DOCSLIB.ORG

The Story of Willis Ward

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Story of Willis Ward www.wcers.org January 2017 Hidden History: The Story of Willis Ward In Wayne County, The Honorable Judge The Grand Park Centre Building Willis Ward is known as the first African American 28 West Adams Suite 1900 Probate Judge in Wayne County. While his role as Detroit, MI 48226 Judge was very important, his true legacy began far before he earned that title. Judge Ward was an Phone: 313-224-5890 Fax: 313-224-1917 athlete and a champion. He competed in track and E-mail: field and played football at the prestigious Univer- [email protected] sity of Michigan between the years 1932-1934. There, he met his close friend and teammate, and We’re on the Web! our former president, Gerald Ford. He was a very WCERS.org talented athlete and was later inducted into the University Of Michigan Athletic Hall Of Honor in 1981. When Judge Ward attended University of Michigan, segregation was still greatly in effect. Ward would be only the second African American @WCERS Ward from the 1934 to play football for the University, the first being 40 Michiganensian Inside this issue: years earlier. Despite how well he played football, Ward is best known for the game in which he was not allowed to play, against Election Results 2 Georgia Tech in 1934. During this game, the Georgia Tech coach refused to Defined Benefit Plan 3 let his team take the field if Ward played. Ward was not allowed to play in Health (Continued on page 3) Retiree Stipends 4 A Letter from the Executive Director Fun Facts 5 Happy New Year! I hope you all enjoyed your holiday. As we welcome Direct Deposit Form 6 in the new year, let us take some time to reflect on what happened in the previous year. Last year, we saw an increase in the funded ratio of both the New Retirees 7 County Defined Benefit Plan and the Wayne County Airport Authority Plan. Obituaries 8 Both plans also experienced a significant decrease in unfunded liabilities. The county is headed in a positive direction and we are very proud of our achieve- Identity Theft 10 ments here at WCERS. There is more detailed information on the success of (Continued on page 4) Content: Sharron Seaton Editor: Kelly Tapper 1 The Messenger, January 2017 www.wcers.org 2017 Office Closures for Holidays Check Dates January 2nd The following are the dates of your retirement January 16th checks for the 2017 year: May 29th January 01/03/2017 July 4th February 02/01/2017 September 4th March 03/01/2017 October 9th April 03/31/2017 November 23rd May 05/01/2017 November 24th June 06/01/2017 December 22nd July 06/30/2017 December 25-29th August 08/01/2017 January 1st (2018) September 09/01/2017 October 09/29/2017 Health, Dental, Optical, and Life Insurance November 11/01/2017 December 12/01/2017 Health, optical, and life insurance questions should be directed to Cornerstone Municipal Ad- visory Group at: Deferred Compensation Plan Email: [email protected] (AXA, MassMutual, VOYA) Phone: (888) 989-8686 Dental Questions should be directed to TMR at: DON’T WAIT TOO LATE!!! Phone: (313) 963-1135 If you will be 70 1/2 by the end of 2017 and you Messenger Articles have not already begun to draw your required If you have any information you would like to in- minimum distribution, you MUST do so before clude in “The Messenger,” it must be submitted the end of the year as required by the IRS. in writing and received in our office. All writings Unless, you are still working after age 70 1/2. In are limited to 300 characters and are subject to this case, you may still be able to begin drawing review and may be denied or edited for any rea- benefits after this time. son deemed necessary by WCERS editors. THE RESULTS ARE IN As you may be aware, the Retirement System recently held an election for Retiree Commis- sioner, in which there were two candidates. Charles J. Bonza III, a recent retiree, ran against incum- bent Commissioner Elizabeth “Bettye” Misuraca. With a total of 1,351 votes out of 1,786, Bettye Misuraca won the election and has once again retained her seat on the Retirement Commission for another 4 year term. There was also an election for the Active Retirement Commission posi- tion. WCERS is pleased to report that Tina Turner has been re-elected. She was the only candidate to return petitions for the position of Active Commission member, and will return to her position for another 4 year term. Congratulations to both Bettye and Tina on their