Archive - Dec 2011

Duane Below, a Britton High School graduate pitching for the Detroit Tigers highlighted Tecumseh Herald’s Sports section in 2011 along with several area athletes and teams contending for state titles. Clinton High School picked up its first-ever state championship with coach Al Roberts and his Redskins’ softball team claiming the Division 3 first place trophy in Battle Creek. The Tecumseh Indians’ varsity volleyball team surprised many by advancing all the way to the state final and finishing as this year’s Class B runners-up. A month-by-month listing of Tecumseh Herald sporting highlights follows but does not include all of the success recorded by the Tecumseh Clinton and Britton Deerfield area athletes. Congratulations from the Herald to all those who chose to go that extra mile and proudly represent their hometown in athletic competition!

January

• Tecumseh wrestlers beat Chelsea, Ann Arbor Huron, step up ranking to No. 2, in Div. 2, featured at Tecumseh City Council meeting.

• Clinton’s Nic Greenwood highlights boys basketball win over Morenci with slam dunk. Greenwood later signs with Concordia University.

• Josh Reau leads Britton Deerfield boys basketball team to 45-38 win over Whitmore Lake.

• Jordan Richard leads Indians varsity bowling team in win over Adrian.

• Clinton’s Abi Clark helps lift Redskins varsity girls basketball team to 55-41 win over Blissfield.

• Tecumseh’s Chris Pomy named Siena Heights University Women’s Golf coach.

• Four Tecumseh wrestlers, Collin Lesko (119), Jeff Jenkins (130), Ronnie Bechtol (135) and Tom Carney (171) win county championships.

• Steve DeGood named Clinton varsity baseball coach, replacing Jim Roberts.

• Chelsea Hutchison signs with Grand Rapids Community college to play softball.

• Britton Deerfield’s varsity boys basketball defeats Whitmore Lake 74-69, led by Andrew Prielipp’s 25-point effort.

Joseph C. Gruber, age 75, passed away Friday, December 23, 2011. He was born September 5, 1936 in Tecumseh, the son of Carl and Marie (Bruns) Gruber. On February 2, 1963 he married Maxine Hertler. Sadly, she preceded him in death March 6, 1996.

Joseph was a lifetime resident of the area. He worked for General Motors in Tecumseh and Toledo for many years. He was a member of St. Dominic Catholic Church in Clinton.
Joseph enjoyed fishing, deer hunting, and watching John Wayne westerns.

Joseph is survived by his sons Tom (Shirley) Gruber of Adrian, Mike (Ruby) Gruber of Houghton Lake, Steve (Tammy) Gruber of Tecumseh, and Doug Gruber of Tecumseh; his step sons John (Marcia) Vanderpool of Tecumseh; his step daughter Cindy (Dennis) Steele of Manchester; twelve grandchildren; and eight great grandchildren.

Visitation will be at St. Dominic Catholic Church on Tuesday, December 27, from 10 a.m. until the time of the Funeral Mass at 2 p.m., with Father Paul Ruddy as Celebrant.

Rite of committal will follow at Lenawee Hills Memorial Gardens in Tecumseh. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Great Lakes Nursing. Condolences may be offered to the family by visiting www.handlerfuneralhomes.com.

HERALD STAFF REPORT

Signs of an economic recovery in the Tecumseh area were beginning to pick up during the latter half of 2011 with an announcement by Lenawee Stamping Corporation of an $8.3 million expansion and plans to hire up to 128 workers by 2013. In addition, Ervin Industries, Glycon and GLOV Enterprise announced expansion plans as the year entered the fourth quarter.

The positive news, however, was overshadowed by budget tightening by Tecumseh Public Schools, which continued to suffer a decline in student enrollment and revenues, and city government, which approved a $4.7 million budget, its lowest in years. The city reduced its budget through staff layoffs and consolidating departments at City Hall and the Emergency Services Department. As well, new union contracts and a reduced workforce saved the city $425,000. Also on the horizon is the possible sale of the city’s historic Tecumseh Community Center.

For its part, Tecumseh Public Schools sold Tipton Elementary School, solicited bids for health insurance benefits, privatized its secretarial staff with reductions in benefits, and began making plans to close the indoor swimming pool pending a millage request scheduled for February 2012. School officials also met with their county counterparts to discuss consolidation of services.

