President's Letter

September, 2024

We had an important decision to make about what to do with some international visitors. Three young ladies from an international women’s technology program were staying with us for several days and they were interested in seeing a Tigers baseball game. They were from Brazil, Costa Rica and Oregon (which sometimes seems like a foreign country, to me). 

Normally, I would jump at this opportunity because I love baseball, but something was holding me back. Maybe it’s this description baseball as once explained to a foreign visitor.

“You have two sides one out in the field and one in.

Each player that’s on the side that’s in goes out and when he’s out he comes in and the next player goes in until he’s out.

When three players are out the side that’s out comes in and the side that’s been in goes out tries to get those coming in out.

Sometimes you get players still in and not out.

When both sides have been in and out nine times including the not outs

THAT’S THE END OF THE GAME.”

See what I mean? We took them on a tour of Detroit and UM/Ann Arbor, whereupon they bought national championship swag for a sport and university they know virtually nothing about.

Speaking of baseball, a scheduling snafu pushed our baseball program with Hall of Fame writer Tom Gage into October. Could that be a sign from the heavens that the Tigers will be playing well into Fall after a topsy turvy trip through the All-Star break and into the home stretch? Don’t count on it, said a dour number of Men’s Club observers at one of our recent meetings.

Pinch-hitting for Gage was the engaging leader of The Helm, Krista Siddall, who shared program growth and development trends and needs of the Grosse Pointe and Harper Woods senior community. The proportion of seniors is growing rapidly and Helm programs are growing rapidly to keep pace. For example, The Helm offered more than 2,300 unique sessions of programming in 2023; attendance at those sessions was up 13% overall, and 350 active volunteers provided more than 10,000 hours of community service.

More than 50 of you participated in the Diamond Jack Detroit River Cruise last week – a big success and our thanks to Ed and Fran Benz for their organizational skills.

Ed, Fran and others scouted the Michigan Central Station tour and came to the conclusion that, unlike many activities – it was more productive and enjoyable to see it on your own. It is indeed stunning and a powerful statement on Detroit’s rebirth, and I bet there will be opportunities to experience the project. 

Nevertheless undeterred, Ed and Fran have put together a great outing to the Detroit Institute of Arts on September 26, including the luxury of group transport from the War Memorial so we don’t have to worry about driving, traffic, or parking. For more info about arrangements, contact Ed Benz, or check our web site for all our meetings and events at www.mensclubofgrossepointe.com.

President’s Letter

August, 2024

We have a decision to make about what to do today. Three young ladies from an international women’s technology program are staying with us for several days and they are interested in seeing a Tigers baseball game. They are from Brazil, Costa Rica and Oregon (which sometimes seems like a foreign country). 

Normally, I would jump at this because I love baseball, but something is holding me back. Maybe it’s this definition of baseball as explained to a foreign visitor.

“You have two sides one out in the field and one in.

Each player that’s on the side that’s in goes out and when he’s out he comes in and the next player goes in until he’s out.

When three players are out the side that’s out comes in and the side that’s been in goes out tries to get those coming in out.

Sometimes you get players still in and not out.

When both sides have been in and out nine times including the not outs

THAT’S THE END OF THE GAME.”

See what I mean? Maybe we should take the ladies to one of the parks (not a ball park.)

Speaking of baseball, a scheduling snafu pushed our baseball program with Hall of Fame writer Tom Gage into October. Could that be a sign from the heavens that the Tigers will be playing well into Fall after a topsy turvy trip through the All-Star break?. Don’t count on it, said a number of Men’s Club observers.

Pinch-hitting for Gage was the engaging leader of The Helm, Krista Siddall, who shared program growth and development trends and needs of the Grosse Pointe and Harper Woods senior community. The proportion of seniors is growing rapidly and Helm programming are growing rapidly to keep pace. For example, The Helm offered more than 2,300 unique sessions of programming in 2023;  attendance at those sessions was up 13% over all, and 350 active volunteers provided more than 10,000 hours of community service.

