June 24, 1952: EYE CANDY FOR ANN ARBOR POLITICAL JUNKIES: The man standing in the doorway at left is a real Looker, for sure. No, really! His name was Fred J. Looker, and he was our towns City Clerk as far back as I could remember -- from the dawning of my awareness, and for years thereafter. In this ceremonial photo from the archives of the old Ann Arbor News, Looker is turning over the keys to the Sixth Ward Polling Place, a small building then on Forest Avenue (but now the rerouted end of Washtenaw), where residents of that now-nonexistent ward voted in several elections and primaries each year. Recipient of the keys on this day was Col. R. M. Lawson (at right), the head of Army and Air Force recruiting in Michigan. This was a more visible office for local recruiters, who formerly had been in the basement of the Armory downtown. Here they would be closer to the target population of young men, many of whom attended the University. The recruiters promised to vacate the premises on polling days, by terms of a rent-free agreement with the city. A new city charter, adopted in 1955, eliminated wards six and seven, changing to a system of five wards, shaped like wedges of a pie. This building was converted to a residence long ago, and extensively remodeled in recent years.
Posted on: Mon, 05 May 2014 21:34:44 +0000
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