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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Southfield, MI 48034

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Southfield, MI 48034

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Southfield, MI 48034

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