By the end of December, 1911, the State of Michigan was experiencing what is now referred to as the ‘1912 Cold Air Outbreak’. With record low temperatures hitting various states and Niagara Falls freezing over, dozens of Americans died as a result of the severe cold. The New Year brought no relief as the punishing freeze continued. The tiny farming town of Deerfield, Michigan located near the Ohio border did not escape the bitter chill. On January 6, 1912, a blizzard raged across most of southern Michigan including Deerfield—but local horse farmer Shaheed Yakhoob and his wife Margaret had more on their minds than bad weather. Margaret was in the throes of labor with her fifth child. The Yakhoobs, Lebanese immigrants, already had four fine sons, and all previous deliveries had gone without a hitch. This one, however, was different. Yakhoob realized that his wife and unborn child needed medical attention. He rode bareback into the storm in search of a neighboring veterinarian who successfully delivered the baby. The Yakhoobs named their son, Muzyard. Family members called him Muzzy for short—except Margaret. She dubbed her baby Alphonsus because he was baptized at Deerfield’s historic St. Alphonsus Catholic Church. The fifth of ten children—nine boys and one girl—this child would one day have yet another name: Danny Thomas.
Posted on: Wed, 07 Jan 2015 00:25:21 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015