re-elections! All of the election details can be found on our website, www.wcers.org. 2 The Messenger, January 2017 www.wcers.org Visit Us at WCERS.org (Continued from page 1) COUNTY OF that game but he received a lot of support from his teammates, including Gerald WAYNE Ford, and other U of M students in opposition of the decision. Although 1934 was a bad season for Michigan, they did win that game against Georgia Tech. While Ward was among the best athletes of his time, even beating Jesse Sign Up Today! Owens in a few track and field events, he was never able to reach his full potential. Ward admits that the Georgia Tech game killed his morale and competitive drive. Wayne County Re- He took part in the Olympic trials in 1936, but he feared that his hard work may tirement encour- yet again be for nothing and that he would not be able to compete because of the ages the use of di- color of his skin. Because of that fear, he was unable to train to his fullest ability rect deposit to re- and he failed to make the US Olympic team. ceive your monthly Despite his many adversities, Judge Ward still managed to become one of pension. It’s Fast, the University of Michigan’s most successful athletes in history, winning Big Ten it’s Safe and it’s titles 3 years in a row for track and field, and being a dominant force on the foot- Reliable. If you ball team. But he was not just an incredible athlete; he was a good student as well. wish to sign-up In 1933, Judge Ward was the first African American to ever be elected to Sphinx, please complete Michigan’s junior honor society. Judge Ward later attended Detroit College of the form on pg. 6 Law where he earned his law degree in 1939. He became a lawyer and was even- or at: tually elected Probate Judge in Wayne County MI. www.wcers.org and submit it to our We thank Judge Willis Ward for his outstanding achievements during his office. If you have lifetime and for his dedicated service to Wayne County. questions or would like a form mailed County and Airport Defined Benefit Plan Health to you, please con- tact our office at WCERS is pleased to report that the County Defined Benefit 313-224-5890. Plan has been very successful for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2015. The funded ratio of the County Defined Benefit Plan as of Sep- tember 30, 2015 is 54%; this is an increase from 2014 when the ratio was 45%. The increase of 9% is a positive step towards securing the payment of pensions for the future. The County Defined Benefit Plan’s unfunded liabilities decreased from $818 million in 2014 to $636.5 mil- lion in 2015. This is the second year in a row the funding level in- creased. Did you know that The funded ratio of the Wayne County Airport Authority (WCAA) WCERS is on Plan as of September 30, 2015 is 69%. This is the fourth year of in- Facebook AND creases for the WCAA Plan. In 2014 the WCAA Plan was 62% funded. Twitter? The WCAA Plan’s unfunded liability decreased from $52.4 million in Follow us: 2014 to $44.8 million in 2015. @WCERS The Retirement System continues to look for ways to be a better and more efficient system. For more detailed information on the health of the County Defined Benefit Plan and the Wayne County Airport Au- thority Plan, please see the Annual Financial Report, which can be found on our website at www.wcers.org under the reporting tab. 3 The Messenger, January 2017 www.wcers.org Message from the Executive Director continued (Continued from page 1) the retirement plans on page 3 and the full report can be found on the WCERS website at www.wcers.org. I also want to take some time to give special congratula- tions to Trudi Gizzi on her retirement. Trudi has been working at the County for 28 1/2 years and has been with WCERS for the last 11 of those years. Her retirement became effective as of 01/01/17. I have had the pleasure of working with her for several years and I wish her nothing but the best in retirement. From eve- ryone here at WCERS, you will truly be missed! —Robert J. Grden, Executive Director Retiree Stipends The Wayne County Employees’ Retirement System understands that there continues to be some confusion regarding healthcare stipends. There are two different retiree healthcare stipends issued un- der the County’s Retiree Stipend Program for those retirees and their spouses/dependents that qualify:* For Pre-Medicare individuals, monthly stipend payments vary based on the retirees household in- come and the number of eligible members (spouse/dependents).