More than 50 of you participated in the Diamond Jack Detroit River Cruise last week – a big success and our thanks to Ed and Fran Benz for their organizational skills.

Ed, Fran and others have scouted the Michigan Central Station tour and come to the conclusion that, unlike many activities – it will be more productive and enjoyable on your own, with a few friends - and they have authored a piece to that effect. Contact Ed or check our web site for all our meetings and events at

www.mensclubofgrossepointe.com .

President’s Letter

July, 2024

If the rain comes

They run and hide their heads

They might as well be dead

If the rain comes

If the rain comes

When the sun shines

They slip into the shade (when the sun shines down)

And sip their lemonade (when the sun shines down)

When the sun shines

When the sun shines

Rain

I don't mind

Shine

The weather's fine

This simple lyric from the Beatles’ 1966 classic album ‘Paperback Writer”, which neatly summed up the weather the day of our Club meeting earlier this week, was also a fresh-in- my- mind reminder of our choir’s inspired salute to the Beatles, two weeks ago. The medley of tremendous beats and lyrics rang in our heads for days. It was a tour de force delivered by conductor Gerry Partridge, accompanist Ron Pietratoni and the assembled company. The day had all the diversity that Michigan weather is known for, and the choir’s voices urged us to get out and enjoy life and one another, regardless of the Michigan weather.

At the June 25th luncheon, Dbusiness Editor RJ King’s brilliant summary of Michigan’s growth into a world-wide manufacturing and innovation center also emphasized that “we still got It”,  and Club activities continuously reverb that theme. There are many opportunities to get out and get movin’ with regular meetings and events. 

On the Special Events side (things that take a little more than a couple hours to attend), you gotta be on the Diamond Jack boat ride for one of the closest views of the Gordie Howe International Bridge on July 18. Contact Ed Benz for more information. On August 17, the event is a free club tour of the widely acclaimed Michigan Central Station, possibly together with brunch or lunch at Matt McGrail’s Cork and Gabel close by. If you can’t make that date, grab some friends or Club members to take a self-guided tour from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Fridays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays during July and August —no tickets needed. See the flyer that you either have received or will receive. Thanks go out to Ed Benz, Membership Chair Larry Haggart, John McGrail and a cast of tens, who have all been working together in the mad community scramble for tour tickets.

On the regular meetings side, we’ll have a sneak preview of the new Schaap Center for Performing Arts now beginning to grace our skyline, provided by Jaime Rae Turnbull , the Center’s executive director on July 9. On August 13, Theresa Selvaggio, Director of Development for the Grosse Pointe Theatre, will show us the operations of the Center’s prime tenant, Grosse Pointe Theatre, one of the oldest, most celebrated and most active of its kind.

More is on tap in the months ahead, so please keep up to date by renewing your membership and inviting others to attend with you. The Membership Committee, led by Larry Haggart, is introducing a membership voucher for a free meeting that members can use with their guests, to encourage them to join. The program is based on an idea that John Prost shared with Larry and others, and there will be a roll-out soon. 

Meanwhile stay up to date with your club at www.mensclubofgrossepointe.com .

President’s Letter

June, 2024

It’s summertime, so I’m going to shorten your reading time a bit.

The other key theme that drives our regional economy is mobility - personal mobility. You hear Bill Ford, chairman of Ford Motor Company, talk a lot about personal mobility whenever he has a microphone. He knows that the cornerstone of our nation’s freedoms which so many have sacrificed so much to defend is the ability to go wherever we want, whenever we want, in an appropriate mode of transport. And where would Detroit be without GM’s ‘seeing the USA in your Chevrolet?’

Whether it’s roller skating to school or taking an international flight, or racing in the Grand Prix, Detroit’s economy has always been about personal mobility, as it has maintained its advantages as the innovative center for personal mobility –  where we go and when and how we get there.

