Dive into the life of writer Betty Smith, who spent years in Ann Arbor with her first husband. During her time in Ann Arbor, she audited playwriting classes and learned from Kenneth Thorpe Rowe.
women at Michigan
In 1961, the Kennedy Ad-ministration sent the U-M Symphony Band to the Soviet Union in hopes of thawing relations between the two countries through the common language of music. Could young musicians succeed as diplomats?
Music
When the Soviets declared the submarine K-129, with 83 men aboard, “missing,” the CIA's rigorous due diligence led them directly to GMI and their largest drilling ship. Most of those working on the ship’s design and construction were unaware, and would remain unaware, of its true purpose. This included as many as 11 U-M alumni – nine Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering graduates and two electrical engineers.
naval history
Father Charles Coughlin was a Catholic priest and popular radio host who counted politicians, and even President Franklin D. Roosevelt, among his many friends. Closest in his circle of influence was Michigan Governor Frank Murphy. But by the start of World War II, Murphy would cut ties with the priest, who would find himself in the throes of a treason investigation. Archived papers at the Bentley help tell the story of what happened – and why.
historical controversies
Before Jackie Robinson, there was Moses Fleetwood Walker, who would use the racism and discrimination he faced in baseball to fuel a career as an editor, author, and political advocate for Black rights.
notable alumni