Load more

Recommended publications
  • University of Michigan Men's Track & Field Record Book Through 2021 Season
    PAGE HEADER University of Michigan Men's Track & Field Record Book Through 2021 Season 1 PAGEHISTORY HEADER annual results Indoor Indoor Outdoor Outdoor 1989 . 4th (68) . t10th(16) . 6th (57) . 30th (10) . Harvey Year Big Ten NCAA Big Ten NCAA Coach 1990 . 8th (26) . * . 6th (55) . * . Harvey 1901 . - . 1st (38) . - . Fitzpatrick 1991 . 4th (55) . * . 4th (58) . t74th(1) . Harvey 1902 . - . 1st (36) . - . Fitzpatrick 1992 . 10th(16) . * . 8th (35) . t59th(1) . Harvey 1903 . - . 1st (49) . - . Fitzpatrick 1993 . 8th (26) . * . 7th (61) . * . Harvey 1904 . - . 1st (32) . - . Fitzpatrick 1994 . 1st (91) . t17th(12) . 4th (94 .5) . t42nd(6) . Harvey 1905 . - . 2nd(38) . - . Fitzpatrick 1995 . 3rd (93) . t4th (25) . 2nd(112 .5) . t19th(11) . Harvey 1906 . - . 1st (62.8) . - . Fitzpatrick 1996 . t6th(37) . t30th(8) . 7th (71) . 18th (16) . Harvey 1918 . 1st (42) . 1st (37.5) . - . Farrell 1997 . 5th (67 .3) . t13th (15) . 3rd (97) . t13th(17) . Harvey 1919 . 1st (36.5) . 1st (44.5) . - . Farrell 1998 . 6th (62) . 6th (20) . 4th (97) . 23rd (10) . Harvey 1920 . 2nd (27 .5) . 2nd(30) . - . Farrell 1999 . 9th (50 .5) . t47th (2) . 7th (70 .5) . * . Harvey 1921 . 2nd (25 .5) . 2nd(35 .5) . 11th(5) . Farrell 2000 . 6th (62) . t41st (4) . 8th (65) . * . Warhurst 1922 . 5th (7 .33) . 7th (20 .6) . t6th(10) . Farrell 2001 . 7th (58) . * . t8th(43) . * . Warhurst 1923 . 1st (43.5) . 1st (57.5) . 1st (29 1/2) Farrell 2002 . ^ . * . 9th (39) . t28th (2) . Warhurst 1924 . 2nd (19) . 3rd (31 .5) . + . Farrell 2003 . 6th (51 .5) . t13th (16) . 7th (56) . t52nd(4) . Warhurst 1925 . 1st (22.33) . 1st (45.5) . + . Farrell 2004 . 3rd (94 .5) .
    [Show full text]
  • Gerald Ford, Considered Not Playing in the Game, Citing the Unjust Decision Based on the Color of Ward’S Skin
    a “Providential” PR ESIDENT GER ALD R. FORD AT 100 THE STORY OF A N UNEXPECTED NATIONAL LEADER by JIM KRATSAS Summer 2013 A man’s character is his fate. —Heraclitus he 1934 University of Michigan Wolverines football team en­ dured a dismal season, especially Tdiscouraging on the heels of back-to-back national championships. The team won only a single game in the fall of 1934. However, it was a victory permeated by racism: A good student and great athlete was benched because of the color of his skin, and a fellow teammate’s high prin­ ciples and character was challenged long before this student-athlete would become President of the United States. Michigan and Georgia Tech had scheduled a game for the 1934 season. That summer Georgia Tech’s legend­ ary coach, Bobby Dowd, requested that Michigan bench its best player, Willis Ward, for the contest because the Southern team would not share the field with a black man. In trade, Tech offered to bench its premier player. The Michigan athletic director and former coach, Fielding Yost, reached a “gentleman’s agreement” with its foe to make sure the game was played by having Ward sit out the game. This decision did not sit well with the Wolverines. Coach Harry Kipke protested, and Willis Ward’s best friend on the team, center Gerald Ford, considered not playing in the game, citing the unjust decision based on the color of Ward’s skin. It was a trying time for young Ford, who had waited for three years to start for his school and was now willing to give up a dream to fight a wrong inflicted on his teammate.
