News from Flint Club

I was born (1943) and lived at 3312 Lewis Street and other homes on the eastside of Flint. I lived in Flint until 1965 when I left for San Francisco to attend Heald College (architecture) I attended Lewis, Lowell, and Central. I also attended GMI and Mott College for 2 years. I originally wanted to get into automotive design however it became apparent after another interview at Pontiac Motor Division that I really was not suited for corporate culture. Soon after the unproductive interview, I interviewed with a Flint architect who encouraged me to continue my education in architecture instead of engineering. He also hired me and I worked at his office at 514 Kearsley Str. in a gorgeous older home built by Walter Chrysler and later occupied by many GM executives.

Downtown Flint was just a 5 minute walk and the office staff frequented many of the restaurants downtown for lunch and socializing .After starting work in the architectural office, I admired many of our clients who tended to be self made "men" who treated me with respect even though I really was not all that skilled in architecture at that time, however my enthusiasm was at a high level.

I always admired the reality of living in Flint in that the city was populated by immigrants from all over the world and from many parts of the southern United States. Our neighborhoods were a beautiful blend of humanity seeking to improve their lives.

Flint has always had a rich architectural heritage and it inspired me to make architecture my career. Thinking back to many of the schools I attended and many of the structures in Flint such as Kearsley Park Pavilion, the original Kewpee's, the many gorgeous theaters that now are sadly gone. The many exquisite homes in the Miller Road and Court Street areas also influenced me as a kid.

I now live in Modesto, CA. and have lived here since 1970. I was a practicing architect and worked for many firms in the San Francisco and Modesto area until I opened my office in985. I sold the business in 2003 and stayed on for 18 months to assist the buyer.

My passion was automotive design, however this changed to architecture later on, although architecture was always important to me. My mother was in real estate and one of our fun things to do was look at homes in Flint and discuss the design.

Flint has always been a part of me even though I have been elsewhere for 43 years. The
education that I received in Flint made college easy for me in California. Flint also made m every practical in viewing my architectural projects as money was always tight when I was young and I have always respected my clients needs to bring projects in on "time & budget".

Flint has always experienced ups and downs in economic events. I would suggest that Flint is reinventing itself again as a different type of city going into the future. A city that will turn from its blue collar roots to a medical-collegiate driven economy. In the short run there will be pain for many who do not grasp this reality, or prepare for it. However, I believe in 10 years or so, Flint will be a much different city that it is now is or has been. Small business start ups should be promoted, a spirit of entrepreneurship to be developed in greater degree, possibly with mentoring at high school level.

I love the fact that Flint was my families home and gave us the opportunity to experience the" dream of success " that a expanding economy could supply.(in earlier times) I also have a healthy respect for blue collar workers who have given their entire careers to one parent employer. My father worked at Buick for 40 plus years. I also admire the institutions that Flint has, such as the cultural center and the schools that I attended. I also have kept in touch with many friends that I grew up with and some newer young ones that I have only met recently. I visit Flint about every two years. I enjoy my trips to Flint and cannot wait for the next one. Other than the northern Calif. coast, I do not really feel that way about other areas.