MAY 23 • 2024 | 25
J
N
T
he 1950s and 60s were
a great time for Jewish
kids to grow up in north-
west Detroit neighborhoods.
Neighbors were friendly and
children played in their friends’
homes and backyards, and
walked or biked to local stores
with few restrictions.
Two well-regard-
ed neighborhood
schools — James
Vernor and
Vandenberg —were
essential to this close
neighborhood feel-
ing, and their alumni have held
four reunions to reconnect over
the years. (During those years,
Vandenberg students transferred
to Vernor for the ninth grade.)
A 1950s-1960s reunion is
planned for Friday, July 26, 2024.
Reunion committee member
Jules Goldman estimates that
70% of the Vernor student
body was Jewish and 50% at
Vandenberg. Vernor still oper-
ates as a K-8 school at Pembroke
and Lesure, part of the Detroit
Public Schools Community
District. Vandenberg, west of
Vernor on Trojan Street, is now a
charter school separate from the
Detroit school system.
During the 1950s and ’60s,
both schools were crowded
with baby boomers — the large
number of children born after
World War II ended. As a result,
many classes were large (30 plus)
and some students attended
school in “portables” — tempo-
rary classrooms adjacent to the
school building to accommodate
the overflow.
Academic achievement was
central to both schools’ strong
reputations, and many Vernor
and Vandenberg graduates have
had very successful careers
in the professions, business,
education and other fields.
While some graduates
moved to other states,
their reunions have
helped Vernor and
Vandenberg alumni
stay in touch. The last
reunion, held in 2019,
attracted 225 people,
Goldman says.
This year’s reunion, which will
be held at 6 p.m., Friday, July 26,
at Santia Hall, 1985 Cass Lake
Road, offers a buffet dinner with
a cash bar. Prices start at $45
per person for paid reservations
until June 25 and will increase
to $50 and $55 closer to the
event. Checks made payable to
Jules Goldman should be mailed
to him at 237 Winslow Circle,
Walled Lake, MI 48390.
The reunion committee
includes Rick Stoler, Jules
Goldman, Jill Goldman, Gary
Rubin, Roberta Grodin, Jay
Mellin, Richard Rubinstein,
Myra Burnstein, Lois Freeman,
Joe Burnstein, Steve Boodin,
Karen Natow Disner, Michele
Ribitwer, Jay Kozlowski and Tom
Nanes. The group wants to reach
as many alumni as possible and
encourages transmission of their
contact information and any
questions to Jules Goldman at
goldman237@comcast.net or by
phone at (248) 770-4193.
Vernor and
Vandenberg Alumni
Plan July Reunion
SHARI S. COHEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Calling all students from the
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