    [Show full text]
  • 2009-10 University of Michigan Men's Track & Field Record Book
    THE WOLVERINES 2009-10 University of Michigan Men's Track & Field Record Book 1 PAGE HEADER THE RECORD BOOK THE RECORD BOOK Michigan Facility records Michigan team records U-M Indoor Track Building Indoor 60-meter Dash ..........Adam Harris (Michigan) ..............2008 ........6.65 60-meter Dash .............Adam Harris .........................2009 ......... 6.60 60-meter High Hurdles ..Thomas Wilcher (Michigan) .........1986 .......7.78+ 60-meter High Hurdles .....Jeff Porter ...........................2007 ......... 7.64 Jeff Porter (Michigan) ................2007 ........ 7.78 200-meter Dash ...........Adam Harris ........................2009 ........ 20.99 ...........Omar Davidson ......................1987 ........ 46.59 200-meter Dash Mitch Potter (Minnesota) ...........2004.......21.09 400-meter Dash 600-meter Run.............Jeremy Schneider .....................2001 .......1:17.33 400-meter Dash .........Sunder Nix (Indiana) ...............1984 .......46.10 800-meter Run ............Nate Brannen........................2005 .......1:47.51 600-meter Dash .........Joe Detmer (Wisconsin).............2004..... 1:17.55 Mile Run ..................Nate Brannen........................2005 .......3:55.11 800-meter Run..........Nate Brannen (Michigan) ...........2004..... 1:47.74 3,000-meter Run ..........Nick Willis...........................2004 .......7:44.90 Mile Run................Nick Willis (Michigan) ..............2005.....3:58.07 5,000-meter Run ..........Chris Brewster .......................1986 ......13:45.06 3,000-meter Run
    [Show full text]
  • The Benching of Willis Ward and the Rise of Northern Racial Liberalism
    At the University but Not of the University 35 At the University but Not of the University: The Benching of Willis Ward and the Rise of Northern Racial Liberalism Tyran Kai Steward No Northern state university prohibits the enrollment of Ne- groes, although a few practice minor forms of discrimination once they are enrolled. This is often a matter of individual prejudice rather than of official policy.1 The racial prejudice encountered by the University of Michigan’s black lettermen during the first half of the twentieth century was entwined into the na- tion’s fabric: restaurants and hotels refused service to African Americans, land- lords denied housing to black renters, and employers rebuffed black job seekers when it came to postgraduation professional opportunities. “They [black Amer- icans] were IN America but not OF it,” remarked one writer recalling the racial exclusion that marked the era. Similarly, Dan Kean, a former tennis player at Michigan, reached the same conclusion about his and other African Americans’ sense of social isolation in Ann Arbor that had been drawn about the racial restrictions placed on black life in America. “If you want to know what it is was like then I’d have to say black students were AT the University but not OF it.”2 Kean’s observation exposed the racial marginalization that black stu- dents confronted at the University of Michigan. Although African Americans began enrolling at the University of Michigan in the early 1850s, reflecting the early move toward integration in some areas of the North, discriminatory racial practices prevailed.
    [Show full text]
  • Happy Holidays from the Trustees and Staff of the Gerald R
    Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation Newsletter December 2019 Happy Holidays from the Trustees and Staff of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation Gerald R. Ford was sworn in as the 38th President of the United States on August 9, 1974. Having to move into the White House so suddenly and getting settled, the new First Family had very little time to prepare for their 1974 Christmas. The most recent presidents and their families took their Christmas decorations with them, so Mrs. Ford had to get the White House in order for the holiday season from start to finish. She decided on a patchwork theme, and commissioned several artisan workshops from around the nation to create ornaments for the White House Christmas tree. Because the country was in the worst economic times since the 1930s, the patchwork theme was to symbolize simplicity and financial prudence. For their first Christmas gift to the White House staff, President Ford and the First Lady had 5,000 reproductions made by Hallmark of George Henry Durrie’s painting, New England Snow Scene (below). The winter-themed painting featured a craggy mountain and a snow-covered farmhouse and stable in the background with an approaching traveler in a horse-drawn sleigh in the foreground. The actual painting had been acquired during Nixon’s presidency and hung on the second floor of the White House. On December 17,1974 President Ford lit the National Christmas Tree on the Ellipse. The tree, a living 42-foot Colorado blue spruce from Pennsylva- President and Mrs. Ford’s First Christmas nia, was decorated with energy conservation in mind.
