BEHIND The WHEEL

By ARCHIE DENARD

"Behind the Wheel" offers a gripping account of a young man's real-life triumphs and tribulations amidst the backdrop of Detroit's transformation. From its heyday as the automotive manufacturing capital to its struggles and metamorphosis in the 1960s and 70s, Detroit's story is one of resilience and resilience against adversity.

As the cit

• Language: English
• Publisher: ARCHIE DENARD
• Release date: Mar 29, 2024
• ISBN: 9798869284969

Book preview

BEHIND

The WHEEL

ARCHIE DENARD

Copyright © 2023 by

Archie Denard

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing from the author.

ISBN: 979-8-8692-8497-6

Printed in the United States of America

Published by Writersclique.com

This book is dedicated to my mother,

Louise Denard and my sister Rochell Copeland.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FOREWORD

CHAPTER 1 BEHIND THE WHEEL

CHAPTER 2 EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

CHAPTER 3 HOW IT ALL BEGAN

CHAPTER 4 WHEN I GROW UP

CHAPTER 6 A LIFE CHANGING EVENT

CHAPTER 7 WEST BLOOMFIELD

CHAPTER 8 RESA

CHAPTER 9 THE CARS

CHAPTER 10 CINDY JEFFERSON

CHAPTER 11 THE THREE C S

CHAPTER 12 WILLIE DENARD (POPS) 1905-1978

CHAPTER 13 LOUISE DENARD (MOM) 1912-1986

CHAPTER 14 THE TAKEOVER

CHAPTER 15 ELECTROCOMM

CHAPTER 16 TRINITY TRANSPORTATION

CHAPTER 17 TRENTON

CHAPTER 18 LAVDAS LIMOUSNES

CHAPTER 19 WAYNE – WESTLAND

CHAPTER 20 THE DASH

CHAPTER 21 THE FAMILY

CHAPTER 22 FRIENDS (STICKETH CLOSER THAN A BROTHER)

CHAPTER 23 FANTASTIC'S INC BOWLING CLUB HISTORY

CHAPTER 24 THE CURRENT CREW

REFERENCES

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

FOREWORD

THIS IS NOT A REGULAR BOOK; IT IS QUITE UNIQUE. IT NOT only tells the story of a man who deeply cares for the safety of children, it tells the story of a man who deeply cares for his family and community. It tells the story of an African-American man who used to walk to school in Detroit and who would later have a leading role in bussing in southeastern Michigan.

I met Archie in 2002 when I took the position of Student Transportation Consultant at the Wayne County Regional Education Agency (RESA). One of my responsibilities was to run the largest state-approved transportation training agency in Michigan. I met this well-dressed man, and the first thing he said, was it is not Mr. Denard, call me Archie. Archie and I have never had a supervisor-employee relationship. You can sense a friendship as soon as you meet him. Since I grew up in a different type of neighborhood from Archie, I found his personal stories very interesting, as you will too. You will sense how Archie gained respect from all who met him. You will see that he is a faith-based family man who had to learn early in his life how to grow up in the City of Detroit as a young father. He also learned how to be a very good father to five daughters.

Archie not only cares about his own family; he cares about the children in Southeastern Michigan. As he instructs school bus drivers how to be excellent drivers, you feel a sense that it is all about safeguarding children and, with his personality, how to get along with all types.

In this book, you will learn about a man who is not afraid to take on challenges, he welcomes them. Archie did not hesitate to apply for a position as the transportation director in a mostly white upscale community in Oakland County. This would mean that he would leave the community he grew up in, the City of Detroit. I believe one of the main factors for his being offered this position was that it doesn't matter if you're black, white, or Asian. It doesn't matter what faith you follow. It doesn't matter if you're male or female. To Archie, you're a friend.

As a chauffeur, Archie was requested by many personalities who visited Detroit, from Cedric the Entertainer to Woodward and Bernstein. The company knew that it wanted to keep this notable business. They knew when important customers came to town, it was time to call Archie.

After reading this book, you will walk away with a sense and an example of a man who deeply loves his family. He is a man who would certainly walk the extra mile for his friends and a man who takes great pride in knowing what he has done over his 50 years in student transportation has safeguarded children.

Kim Hooper 

CHAPTER 1

BEHIND THE WHEEL

IN THE SUMMER OF 1975, I WAS UNEMPLOYED AFTER BEING laid-off from Chrysler Corporation. I had worked at Chrysler for several years, first at Lynch Road Assembly and then at Jefferson Assembly. It was not uncommon during this period to be laid off for periods of time because your employment was based on car sales. When sales were good, you could count on working, but when sales dipped, layoffs were inevitable. I was getting unemployment insurance at this time, but the majority of this money was used to support my three children. I was the father of three daughters at this time. I had recently been divorced from my first wife, Gloria, after a 2-year separation. I was not actively seeking a job because, at the time, I had discovered that my bowling skills could supplement my income. I had become a rather good player during this period. I remarried in 1974 (Rosalind Rogers). She married someone who was unemployed and paying child support for three young daughters. There were times during the week when you could be at one of several bowling centers in Detroit, and there would be jackpot games going. These were games when 8-10 or more bowlers would bowl against each other, putting up five or ten dollars each per game. The winner of the game would win the pot. If you were able to win 2 or 3 of these pot games a day, you could easily make $ 150.00 to $ 200.00 per day.