That’s what the Michigan Central train station is really about. It’s bringing many of the best minds in automotive R&D together to help resolve the most fundamental challenges to personal mobility that we have seen in decades – from infrastructure to motive power to mass and personal infrastructure systems. And a big part of the solution will likely involve artificial intelligence. 

The stakes for Detroit are HUGE. Every country, every economic region, and many institutions and companies want to be key players and to locate where the massing of human, financial and physical muscle will be. Over time – a lot of time -  the solutions will be worked out. Personally, I believe that we are just at the beginning of the solutions stage, testing the most obvious ones, but probably not the ‘final’ ones. 

Detroit has massive manufacturing credentials, but it could use some injections of human capital across the board to build up its advantages.

For those who believe that the electrical grid is the solution to the power side, the announcement to re-commission Palisades is very welcome news. Nuclear energy is the only current source of totally clean power that we understand. Again, I believe the ultimate solutions will be a mixed bag - something AND rather than Something OR - with the power source that is appropriate to the purpose of the transport. For example, we’re not going to power aircraft carriers, F16s and Abrams tanks with electric batteries. But we could power a home with solar panels. 

Hang in there with us on some of these themes , or keys to our region’s success. And stay in touch with your club at www.mensclubofgrossepointe.com .

President’s Letter

May, 2024

Over the past eight months, the Program Committee has focused on many topics that set our Detroit area and our Great Lakes Region apart from anywhere else. And with good reason. The Great Lakes define us.

Start with the prodigious amount of fresh water within the Great Lakes’ watershed. We are stewards of 20% of the world’s fresh water. You can’t sit out here under a palm tree to get your 365 days a year of vitamins from the sun, but you can have a refreshing glass of water any time you want.

The Great Lakes are our defining asset, giving rise to our way of life, our culture, our economy, our connectedness, and even the ice we play our hockey on.

 As the platform for our movement of people and goods, the lakes have made our regional bi-national economy the world’s envy, the fourth largest in the world: If the eight states and two provinces surrounding the lakes were their own country, only the United States itself, and China and Japan would have larger economies.

Because it has been so successful and accessible, our Great Lakes region has attracted millions of people with amazing skills, innovation, and entrepreneurial drive. Their immigration to the states and provinces has created scores of new industries, businesses, and educational research institutions like Argonne in Chicago, Battelle in Columbus, and the dozens of universities that dot our regional landscape. 

The Program Committee has highlighted the renovation of our train station, which will ironically turn into a driver of automotive and transportation innovation. We have explored the construction of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which will bring our supply chains and people ever closer together. We have examined the management challenges of Great Lakes water flows upon which our region depends. The second Poe Lock, at Sault Ste. Marie, has finally become an official project of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and upon completion in the years ahead, will solidify our region’s role in the maritime highways which are the heart of our industrial/mineral/agricultural supply chain. We could also update ourselves on the clean-up of the Detroit River watershed, which has become one of the great environmental success stories of our time, linked with the Detroit River Walk, one of the most celebrated pathways in the nation.

So as we enter this Memorial month of events that display our gratitude for the sacrifice, work and achievements of our forebearers, let’s remember to give thanks for the assets and advantages we have been given and also pledge our respect and commitment to be good stewards, especially of the Great Lakes themselves.

Stay in touch with your club at www.mensclubofgrossepointe.com .

President’s Letter

April, 2024

It’s Spring- Let’s Roll!

Celebrate Spring and the return of the sun! We’re a quarter through the new year, and many of us are still battling to keep those resolutions that we made in that dark, dreary January. So why not take a few minutes and focus on goals that are brighter, merrier and more FELLOWSHIP-oriented?

In addition to the regular, twice-monthly membership meetings over lunch and several special events, the Club’s Wizard has a wide-ranging palette of sub-groups behind the curtain that will help us make new friends and connections for things we like to do and learn some new tricks along the way – for no additional dues.