    [Show full text]
  • Fbl-Guide-Heroes-2014.Pdf
    THE HEISMAN TROPHY CONQU’RING HEROES The John W. Heisman Trophy has been given to college football’s outstanding player each season since 1935 by the Downtown Athletic Club of New York. The trophy, first known as the D.A.C. trophy was renamed in 1936 for Heisman, the first athletic director for the Down town Athletic Club. Heisman played football at Penn and Brown and coached for 36 years at nine different schools. Three Michigan players -- TOM HARMON (1940), DESMOND HOWARD (1991) and CHARLES WOODSON (1997) -- have won the award. Wolverines have placed in the top 11 of the Heisman voting in 24 of the 79 years the trophy has been presented. Two Wolverines (Harmon in 1939, Bob Chappuis in 1947) have finished second in the voting, while three (Rob Lytle in 1976, Rick Leach in 1978, Jim Harbaugh in 1986) have finished third. Three others (Bob Timberlake in 1964, Anthony Carter in 1982, Chris Perry in 2003) have placed fourth. Carter placed among the top 10 in his soph- omore, junior and senior seasons, while Harmon, Ron Kramer (1955, ‘56) and Leach (1977, ‘78) placed in the top 10 twice in their U-M careers. Following is a list of the annual Heisman Trophy winners, along with Michigan players who placed in the voting: YEAR ...WINNER/SCHOOL/POSITION YEAR ...WINNER/SCHOOL/POSITION YEAR ...WINNER/SCHOOL/POSITION 1935 ......Jay Berwanger, Chicago, HB 1964 ......John Huarte, Notre Dame, QB 1987 ......Tim Brown, Notre Dame, WR 1936 ......Larry Kelly ,Yale, E .................U-M in Voting: Bob Timberlake, QB (4th) 1988 ......Barry Sanders*, Oklahoma State, RB 1937 ......Clint Frank ,Yale, HB 1965 ......Mike Garrett, Southern California, RB 1989 ......Andre Ware*, Houston, QB 1938 ......Davey O’Brien, Texas Christian, QB 1966 ......Steve Spurrier, Florida, QB 1990 ......Ty Detmer*, Brigham Young, QB 1939 ......Nile Kinnick, Iowa, HB 1967 ......Gary Beban, UCLA, QB 1991 ....
    [Show full text]
  • In the Shadow of Jim Crow: the Benching and Betrayal of Willis Ward
    In the Shadow of Jim Crow: The Benching and Betrayal of Willis Ward DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Tyran Kai Steward, M.A. Graduate Program in History The Ohio State University 2013 Dissertation Committee: Hasan K. Jeffries, Advisor Kevin Boyle Judy Tzu-Chun Wu Copyright by Tyran Kai Steward 2013 Abstract This dissertation provides a historical study of Jim Crow in the North via the interplay of race and sport. It analyzes the 1934 benching of Willis Ward, an African-American football player at the University of Michigan and reveals the racialized social order maintained by Michigan’s famed Athletic Director Fielding Yost. This study probes how Ward’s benching affected his career, especially his work directing hiring practices at the Ford Motor Company. It also explores Ward’s conservative politics and his espousal of policies and practices aimed at maintaining the racial status quo. This project also chronicles how racism toward Ward shaped the politics of his teammate and future U.S. President Gerald Ford who supported affirmative action and civil rights legislation but opposed busing as a means to carry out school desegregation. A significant body of scholarship has examined the history of Jim Crow in the South. This dissertation, in contrast, provides an opportunity to examine the North’s separate but unequal practices. This previously unstudied history of Ward and other black athletes at Michigan offer four
    [Show full text]
  • April 2012 Newsletter Final
    Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation Newsletter April 2012 Premiere of Documentary Black And Blue The story of Gerald Ford, Willis Ward and the 1934 Michigan-Georgia Tech Football Game Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum February 13, 2012 1934 University of Michigan players Gerald Ford and Willis Ward. In the fall of 1934, America was in the midst of the Great Depression. It was twenty years away from the landmark Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision that overturned the decades-old “separate but equal” ruling by that same judicial body. It was thirteen years before Jackie Robinson took to the field, breaking the color barrier in America’s pastime. It was also two years before Jesse Owens shattered Hitler’s notion of an Aryan showcase, the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, by winning a record four gold medals in track and field events. Americans still remember Owens’ exploits in sprinting and the long jump with great pride. But maybe Owens would not be so celebrated had he won only one or two gold medals, which could have easily happened if a single football player played in an October game for the University of Michigan Wolverines against Georgia Tech. The 1934 University of Michigan football season was a dismal campaign made especially discouraging since the Wolverines had just won back-to-back national championships. The team was destined to win but a single contest that year. The victory, however, illuminated three important things...first, that racism still permeated much of the country; second, that a great student-athlete could be benched because of the color of his skin; and, third, that a fellow teammate’s high principles and character were evident long before this student-athlete would become President of the United States.
