The Dearborn Historical Museum’s book compiling the best Dearborn stories from residents and former residents is now on sale (a book signing is Dec. 10), a perfect gift for the holidays.

The book, the first of its kind ever compiled by the museum, is titled Best Dearborn Stories: Voices From Henry Ford’s Hometown. The book will be sold at the museum’s gift shop at the McFadden-Ross House, 915 Brady.

Profits from sales of the book will go to the museum, which has begun a membership drive to help keep its doors open after city funds run out during the current fiscal year ending June 30, 2012.

We have been featuring excerpts from the new book over the past few weeks. This third installment is written by Joseph F. Bugeia.

Thank you, Dearborn Public Schools

By Joseph F. Bugeia

The first 10 years of my life our family lived in southwest Detroit. When I became school age I attended a parochial school. In addition to strong discipline and the teachers forcing me to write right-handed, (I was naturally left-handed) I started to stutter, and it got progressively worse each year.

Desiring to move to a nicer neighborhood in the suburbs, my parents and I moved to Dearborn the summer before I entered the sixth grade. It was my parents’ intention that I continue at a parochial school. They found out, however, that the parish line ran down the alley behind our home, and as a result I had to attend Maples Junior High School.

On my first day at Maples, the teacher asked all new students to stand up and introduce themselves to their classmates. Because of my stuttering, it was a most traumatic experience. The teacher asked me to see her after class, at which time she indicated she was going to put me in a speech therapy class.

The speech therapy teacher determined that I had difficulty with the “th” sound, and she worked with me for several months during which time my stuttering problem improved a great deal.

In the ninth grade I ran for Student Council President. The campaigning for the position involved speaking to several classes. I won the election and even gave a speech on behalf of our class when we graduated from junior high. My stuttering problem was corrected.

During my three years at Fordson High School I had no stuttering problems. After graduation I started going to night classes at Dearborn Junior College (now HFCC). While there two great things happened: one, I determined I could do college level work, and two, I met my future wife, Mary.

After completing my Associates Degree in Commerce, I transferred to the University of Michigan receiving a Bachelor of Business Administration degree two years later.

In 1956 I was hired by Ford Motor Company. During my Ford career I held many positions requiring speaking to a variety of employee groups up to and including senior management. While working I completed an MBA from the University of Michigan-Dearborn. I had a very rewarding 38 year career with Ford in Human Resources. A major highlight of my career was meeting with Mr. Henry Ford II to handle his retirement.

When I look back at our family move to Dearborn, I wonder, “What if the parish limits had included our home,” and “What if my first teacher at Maples had not enrolled me in the speech therapy class?” AGAIN, THANK YOU-DEARBORN PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 

Team Dearborn is getting ready for our second charity pub crawl! Here’s the basic info:

$15 registration fee for a wristband that gets you specials at our participating bars- MUST BE 21 TO PARTICIPATE.

Participating bars so far: Buffalo Wild Wings, Biergarten, Bailey’s, Post Bar, Double Olive.

We’re having an ugly Christmas sweater contest- come help us ugly up the Avenue! We’ll have prizes for the ugliest sweater, so make sure you bring your A-game. Some team members are going all out to secure that honor for themselves. 😀 Judging (by an independent panel of experts!) will take place at 11:30 pm at the Post.

Look for 50/50 drawings, raffle prizes and other surprises throughout the night!

We’re still getting the final details nailed down, and we’ll be announcing the each bar’s specials as we get closer to the event. They had some great deals for us at our first pub crawl, so it will be well worth your registration fee. Watch this space for more info! Details can also be found on our blog, http://www.teamdearborncares.blogspot.com/.

Registration venue will be announced once we finalize the list of venues and our route (likely to be at Buffalo Wild Wings from 7 – 9pm). You can buy your wristband the night of the crawl, or find a Team Dearborn member ahead of time to save your spot.

Specials so far:

Buffalo Wild Wings: $3 pints, $3 select appetizers

Biergarten: $2 shot specials, $3 vodka bombs, possibly some beer specials

Bailey’s: $5 top shelf Long Islands, $5 Patron, specials on their featured beers (not sure what December’s beers are yet)- $3 small domestic, $4 small import/specialty

All proceeds from registration and other activities will be donated to the American Cancer Society through the Relay for Life of Dearborn.

More information (times, price, specials at the different bars, etc) can be found at the group’s facebook event page  http://www.facebook.com/events/159355404163843/.

Santa is coming to the Dearborn Fire Safety House.

19750 Outer Drive, next to Station No. 2

Friday, Dec. 2 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and

Saturday, Dec. 3 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.