainly time to start paying even more attention to the holidays, because I want him to be on it from the very beginning. I don't want it to be like it was for me, where you kind of- floated through?' Adds Small, "We've talked about finding 'The' temple-that we want to join, for months, and haven't yet gone out and look- ed for it. That's probably first?' Their professional futures in Detroit also look good, says Small. "I think for both of us, there are places to move up, right here. I don't think we've gone as far as we can go in Detroit, by any stretch. I think the future is bright and long, in that, there's a lot that we can do tomorrow, or a year from tomorrow, or in ten years, and still be moving in the right direction?' ❑ Dance Offered Dance classes in tap, ballet, acrobatic and "kinderdance" will be offered by the Oak Park Recreation Department of Dance, beginning June 22. There is a charge. For infor- mation, call the recreation department, 545-6400. Swimathon Set The March of Dimes and CMI Health and Tennis Club will sponsor a day-long swimathon to help fight birth defects, 8 a.m. June 14 at the club, 30333 Southfield, Southfield. To register, call the March of Dimes, 423-3200. Grand Prix Ball The Grand Prix Ball will be held June 17 at the Westin Hotel. Proceeds will benefit the Music Hall for the Performing Arts. There is a charge. For reservations, call Music Hall, 963-7622.