    [Show full text]
  • SR-172, As Adopted by Senate, September 27, 2012
    SR-172, As Adopted by Senate, September 27, 2012 Senators Schuitmaker, Robertson, Hildenbrand, Gregory, Hunter, Hood, Smith, Young, Meekhof, Richardville, Nofs, Emmons, Jansen, Moolenaar, Walker, Pappageorge and Jones offered the following resolution: Senate Resolution No. 172. A resolution proclaiming October 20, 2012, as Willis Ward Day in the state of Michigan. Whereas, Willis Ward attended Northwestern High School in Detroit, where he played football and was one of the best track athletes in the country, being named High School Athlete of the Year as a junior; and Whereas, Willis Ward attended the University of Michigan, where he continued to excel at athletics. He won numerous track and field championships and was the first African-American football player at the University in 40 years, becoming close friends and roommates with fellow player Gerald Ford; and Whereas, Willis Ward played football at the University of Michigan during the pinnacle of Jim Crow laws. He was benched for a game against Georgia Tech on October 20, 1934, as Georgia Tech refused to play against a team that fielded a black athlete. His friend and teammate Gerald Ford agreed to play only after Ward personally asked him to; and Whereas, This was the one and only time in Michigan football history that a player was benched solely because of his race, yet Willis handled the situation with incredible grace and class. Michigan defeated Georgia Tech 9-2 in its only win of the season; and Whereas, He decided to forego the 1936 Olympics in Berlin--even though he was certain
    [Show full text]
  • 2016 Michigan Men's Track & Field
    MICHIGAN ATHELTIC COMMUNICATIONS Chad Shepard | Men’s and Women’s 2016 MICHIGAN MEN’S TRACK & FIELD Cross Country and Track and Field 734-386-0372 | phone [email protected] | MGoBlue.com QUICK HITS NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS -- U-M enters the weekend ranked No. 1 in the BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA (BIRMINGHAM CROSSPLEX) Great Lakes Regional Index (314.81 points) TV: SUNDAY, MARCH 13 (7 PM/ESPN2) -- U-M has athletes competing in two events this STREAM: ESPN3 weekend: the Heptathlon (Steven Bastien, No. LIVE RESULTS: NCAA.COM 7 seed) and the Distance Medley Relay (No. 5 seed) NOTES -- Michigan records have been broken in both those events (Bastien; Heptathlon; 5,801, DMR; The University of Michigan men’s track and field team surges into the NCAA Barnett, Washington III, Munley, Ferlic; 9:27.67) Championships with the opportunity to put forth the program’s best scoring this winter performance in years, and certainly the best under third-year head coach Jerry Clayton. -- The Wolverines are riding momentum from a Big Ten Cross Country title in the fall and a TV and Streaming information for the NCAA Championships is as follows: ESPN3 fourth-place finish at the indoor conference meet, will stream the meet live on March 11 starting at 6:25 p.m. ET and March 12 starting just two points shy of runners-up and the best for at 4:55 p.m. ET. A re-air of the championships will take place on Sunday, March 13 Michigan since the 2009 season starting at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and also Wednesday, March 23 starting at 10 p.m.
    [Show full text]