Detroit

On Monday, May 17, 1967, I reached another milestone in my life.  I graduated with a B. S. in Economics degree from the Wharton School of Finance and Commerce of the University of Pennsylvania.  (Donald Trump graduated the following year.)  

Afterwards, I returned to Oswego and my parent's home to await my status from the local draft board.  My student deferment had ended.  My gastroenterologist had forwarded his diagnosis of my ulcerative colitis to the draft board.  I was hoping it would quickly review the diagnosis and free me from worrying about being drafted by the Army and sent to Vietnam.

A week or two later, I got impatient to start the rest of my life which included getting a job, finding an apartment, buying a car and meeting women.  I decided Detroit would be a good place to go as my brother Ted lived there with his wife Joy, a native of the area.

Eventually, I received a 1Y designation from the draft board.  I would be eligible to be called up if the USA were invaded.  Not likely!  

I found a job as an auditor with the CPA firm Ernst & Ernst at their office on West Fort Street in downtown Detroit.  Unfortunately for me, I had zero training in this area of accounting.  However, I learned much as I was assigned to several different audit managers who needed me to work with several different clients.

With the help of my sister-in-law, I had dates with a number of women, but none appealed to me until I met Bonnie Sobol on the night of July 5, 1967.  I remember because that was the day I was supposed to report for duty at Lackland Air Force Base outside of San Antonio, Texas as an Officer Candidate (cancelled because of my colitis).  I liked her enough to begin dating regularly.  

Going out with Bonnie (who years later decided to go by her real name of Bonita) was a little problematic.  She worked as a waitress at Carl's Chop House, a popular and premier restaurant located on Grand River (street) in Detroit.  I picked her up late at night at Carl's when her shift ended.

Eighteen days after I met Bonnie (about 53 years ago), on early Sunday morning, July 23, a race riot broke out in Detroit.  "The precipitating event was a police raid of an unlicensed, after-hours bar then known as a blind pig, on the city's Near West Side. It exploded into one of the deadliest and most destructive riots in American history, lasting five days and surpassing the violence and property destruction of Detroit's 1943 race riot 24 years earlier."

"Governor George W. Romney ordered the Michigan Army National Guard into Detroit to help end the disturbance.  Later, at the request of the Governor, President Lyndon B. Johnson sent in the United States Army's 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions. The result was 43 dead, 1,189 injured, over 7,200 arrests, and more than 2,000 buildings destroyed."

I remember calling Bonnie later that Sunday to see if she was alright since she was working while the rioting was ongoing.  She told me rioters had entered the restaurant and, in the melee, one of her legs was broken.  After my initial shock, Bonnie told me it was a joke.  Very funny!

I recall that week walking in downtown Detroit to my office, passing heavily armed federal troops.  I hope I never again see them patrolling a US city.