From Woodward Avenue where Hudson’s Department Store dominated to Michigan and Trumbull where Ozzie Virgil was breaking the color barrier, Detroit in the 1950s was a blend of autoworkers dealing job instability and musicians creating the “golden age of Detroit jazz.”
The culture and the economic scene of 1950s in the Detroit region will be in sharp focus during a new program series at Macomb Community College, beginning in late February.
The 1950s: Affluence and Anxiety in the Atomic Age begins Feb. 26 and continues through May 7 at the Lorenzo Cultural Center on Macomb’s Center Campus in Clinton Township. The series offers a look back at the 1950s, providing a number of programs focused on what has happening in the Detroit region – from the rise of the automotive tail fin to the growing pattern of surburbanization. The old Detroit Hudson’s stores, the pre-Motown era local music scene – even the Lone Ranger – will be part of the series.
“The 1950s was a time when many of the patterns of life that we now live with in the Detroit region were first beginning to form,” said Christine Guarino, director of cultural affairs at Macomb. “From the rise of the suburbs – which obviously was a crucial part of the development of Macomb County – to the rise of local TV news, the 1950s was when the foundation was laid for much of what we now take for granted.”
The program series begins with local radio broadcaster Tim Kiska, who has written several books or articles on the history of Detroit radio and TV, taking a look at the Newscast for the Masses in a Feb. 26 presentation. Other presentations include:
- Autoworkers in Detroit in the 1950s, March 3
- Building the Mackinac Bridge, March 18
- Remembering Hudson’s: The Grand Dame of Retailing, March 23
- The 1950s Detroit music scene, March 27
- Ozzie Virgil breaking the color barrier on the Detroit Tigers, March 30
- Detroit in the 1950s: Tail Fins, Freeways & Fears Below the Surface, April 2
- Soapy: A Biography of G. Mennen Williams
- The Lone Ranger, April 10
- Crabgrass Frontier: The Past and Future of Metropolitan Detroit, April 13
- The Suburbanization of Detroit, April 15
- Rust & Race: Detroit and the Myths of the 1950s, April 30
The series also includes award-winning authors and historians who examine the rise of Cold War fears, the public health campaign against the scourge of polio, an examination of McCarthyism and offer a profile of former president Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Speaker Series presentations. Tickets are required for the Speaker Series presentations, all of which begin at 7 p.m. on Thursday evenings. A special package price of $60 provides entrance to all four presentations, in addition to Meet & Greet receptions with each presenter at 5:30 p.m. Individual tickets for each presentation are $15, or $5 for seniors, students, and military personnel; and individual tickets to a single presentation including the Meet & Greet reception are $20. Tickets for an April 30 Sock Hop at the cultural center are $10. To purchase tickets, call 586.286.2222 or visit www.MacombCenter.com.
The 1950s series features more than two dozen free presentations, as well as two free exhibits in the cultural center, Atoms for Peace – a display of lithographs on loan from the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History – and Affluence and Anxiety in the Atomic Age – a multimedia exploration of life in the 1950s. All presentations require advance registration by calling 586.445.7348.
The Lorenzo Cultural Center is open 10 a.m.– 4 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday and 1-4 p.m. Sundays. Additional information about the center and The 1950s program series is available at LorenzoCulturalCenter.com
Group visits are welcome during the series and may be arranged by calling 586.445.7348.
About the Lorenzo Cultural Center
The Lorenzo Cultural Center (www.LorenzoCulturalCenter.com) explores the influences and experiences that shape our community's heritage, examining topics from a variety of perspectives and creating interactive opportunities for learning, celebration and entertainment. Located on Macomb Community College's Center Campus, Hall and Garfield Roads in Clinton Township, the cultural center is adjacent to the Macomb Center for Performing Arts.
About Macomb Community College
Macomb Community College (www.macomb.edu) is one of the nation’s leading community colleges, providing learning experiences to more than 48,000 students annually. Macomb nationally ranks in the top two percent in the number of associate degrees awarded and as the largest grantor of associate degrees in Michigan. The college’s comprehensive educational programming includes pre-collegiate experiences, university transfer and career preparation programs, bachelor degree completion and graduate degree programs, workforce training, professional education and certification, and continuing education and enrichment opportunities.
Media Contact:
Tish Wirth
Communications & Community Relations
Macomb Community College
586.445.7560
wirthp@macomb.edu