OCTOBER, 1942: Enterprising teenage patriot Betty Zahn shows off her scrap metal booty from an early World War II salvage drive. Did she actually collect all that swag by herself, or do you suppose she had help from her dad, the owner of Zahns Auto Service, on First Street: specialists in collision repairs? Actually, Im pretty sure that the giant cylinder in that pile -- as big as Betty herself -- was a busted water heater, not a fugitive car part. Zahns old building stood where the city parking lot is now, between Liberty and William. It was torn down in 1976, if I recall correctly: like the big wing of the U-M Observatory, another casualty of the Bicentennial Year.
Posted on: Tue, 28 Jan 2014 00:36:15 +0000