Faced with declining revenues, Britton Macon Schools consolidated with Deerfield Schools, bussing students between the two districts and renaming the two districts Britton Deerfield Schools.

The area said goodbye to long-time Tecumseh mainstays Eggleston Jewelers and Tecumseh Country Club, along with relative newcomer Eva Twosies. There were, however, new openings, including: J.R.’s Hometown Grill and Pub; Rock, Paper, Scissors; and the Dog House (with an opening planned in 2012).

January

By DEB WUETHRICH

As of Thursday, Dec. 22, the Salvation Army was falling a little short of its goal of $120,000, the same goal that had been set for the past three years.

“Last year we raised $119,600,” said Captain Gordon Knight, who leads the Salvation Army in Lenawee County. “We’re still lagging a little behind last year at this time.”

Captain Knight said that bell ringers have been set up at 20 sites throughout the county, including Busch’s stores in Tecumseh and Clinton and behind Martin’s Home Center in Tecumseh.

“They will continue to be out there through December 24,” Knight said. He added that those who would like to still help toward this year’s annual goal have not yet run out of time to contribute. “We’re still accepting donations that can be dropped off at our site, or they can send a check or even call to donate by credit card.” To mail a donation, send to: The Salvation Army, 217 W. Church St., Adrian, MI 49221. For phone donations, using a credit card, call 265.2038.

Knight said approximately $25,000 of the donations are spent at Christmas to purchase food, toys and gifts for area families. The remaining amount is used for yearly expenses, and contributions may be made at any time.

The Salvation Army also operates a hot meal program, a food pantry and provides fresh produce to nearly 300 families each week. The organization also helps with utilities, clothing, lodging, transportation and some medications.

The food pantry is located in Adrian, but serves all Lenawee County residents and is open on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 8:30-11:30 a.m.

By DEB WUETHRICH

With the help of the surrounding community, the Tecumseh Service Club was able to adopt 155 families this year through its annual Adopt-A-Family program. There were 52 families with 122 kids that were not adopted, so the Service Club provided clothes and toys for each of them. New toys from Toys for Tots collected in the community were added to the gifts, however, the Service Club also purchased a new outfit and pajamas for each child.

Items from the gift trees at Pamida and The Daily Grind also helped the Club serve families, and each child was given a new book donated for the Tecumseh Library’s Gift of Reading program.

The annual holiday project faced a few glitches, but all in all, things ran pretty smoothly according to member Colleen Sunderland.

Long-time member Pam Niedermier passed away after battling cancer, and her funeral was held at St. Elizabeth’s Catholic Church on Saturday, Dec. 17, the day that families were scheduled to pick up gifts provided by donors on Friday. That affected the Service Club’s activities in a couple of different ways.

“Father Dan and St. Elizabeth’s Catholic Church members have been generous through the years by allowing us to use their facility for our food pantry, plus the education center for our Christmas distribution,” said Sunderland. “But with Pam’s funeral we had to find a new location. We are grateful to the members of the Tecumseh Masonic Lodge and Tecumseh United Methodist Church for letting us move our distribution there at the last minute.”

Sunderland said club members also appreciated the men of St. Elizabeth’s Knights of Columbus moving all the food, toys and clothing from storage rooms to the new location. Several Kiwanis members along with some boys from Boysville were on hand to help when the families came to pick up their food and presents.

To the Editor:

I would just like to take this time and say thank you so much for the section in the Herald - A look back - 50 years ago in the Tecumseh Herald.

It’s so great to look at the old pictures and my family particularly enjoyed the one dated Nov. 23, 1961 on The German Orchards and Cider Mill. The picture included my great grandpa Stanley Doty, my grandma and grandpa Carol and Walter German, my cousin Raymond German, my mother Joyce holding little brother Russ German and my uncle Forest Teller. Except for my mother and brother, all of those wonderful people are deceased.

The cider mill, the apple orchard and my grandpa’s old truck in the background was a happy flash from the past.

Keep those pictures coming. It’s so great to see how our town and surrounding areas used to be back in the day.

Thank you.

Susan German Powell
Adrian