For example:

Chorale – Jerry Partridge, chair, 313-300-4499 entertains members with short sets of show tunes, pop music titles and seasonal medleys, in addition to punctuating key parts of the bi-monthly member meetings like the Tonight Show Band. You don’t even have to sing every note on key, just loud. Golf – Jim Regan, chair, 313-980-0572 plays in its own inhouse league on two courses and hosts special get- togethers, has an annual tourney with a similar Birmingham group, and, for the first time, welcomes women players. It’s our most popular outdoor group, starts about this time of year, and plays into the Fall.

The Readers – Dave Morrow, chair, 313-303-1570 selects, reads, meets monthly and discusses timely books that many people are talking about.

Tennis – Leon Trumbauer, chair, 313-303-2166 plays regularly throughout the year, including indoors, to keep members’ games sharp.

Several sub-clubs and smaller groups are looking to reorganize and re-pursue their special interests, including bowling, bridge and euchre and pool/billiards. We also have a number of standing committees of the Men’s Club, and that’s a subject for a whole ‘nother letter. Call me at 313-909-0832 if you’d like to be active in one of the groups in this paragraph. All are welcome to participate.

Jenga or Dominos – It’s All the Same

Ever play one of these games and pull out the wrong piece? You’re toast. It happened recently to our Men’s Club, when a speaker had to cancel at the last minute. In our quick reaction to fill the void, we created a double-booking for another week later in the Spring. Chalk that up to our passion to bring you timely, live and original content. We’re straightening things out, re-linking our pieces. Meanwhile, keep checking your emails and the web site www.mensclubofgrossepointe.com for any reason that you need an update. Unless we say otherwise, there will always be a quality meeting on the second and last Tuesday of every month except, maybe dark and dreary December.

President’s Page

March, 2024

I’m starting with an apology…..for the February 27 meeting that never was and never should have been on any of our calendars.  It escaped everyone’s filters, including yours truly and even the War Memorial, whose representative caught it as we sent in the attendance guarantee a  few days before.

 Re-reviewing the 2^nd Tuesday/4thTuesday meeting cadence in the club’s agreement with the War Memorial, I did see that the Feb 27 date was one of three exceptions in the calendar.   I’ll take primary responsibility.  We had been rushing with the electronic  completion of the agreement, and I simply missed the dropped date. 

But here’s the funny part. This little episode is dripping with irony.  We were so excited to be bringing a program featuring the head of the League of Women Voters on an election Tuesday.  I congratulated myself on the great timing of the event. Never mind that the league always works on election days.  And  never mind that the War Memorial is a key voting site in the Farms.  And furthermore, never mind that this was a first-ever election scheduled to give Michigan  a more timely say about the presidential candidates.  Well…..DUH!

It’s a good reminder, though:   Never  follow the leader of the herd to the precipice of a cliff.  The fall you take may be your own.  And my big thanks to Dan Clark and Jerry Teagan, who took care of the cancellation immediately in my absence.  Hopefully, none of you were inconvenienced.

We have rescheduled Lynne Pierce of the Grosse Pointe League of Women voters for May 14.

Dan Clark and the Program Committee have been filling the dates for the bulk of the Spring speakers season so the snowbirds and polar bears can enjoy a bevy of top presentations.

Get ready for a March 12 meeting that will feature Lucas McGrail on the renovation of the Detroit train station, something that has driven Detroiters’ imagination, conversations and speculation for generations.   Its completion and opening are now right around the corner, and  let’s hope that this key center of innovation will  guide the auto and tech industries along the right roads to personal mobility solutions that are not dependent on fossil fuels.   Right now, it’s safe to say there’s lots of confusion over what roads to take.

Some of the additional luncheons will feature:

March 26 , Joshua Elling, Jefferson East;

April 9, Michael Montri, Detroit Grand Prix;

May 14, Lynne Pierce, Grosse Pointe League of Women Voters;

June 11, Raphael Washington, Wayne County Sheriff;

And more on the way.   Check out the club’s web site at https://mcgp.clubexpress.com/.

