metro ..!!!! ,ft • 444 • I k -4 • , • • r _ The colorful facade' of Mumford High Chool in:northwest Detroit. Class of '61 plans an emotional farewell at the old blue building. Bill Carroll Contributing Writer T he high school and college reunion "season" is at a fevered pitch, and the alumni of Detroit's Mumford High School feel they have the edge in historic significance. The Class of 1961 will hold its 50th anni- versary reunion Saturday, Aug. 27, at Troy's Somerset Inn, less than a month before current Mumford students begin the final year at the school at the corner of Wyoming Avenue and Thatcher Street in northwest Detroit. That building will be torn down next summer, and classes will resume at a new $50.3 million Mumford High now being built on the old football field nearby. The alumni are aware that their celebra- tion will be the last 50-year reunion while the old school is still standing. A "last hur- rah" Sunday brunch, catered by the Matt Prentice Restaurant Group, will be held in the school's cafeteria to give the graduates a last look inside. "We're happy to be part of that historic milestone in Mumford's history," said Bob Dovitz of West Bloomfield, reunion chairman. Named for Samuel C. Mumford, a Detroit Edison Co. treasurer and 22-year Detroit Board of Education member, the school was completed in 1949, after sev- eral post-World War II delays. It opened with a mostly Jewish student body of 428 and 12 faculty members. The class committee is pretty seri- 8 July 28 • 2011 ous about the reunion, and they've put together a sophisticated planning effort, including several layers of committee members and a website — with a closely guarded password — that has received more than 12,000 hits so far. The group has been holding well-attended meetings with strict agendas at Hadassah House in West Bloomfield. Committee members credit Arnold Collens of Waterford with developing the technological aspects of the reunion pro- cess, mainly the website, that have allowed greater participation by the alumni and "rekindled the inclusive spirit of the '61 class',' Collens said. The website includes popular music of the 1960s, profiles of the alumni, e-mails between them, and pictures and notes about the elementary "feeder" schools that sent students to Mumford. "As excitement builds around the reunion, we have been averaging about 70 website visits per day, and there are untold emails and phone calls between class- mates who had lost touch with each other over the years:' Collens said. "People are reconnecting, and that old spirit is being rekindled. "The fabric that wove us together as we attended elementary and intermediate schools, then Mumford, is now at the core of our collective being. Mumford, through competition, good, clean fun and uniquely built friendships, truly prepared us to be productive in life?' Class Enthusiasm "We had a lot of good, clean fun in the old days at Mumford; we were a close-knit, all-inclusive group, and now we're taking this reunion task very seriously to make sure it goes well',' said Carol Ross Plotnik, subcommittee chairperson of venues. There were 900 graduates in the 1961 class, and committee members feel 400-500 will attend. That's been the turnout at each of the 10-year Mumford '61 reunions. A tribute is planned for 108 deceased classmates. The 1961 class has a spate of "famous" graduates who usually don't attend reunions. Grads include movie and TV producer Jerry Bruckheimer; physician, author and philanthropist Larry Brilliant; and author David Rives. "Our class had a unique community of graduates; we had a lot of enthusiasm and togetherness that developed into intimate friendships',' said Doug Hoffman of West Bloomfield, who is subcommittee chairman of memorabilia. "And many zany things happened back then that we all remember." The grads recall a science teacher who sometimes stood on her desk and threw chalk at unruly students. Another teacher punished them by forcing them to take brisk walks with the teacher around the school early in the morning. "Our gym teacher was the varsity football coach, and I don't think he liked basketball too well:' said Hoffman. "He made us play basketball without dribbling; we kept banging into each other like a football game." Committee members talk fondly about the time they spent at their elemen- tary "feeder" schools — Hampton, Pasteur, Bagley, Winship, Vernor, Vandenberg, McDowell, Winterhalter and Higginbotham, plus Post Intermediate. They recall the school newspaper, the Mumford Mercury, and sev- eral championship Mumford Mustang sports teams. They describe the fun-filled "old spirit" days at restaurants and "hangouts" like Darbys, Fredson's, Billy's, Grunt's, Cupid's Bow, Robin Hood, Zukin's and others. "But now we're down to serious business with this reunion to make it a success',' said Plotnik. Other reunion officers are Susie Karabelnick of Huntington Woods, cor- responding secretary, and Peppy Pont Levy of West Bloomfield, recording secretary. Other subcommittee chairpersons are Joel Schavrien of West Bloomfield, entertain- ment; Harry Gornbein of West Bloomfield, publicity; Jan Goldman Brody of Southfield and Richard Cavalier of Oak Park, souvenir book; and Edie Morris Hoffman of West Bloomfield, decorations. A $50 Million Mumford? Many high schools and elementary schools in the Detroit Public Schools system are closing, but the Mumford High School Mustangs are march- ing forward - right into a brand new $50.3 million facility next door to the old building. It will open in the fall of 2012, after students finish their last semester in the old school, and the 62-year-old building is demolished. The new school will have a colorful exterior, almost 240,000 square feet and be able to hold 1,500 students. It's one of 18 new construction sites created by a $500 million Proposal S construction bond issue approved by Detroit voters in 2009. There will be seven new buildings, including two other high schools, and 11 renovations. "We felt the demographics were excellent to build a new Mumford High in that section of the city," said DPS spokesman Steve Wasko. "It'll be a great place for a new school - and the project is on time and on budget." Class of 1961 committee members Carol Plotnik, Edie Hoffman and Henry Gornbein check out their class gradua- tion photo in the school hallway. The 50th Anniversary Reunion o the Mumford High School Class of 1961 will begin at 7 p.m. Saturda Aug. 27, at the Somerset Inn, 2601 W. Big Beaver in Troy. Cost is $85 per person, including strolling sup- per, non-alcoholic beverages, valet parking and souvenir book (cash bar available). Brunch at 10 a.m. Sunday at the school is $20 per person. Information: Carol Ross Plotnik, (248) 763-8048 or visit www.mumford61.com .