Musician, heal thyself: Tony (Muggs) DeNardo's journey from stroke and back

At the turn of this millennium, Tony (Muggs) DeNardo was in his late 20s and strong as an ox. He worked 60-hour weeks scrapping steal, digging ditches in record-breaking time. He played bass in two bands, one of which—the blues-based rock ‘n’ roll outfit The Muggs—was about to record its first album. He had recently run a marathon without training.

Tony was at work one day when he found he was suddenly unable to speak; in a matter of minutes, loss of movement in his right side ensued and he was rushed to the ER.

An immediate cat scan revealed bleeding in the brain and paralysis in the right side of his body. Tony had suffered from a rare hemorrhagic stroke that stats say is fatal 98 percent of the time. Complications, including blood clots in his lungs, followed. Those too are usually fatal.

Throughout the first weeks of what would become two months in the hospital, Tony was fully aware but unable to voice what was happening to him. He was only able to nod his head. His parents were told they would likely lose their son. His dad flew in from California to say goodby. Yet, somewhere amid the myriad tests, machines and the solemn faces of everyone around him, Tony decided he would live.

That Tony survived the stroke was something of a miracle. That he is playing music again—Friday (Jan. 27) at Robusto’s on Mack and regularly at the Tap Room in the Park—is even more remarkable. read more...

Five years of hard work makes for
a welcome anniversary at Memorial

When Matt Wrzeszcz, the youth minister at Grosse Pointe Memorial Church showed up with one of those big orange coolers you see at football games on Sunday I suggested that perhaps he was getting ready to celebrate Senior Pastor Peter M. Henry’s five year anniversary by dousing the cleric with Gatorade.

Wrzeszcz (pronounced Resh) a charming, modest fellow,  denied that was his intent. But I spent the service imagining the reaction of staid Presbyterians if someone swept out and gave the Rev. Henry a victory bath. read more...

Our Lady Star of the Sea teacher
nominated for national history prize

Paul Ignagni, 7th-grade teacher at Our Lady Star of the Sea School, has been nominated for the 2012 National History Teacher of the Year Award, sponsored by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History in New York.

The award recognizes teachers of grades 7 through 12 who demonstrate a commitment to American history with creativity and imagination in the classroom while effectively using documents, artifacts, historic sites, oral histories and other resources to energize students. read more...

Grosse Pointe Woods resident wins
scholarship from McDonald's operators

The Southeastern Michigan McDonald’s Operators Association has awarded a $1,000 scholarship to Shannon Rowe, a Grosse Pointe Woods resident and sophomore at Wayne State University. Rowe is one of 17 McDonald’s employees in southeast Michigan to be awarded a scholarship by local McDonald’s owner/operators in 2011.

Rowe, an employee at a McDonald’s location in Wayne County, was chosen to receive the scholarship because she demonstrated a strong commitment to both her work at McDonald’s and her performance in the classroom. 

Grosse Pointe Park's Dulworth named
to human-resources post at Chrysler

Grosse Pointe Park resident Georgette Borrego Dulworth, left, has been appointed director of Talent Acquisition and Global Diversity for the Chrysler Group. She is responsible for overall recruitment of top talent and the management of corporate hiring practices for salaried and hourly personnel. 

In 2011, Chrysler Group launched its Global Diversity Council. Dulworth, as a member of the Global Diversity Council, together with employee teams, will continue to advance the company's relationships with diverse employees, customers and business partners.

Dulworth joins Chrysler Group after 20 years of cross-functional experiences in human resources, legal, finance, corporate adminstration and business development. She most recently was with Cobasys LLC, where she served as general counsel and as a member read more...

Grosse Pointe City's Schweitzer
receives UM award for fundraising

Peter Schweitzer of the City of Grosse Pointe is the recipient of the 2011 David B. Hermelin Award for Fundraising Volunteer Leadership at the University of Michigan.

Schweitzer is chair-elect of the board of directors of the Alumni Association of the University of Michigan, and has served in leadership roles in the organization for more than seven years. He also serves on the Dean’s Advisory Council and the Honors Alumni Board of the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. He and his wife, Elaine, have endowed scholarships for female scholar-athletes and the LSA Honors Program. read more...

St. Paul teacher wins 'Distinguished' title

JoAnne Ryan, left, has been named 2011 St. Paul Catholic School Distinguished Teacher. Every year faculty and staff vote to award a Catholic schoolteacher with at least 10 years experience who has a clear, integrated philosophy of education and a commitment to her students and peers. Ryan has taught junior high English for 43 years, beginning her career at St. Ambrose School before moving to St. Paul School more than 30 years ago.

Our Lady Star of the Sea High School
still has spirit in Class of '76

The Our Lady Star of the Sea High School Class of 1976 celebrated its 35th reunion Saturday (Oct. 1), with a Mass in church and a dinner party at Somerset Inn. Thirty members of the original class of 70 were able to attend, some coming from as far as Arizona, Colorado, North Carolina and Washington state. The class made a generous donation to the parish elementary school to improve classroom technology.

Quash that rumor: Only one Joe
to serve Grosse Pointe foodies

Good rumors often don’t prove to be true and apparently the Papa Joe’s gourmet restaurant, catering service and grocery arrival in the old Border’s store in the Village is one of them.

My frequently reliable real estate sources were singing “mea culpa” on Monday and advising that the rumor was wrong. That won’t halt Fresh Farms Market from aggressively serving the upscale foodies in the Pointes or considering an expansion. read more...

Rumor has it: Papa Joe's eyeing
Border's space for Village presence

Rumors are swirling around Grosse Pointe real estate offices that Papa Joe’s, a gourmet restaurant, caterer and grocery, has its eye on the empty Borders book store space in the Village.

Village association officials couldn’t confirm that the owners of the west-suburban operation (with stores in Birmingham and Rochester Hills) were considering an east-side presence.

Several diners seated at restaurant table when the rumor surfaced hastily scrambled for their electronic devices and found this web information: read more...