Naturally, I knew that I could not count on this lifestyle long-term, but it did provide the cushion I needed to casually seek a job that would take the place of the job at Chrysler, which I hated. Factory work was repetitious and dirty and ill-suited for me, and although I would have gone back when called, I had always wanted to do something else.

I was born in 1946 in Birmingham, Alabama. I was the 11th child and 9th son born to Willie and Louise Denard. I have no memories of my youth in Birmingham, as I only lived there for about five years. When I was five years old, my older sister Rochell came to Birmingham to visit. I spent years wondering how and why I was allowed to return to Detroit with her after her visit. I finally asked my sister how it came about. She mentioned to me without hesitation that I begged my mom to let me return to Detroit with her, and my mom and dad relented. Rochell mentioned to me that my mom was very tired, and with six children at home under ten years old, it is easy to relate to that. I do not know if it was intended to be temporary or for a set period of time, but it became a moot point as five years later, the entire family had moved to Detroit. My sister did domestic work at the time. My schooling started with kindergarten in Detroit, but I do not remember the first school. I do remember I attended Bellevue Elementary for 4-6 grades. My sister married Ned Copeland during this time. I remember that he worked at Chevrolet Gear and Axle. He became my segregated father, and she became my segregated mother. I had no doubt who my parents were as we visited Birmingham a couple of times to see the rest of the family. Ned and my sister were complete opposites. He was quiet and laid back and hardly ever raised his voice. She was an extrovert who took charge of everything, but their relationship seemed to work without a hitch. Ned was a Deacon at True Light Baptist Church, where we regularly attended. I never inquired of them why they never had children of their own, but I made the assumption that Rochell could not have children. I made this assumption based on the fact that she loved children so much. This had to be the reason.

About 1955, the coal mine that my dad worked in closed down, and like many other men who lived in the South, he heard the automobile plants were hiring, so he came to Detroit and was hired at Ford Motor Company. He got a job at Ford Sterling in Sterling Heights, Mich. Once this move was made, I basically split my time between both homes. I would be with Mom and Dad, who lived on Mt. Elliott across from Elmwood Cemetery, and Rochell and Ned, who lived on Maxwell near Forest. I loved this period because I now had three brothers to hang around with: Leo, Ezekiel, and George. I also had two sisters, Lula and Bertha, who were both younger than me. This three-bedroom flat was crowded, but I cherished this time because I had little recollection of my brothers and sisters when I was in Detroit and they were in Alabama.

After two or three years on Mt. Elliott, my Dad moved the family to a single home on Lemay St. between Mack and Goethe on the East side of Detroit. When this move was made, I moved to that home to live with Mom and Dad full-time. At this time, there was only George and I and Lula and Bertha at home. Leo and Zeke had joined the Air Force. I was now in middle school and attended Foch Middle School, which was only a couple of blocks from home.

When I think about those years, I break my growing up into three time periods: The Mt. Elliott years, the Lemay years, and the Hurlbut years. The Mt. Elliott years were the early years when I lived in two places. I don't have many memories of those years other than who lived in the house. There was Mom, Dad, Leo, Zeke, George, Lula, Bertha, and me.

When we moved to Lemay, there was only George, Lula, Bertha, and me. All of the other brothers were in the Military by then. The Lemay years were my Middle School years. I spent countless hours in the summer at the Southeastern High School athletic field. I loved all sports. We played baseball, basketball, football, horseshoes, and games we just made up. I began to become more interested in school when I attended Foch Middle School. I was not a great student in Elementary School, but I became a very good student from middle school through high school. Consistently receiving all A's and a few B's without really doing much studying. I also became very interested in music at Foch. I was a member of the Boy's Glee Club, Band, Orchestra, and Jazz ensemble. I was a pretty good percussionist who became familiar with each instrument. My interest in music continued when I attended Southeastern High School. I was a member of the Band (hideous purple and white uniforms), orchestra, boys' glee club, and choir.

By the time I was graduating from Foch and entering Southeastern High School, my father bought a house on Hurlbut Street. The house was located between Charlevoix and Goethe. I have many memories of the time we spent there. By the time I graduated from high school, I was the only son at home, along with Lula and Bertha. All of the other sons were now gone. I had by that time become very close to my mother as, other than my father, I was the only man around the house. She was determined that I would finish high school and graduate the traditional way, as all of the other sons finished school in the Military. My mom had made it quite clear to me that I was NOT going to join the Military. Her statement was, "We have done our part to