16 July 25 • 2019
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continued on page 18

Readers Share Favorite 
Memories of the Palace
I

n last week’
s issue, there was a story 
about the Palace of Auburn Hills 
being set for demolition this fall. 
Many people weighed in with what 
the building meant to them, includ-
ing friends and family of the late Bill 
Davidson and the late Robert “Bob” 
Sosnick, who were instrumental in the 
development of the Palace.

RIK KOWALL
One of my many memories was work-
ing on Bob and David’
s suite. They 
collaborated to make one larger suite 
instead of two separate 
ones. Bob was like a 
proud parent waiting for 
delivery of a new child. 
Serious as stone but 
excited none the less. 
David (Hermelin) was 
just as excited and always friendly to 
my crew and myself. Saying “no more 
looking thru heads … I’
ll be looking 
over them.
” The suite was impeccable 
and only the best materials were used. 
Bob stated, “spare no expense.
” They 
both wanted a showplace for family, 
friends and community. One of the few 
projects I was given free rein on, and I 
was proud to work for such successful 
and distinguished gentlemen.

DAVID M. TECHNER
My favorite memory of the Palace took 
place at a playoff game. The Pistons 
were up by 7 points with under two 
minutes to go. Mr. 
Davidson, as he often 
did, got up from his 
floor seat and proceeded 
to exit the arena. The 
opposing team (I think 
the Pacers) came back 
to tie the game. Mr. Davidson sat down 
on the aisle in the second row, direct-
ly behind me and my wife, Ilene. A 
Palace employee, seeing Mr. Davidson 
take the seat, approached him and 
asked if he had a ticket for that seat, to 
which he said he did not. She firmly 
stated policy that he could not sit there 
without a ticket. Mr. Davidson politely 
apologized and left the seat and fin-
ished watching a very exciting 5-min-
ute overtime game standing on the 

railing just short of the exit. I asked the 
worker if she had any idea who she just 
asked to leave the seat. As I suspected, 
she had no idea. The horror in her 
face as I told her showed her concern 
she would most likely be fired. The 
next game she came to my seat and 
I told her I was happy to see her. Mr. 
Davidson had sought her out through 
employment records, summoned her 
to the office prior to this game, handed 
her a personal note of appreciation for 
doing her job and doing it well, and 
advised she was receiving a raise and a 
bonus in her next check.

JASON A. MILLER
I have several favorite memories of 
the Palace, but the one that my son, 
Josh, and I will always cherish is when 
we met members of the Cleveland 
Cavaliers in 2015 on Josh’
s 11th birth-
day. Cavs’
 owner Dan 
Gilbert arranged for 
Josh and a few of his 
friends to get locker 
room passes to greet the 
Cavs when they entered 
the locker room follow-
ing the game. Meeting 
J.R. Smith and Kyrie Irving was great, 
but the look on Josh’
s face when 
LeBron James signed a basketball for 
him was priceless.

ETHAN DAVIDSON 
(SON OF BILL DAVIDSON)
I started working in productions at the 
Palace a few months before it opened 
to the public. At 18, I was just a few 
weeks out of high school. 
A terrifying memory was the day I 
had to go up onto the 
spotlight platforms to 
prepare them for open-
ing. Climbing down 
the ladder and walking 
to the edge of the plat-
form, 90 feet above the 
floor, I felt the platform 
began to bend. That’
s how we realized 
we needed to reinforce the end of the 
platform with support cables.
Often times, I worked double shifts, 
16 or more hours a day. On those days, 
it was easier to sleep in the building 

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