Robert Loth:
CLASS OF 1969
Lincoln High SchoolClass of 1969
Warren, MI
Lincoln Junior High SchoolClass of 1965
Warren, MI
Lillibridge Elementary SchoolClass of 1962
Detroit, MI
Robert's Story
HELLO TO THE CLASS OF 69!
I want to start by sharing a story I just learned of. In high school, my best friends were Andy Suszko, Roger Hinson, and Dave Lademan. I have been in contact with Andy for about a week now (December 2018). He is probably the most successful student to ever come out of Lincoln High. To be honest, Roger was a friend but he also had anger issues, mostly stemming from the relationship he had with his father. I'm not sure if many of you remember, but he was always looking for a fight with anyone. He even turned on me when we were playing sports and was always mooching money from me and others. I have always thought of him as a bully because I only knew him in high school. All three of my friends went to Michigan State and majored in Chemical Engineering. Andy said that Roger was a much better person in college, possibly because he finally got away from his father. He also met a girl he eventually married and had 3 children with. I don't remember him ever having a girlfriend at Lincoln, so that must have been a positive influence also. He stayed at MSU for his Masters then took a job in Ohio. He switched careers years later and they ended up living in Columbus, Ohio. His wife Rhonda had an excellent job in nutrition working for the government. As Andy told it, Roger was coming back from Lowe's and a freak storm hit with strong straight winds. He was stuck in traffic when an electric pole snapped, sending a piece through the driver-side van window that crushed his ankle. The doctor told him that it would have to be amputated. Roger chose to have the amputation just below the knee so he could wear a prosthetic. As they were leaving his first fitting, Roger collapsed. They found out that a blood clot had traveled to his brain. They took him straight to the ER but it was too late. Roger passed away on December 20, 2013.
TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE CLASS OF 1969 THAT READ THIS PLEASE SEND YOUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS TO RHONDA HINSON AND HER CHILDREN IN THE MEMORY OF ROGER KEITH HINSON. I FEEL VERY SAD THAT I NEVER GOT TO KNOW THE PERSON HE BECAME. I KNOW THAT WE WOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH CLOSER.
My story is one of riches to rags to riches to rags. I grew up two blocks from Jefferson and about two miles west of the Chrysler plant on Conner. Most of the friends I grew up with are dead or in prison. I found an older friend of mine in a recliner with the needle still sticking in his arm. Luckily, we moved out to Warren when I was 13 and ended up renting a home from Steve Papovich, Darlene's father. I used to bring my new friends back to my old house until someone burned it to the ground. I was an excellent violin player but didn't want to look like a nerd when I started Junior High, so I gave it up, which was a big mistake. My first two friends were Andy Suszko and Roger Hinson. I have no idea how we met, but the friendship continued through High School. My first job was at Motor City Skating Rink, mopping floors. I worked my way up to the ticket booth, where I met many of the girls from school and became more popular. Andy and I used to walk to Roger's house and pass by where Kathy Gregory lived on a corner. One day the three of us were coming by her place and she was in the backyard in a yellow bikini. She came over to talk to us and I think that was my introduction to sticky pants at age 13. She was best friends with Darlene for many years, but I think they drifted apart after high school. Darlene was gorgeous, but Kathy was by far the most beautiful girl at Lincoln High. She should have been hands down the homecoming queen, but politics played a role in choosing Libby O'Brien, probably because of her boyfriend Larry. I tutored Libby and helped her get through Chemistry in good old Mike Dyke's class. She was a very pretty girl, but she was an 8 compared to Kathy's 11. I wrote a note to Darlene and Kathy, but I never got a response. I would like to say a few words about a person I think I could have spent my whole life with. I had seen Marilyn Kipina a few times and finally got the nerve to ask to skate at Motor City. We hung out for a few weeks, but my buddies were always bugging me to go with them so I lost out on a chance to be with her. She was a beautiful and kind person, the one I knew would love me forever, but I blew it. I talked to her when I worked at a hospital in Reno about 2004. She married not long after high school to a guy named Kassarjian who was in the carpet business. At the time we talked, her first granddaughter was just born and she was in heaven, They live somewhere near Lapeer and are very happy, which makes me feel good. I hate to hear about people who have children and then get divorced, though it happens every second. The children are the ones that always suffer the most. My wife Michele had three miscarriages many years ago, so we never tried much after that. My name will die with me, but that's part of life. I lived with an attorney for 8 years and she got pregnant but also lost the baby in the first trimester. I guess it was just not meant to be.
Some of my unusual or important memories are:
1. Going out with a girl who had dated John Norman Collins, the guy who killed all those girls from Eastern Michigan and Ypsilanti. She said he was a nice guy. The strange thing is, the only one he was convicted of killing was in 1968 but the girl was seen alive in 1969.
2. Seeing John F. Kennedy speak in Detroit in 1959 at age 7, perched on top of my dad's shoulders. We were only about 40 feet away.
3. Taking 3 busses to see the Beatles in early 1965. My date was Andy Suszko. (He still owes me $3.50 for the ticket) The screaming was so loud you could not tell what song they were singing. A girl jumped from the balcony at the Olympia, landing on a drum set behind them.
4. Paying a quarter to an usher on many occasions to sit on the lower bowl steps at Olympia and see Gordie and the boys play in the early '60s. I later treated many of them at Detroit Osteopathic Hospital.
5. When I first left home, I lived in the same trailer park that was home to Eminem years later on 8 Mile. I also found out that he went to Lincoln, but was kicked or dropped out in the 9th or 10th grade. I didn't like his music, but that's the first time I ever had anything in common with a famous person.