President's Letter

February 2024

Hope Springs…..

…..Eternal.  That’s a key part of our religious heritage and traditions. We hope and believe that we will see Judge Jim Callahan in the next life He was such a great leader, effervescent personality and friend to so many that everybody in heaven would like to be at the table or behind the microphone with him. He was the perfect Irish tenor.  Yet, even as he departs, there are already signs of renewal popping out, some from the most surprising sources.

I saw a dandelion in full bloom just before the big freeze. After the freeze, I watched a big fat robin on patrol for worms forced to the surface by the marshy ground. The days are getting noticeably longer, gardening promotions are beginning to appear, conversation is slowly turning to playoff basketball and hockey – and spring training is just a few weeks away.

Of all things, Valentine’s Day is the same day as Ash Wednesday (ponder that dichotomy), and Easter comes early.

And, most surprising, defying all analysis, is the rebirth of the Detroit Lions, right on the heels of the Wolverines national championship. Is this the end of days? Will the Lions make it to the Super Bowl and claim the Vince Lombardi Trophy? Doesn’t matter. Because the international attention this achievement has already brought to our fair city, together with its renewal, have created a buzz never before seen in modern Detroit. Honolulu blue lights, crazy outfits, raucous tailgates, deafening cheers and countless statements and exhibitions of affirmation by local and national opinion leaders are everywhere we turn. Priceless!  Newspaper headlines even call out the psychological and spiritual benefits of ‘fandom’. This Spring will not be merely another struggle between cold and rainy and warm and sunny. This Spring, people will raise their sights high and face the breezy days with sunglasses and smiles and yes, giddiness!

Along with people turning their faces to Spring, the Program Committee, led by First VP Dan Clark is planning a number of topics that will keep members refreshed, renewed and replenished. The session presented by the Detroit Symphony’s CFO, Jill Elder and its Senior Advancement Director, Alex Kapordelis was a great overview of one of the most impactful artistic groups in the world. Next up, on February 13, is a talk by Wayne State University labor and negotiations expert Marick Masters. Professor Masters will discuss the auto strike – its outcomes, significance, impact and consequences for Detroit and the automotive industry. Don’t miss this frank and candid assessment. Other future programs coming soon will feature the Gordie Howe International Bridge, the Cybercrime scene, baseball, and more.

The Bible teaches that for every gain there is a loss and that for every loss there is a gain. The spirit and example of Judge Callahan, consummate volunteer leader will continue to inspire the club and its members.   We’ll be all the better for knowing him and sharing fellowship with one another.

President's Letter

January, 2024

A Happy (and Prosperous), New Year to you all. Over the years, I’ve noticed that people are much happier when they are prosperous than when they are not prosperous. When they are not, they often make resolutions to become so. That leads them often to financial markets, whether they are prepared or not. Though I am not a resolutions guy, I do look for advice, and here, from Merrrill Lynch’s legendary master of technical analysis, Bob Farrell, are ten principles to keep in mind.

1. Markets tend to revert to the mean (average price) over time

2. Excesses in one direction will lead to opposite excesses in the other direction

3. There are no new eras: excesses are never permanent

4. Exponential rising or falling markets usually go farther than you think, but they

    do not correct by going sideways

5. The public buys the most at the top and the least at the bottom

6. Fear and greed are stronger than long term resolve

7. Markets are strongest when they are broad and weakest when they narrow to a

    handful of blue chip names

8. Bear markets have three stages - sharp down, reflexive rebound, and a drawn out

    fundamental downtrend

9. When all the experts and forecasts agree, something else will happen

10. Bull markets are more fun than bear markets

I would only add that these principles also apply to more facets of life than financial markets. Happy New Year, good luck with your investments, and don’t neglect to follow good advice!