6. I treated Demi Moore's mother when we lived in New ...Expand for more
Mexico. Demi was still with Bruce at the time and word spread very fast every time their Gulfstream landed at our small airport. She said she was born in Roswell but had not been back there for a long time. I knew that she had been estranged from her mother for years, but luckily they had mended their relationship over the past few. An aunt lived in our town and cared for her mother during the treatments. The therapists were all invited to their ranch in Utah, but only one was able to go. Her mother passed away not long after completing treatments and was buried back in Roswell.
7. I treated two more movie stars while working in California, but I signed non-disclosure agreements that I have not broken to this day.
8. Treating the Red Wings. In the mid-seventies, I worked at Detroit Osteopathic Hospital in Highland Park. The team physician for all the Detroit teams worked there, so I always saw sports stars wandering the halls. We had a low energy radiation machine that sped up healing, so many of the teams sent their injured players there. The Wings were always the nicest of all teams. I remember Micky Redmond the most although I also treated Gordie, Ted Lindsay, and Bobby Hull, who flew in from Chicago for treatments. Micky always said, "make sure you cover my balls, Bob". He was always willing to sign autographs, although we were in the sub-basement so not many people were around. On vacation in California Michele and I got through broadcast security to talk to him at the Cow Palace in San Francisco where the Wings were playing the Sharks. It was our anniversary, and Micky said he would announce it so I told all of our family to tape the game. Naturally, everyone watched the game but no one taped it. The same thing happened in Phoenix when we went to visit Michele's brother Chris. We had front row next to the Wing's bench and Chris recognized the lead singer from Metallica seated behind us, who I wouldn't know from Adam. I did get some great photos including one where McCarty got high-sticked and the blood was running down his face. Again, we all talked to Mickey and no one recorded it, so I gave up trying after that.
9. Concerts. My family was from SW Missouri, so my early years were filled with country music, but something inside of me just didn't feel right. I went to the auto show in '60 or '61 and listened to a band called Bob Seger and the Last Heard. It was at that point I knew that my life would be rock&roll from then on. I also liked Motown after seeing The Supremes at the bandstand of the State Fairgrounds around the same time. My first concert at Cobo was The Dave Clark Five and I remember going with a few classmates. I think that Nora F. and Gwen N. were there, but you would have to verify it with them. The next two bands were Herman's Hermits and Freddy and the Dreamers, both at Cobo. One time, Joe Debons was in charge of getting Seger tickets, and we ended up at the top row at Cobo. If you lifted your head up, you hit the roof. From that day on, I vowed that I would never see a concert again unless it was close up and I didn't. I started making some calls to Detroit and met a guy who had a friend at Ticketmaster. They had a scam going where he would run off about 100 of the best seats seconds before they officially went on sale. The guy I talked to would distribute them at outrageous prices. At first, I had to pay top dollar, but as time went on he gave me better and better deals. From then on, the worst seats I ever had were 5th-row center. I had front row for Rod Stewart, Fleetwood Mac, Eric Clapton, Wings, Bruce twice, Stones (my favorite band), and many others. For the Springsteen show at the Joe, we had dead-center front row. As he always did, he jumped into the front row, landing on our seats. I had my hand on his back for support and Sue, the attorney, had hers planted squarely on his ass. It was in my top 5 shows of all time. Number 1 had to be Sting. It was Michele's 40th birthday (July 5th) and we were on our way to Atlantic City, stopping in Philly for the 4th. There was an incredible fireworks display and we saw the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. Leaving the next day, I noticed a display for Sting who was playing on her birthday in Camden, NJ. We went onto Atlantic City and I called for seats, but only lawn seats were left so I got them. We drove back the next night and I went to the box office and was able to turn in our seats for row 26. Just before the show, I saw Michele talking to an attendant. She was always a person to try anything, but I told her that these seats were good enough. When the lights went down, a flashlight shone on us and the attendant motioned for us to come over. He escorted us all the way down to the first row, where we saw the entire show. Sting called out for birthdays about midway through, and she screamed louder than an air raid siren. He walked over and wished her Happy Birthday. I think the whole row shook from her orgasm. I can't imagine anything that could ever top that night.
10. Bird attack. We went to Florida one year with my in-laws, who were real party people. We stayed a day or two in Ft. Lauderdale then headed for the Keys. Stopped in Key Largo for a cold one and outside the bar was a place you could feed the birds. There was a sign that said "Do not feed shrimp to the pelicans" so I naturally had to try. A big one was sitting on the railing right next to me so I tossed a shrimp in his mouth. He kept it in his mouth for a couple seconds, spit it out, and then clamped his mouth on my right arm. It hurt like a bear for a while and I remember keeping ice on it for the rest of the day. Lesson learned.
11. Jobs. I mentioned my first job at Motor City Roller Rink. The best job I ever had was working for the City of Warren Parks and Rec. Started their at 18 and worked at a school in charge of the summer program. Got into the best shape of my life playing BB and other games with the kids. Warren still had money then, so we got to go on field trips. Went to Jefferson Beach and Kensington for the day. Lost one little turd, so we had to scour the whole park for an hour. Found her watching some guys trying yo get a raccoon out of a tree. Should have made her walk home. The best trip was on a Saturday to Tiger Stadium. Got paid overtime to see the Tigers!. We were short-handed, so I was in charge of 33 kids. Knew they would never listen, so I told them that they could wander any place they wanted, but if they were not back in time we would leave their asses there.y
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