President’s Letter

December, 2023

‘Tis the season for gratitude and for giving. And many pundits are saying this is a special year to develop those two virtues. But, after the Detroit Lions recently reverted to their ‘give away’ generosity of prior years – while we were giving thanks for their rebirth – I thought maybe people just weren’t responding to the pundits’ message after all.

But then I looked around me and found plenty of things to be thankful for, right under my nose. The Men’s Club of Grosse Pointe, for example. In the club’s Membership Directory, you will find the names of many people who give so much of their time and talent to make this one of the great social networking clubs on the east side.  Not just officers and directors, but those who head-up functions, activities, and events of all types and sizes, external and internal. It’s clear to me that they do so because they love this club, what it stands for, and the outlets that it provides. 

Where else but in church can ardent Democrats and Republicans, or rabid Michigan and Michigan State fans, come together in a spirit of fellowship and sing their favorite songs, mostly in harmony? And where else can we repeatedly enjoy a great lunch with one of the region’s most compelling views? And where else can those who’ve never won a raffle before, strive for that winner at least twenty times a year?

An essential part of giving is giving direction, and there again we saw lot of recent input in the club’s recent membership survey. If you were able to attend our November 28 members luncheon at the War Memorial, you would’ve seen a response rate of nearly 50%. That’s almost unheard of. It came through online responses as well as through the mail, and it gives us good direction. Hats off to First VP Dan Clark, who gave a terrific presentation of the most important results. As we go forward, we’ll tie our activities and initiatives back to the survey and update you on how we’re responding. We’ve already got a good idea from John Prost on following up new members with certificates to bring one or more of their friends as guests to an upcoming luncheon, and then rinse and repeat when those guests, in turn, become members and bring along their guests. 

So keep on giving and sharing and loving this club. It’ll love ‘ya right back.

P. S.: Join us for the two luncheons in January, on the 9^th and the 23^rd. On the 9^th, we’ll wrestle with some of the issues that electric vehicles have to overcome to gain wide acceptance and whether those issues can be resolved. The program on the 23^rd will be equally compelling.

President’s Letter

November, 2023

We’re laser-focused on the programs and information that will keep you informed and entertained, with some perspective on “what’s goin’ on” all around us.

The club opened our ‘new year’ with an innovative doubleheader meeting on the region’s defining asset – 20% of the world’s freshwater in the Great Lakes, every drop of which flows past Detroit and Grosse Pointe (with one notable exception – Chicago). In the first program, the club’s very own John McGrail, a civil engineer who managed the DWSD capital program until his retirement in 20014, laid out the history of the water management from its inception in the 1830s. The second program, presented by William Wolfson, senior administrator of the relatively new and award-winning Great Lakes Water Authority, brought the story forward to current developments – after dodging a few questions about flooding issues that have landed in the courts. Mayor Hodges described Grosse Pointe Park’s interest in finding solutions to the water management issues that are sure to come in the future.

The big event of the month was an in-depth tour of one of the Ford Motor Company’s early automotive manufacturing factories – the factory museum on the near east side on Piquette Street, which set the pace for the Ford Model T line and the products of other car companies in the early 1900s. Organized by events leader Ed Benz, the tour was well attended, featured an extremely knowledgeable and engaging guide, and a delightful post tour lunch at Zs for those who could stay. If you haven’t been there, it’s a must -do.

These two openers demonstrated the quality and fun we’re trying to bring to you. If it’s an off-campus activity, it’s an ‘event’. If it’s a regular luncheon program at the War Memorial, it’s a ‘meeting’. Share your suggestions for meetings with Dan Clark or a member of his Program Committee. Give your event ideas to Ed Benz. You can find all their contacts in the Membership Directory or the web site.

And speaking of directories, Jim Callahan is off to a really good start on the Membership Directory for 2024. If you can help with an ad, please contact him. If you can help with businesses or organizations that have a natural interest in the demographic represented by the club, please also contact Jim.

Have a Thanksgiving full with gratitude. We have much to be thankful for.