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1984 in Michigan

Events from the year 1984 in Michigan.

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1984
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Michigan

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Top Michigan news stories

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The Associated Press (AP) selected the state's top news stories as follows:[1][2]

1. The July 16 decision by Consumers Power to shut down the Midland Nuclear Power Plant which was 85% complete, but had experienced massive cost overruns and total costs in excess of $3.6 billion;
2. (tie) The takeover of the Michigan Senate by Republicans in February 1984 following special elections to replace two Democratic Senators (Philip Mastin and David Serotkin) who had been ousted in 1983 recall elections targeting legislators who voted in favor of a 38% income tax increase;[3]
2. (tie) The resurgence of the automobile industry, including increased sales and profits and the announcement by Mazda that it would build a $450 million plant in Flat Rock, Michigan;
4. The United Auto Workers' six-day strike against 17 General Motors plants in September;
5. (tie) The defeat of Proposition C, a ballot initiative dubbed "Voter's Choice" which would have rolled back taxes to 1981 levels, required voter approval for future tax increases, and reduced Detroit's non-resident income tax;
5. (tie) The resurgence of the state's economy, including a decline in unemployment and a state budget surplus of $282 million;
7. The sentencing of Upjohn heir Roger A. Gauntlett, age 43, to "chemical castration" (through five years of treatment with Depo-Provera) for the repeated rape of his teenage stepdaughter.[4] (The Depo-Provera aspect of the sentence was later reversed on appeal.)
8. (tie) The tarnishing of Detroit's image due to violent outbreaks in October, including a shooting death and other violence amid the celebration of the Detroit Tigers' October 14 victory in the 1984 World Series,[5] and hundreds of fires set in Detroit on October 30, "Devil's night";[6]
8. (tie) The federal civil rights trial, following protests over lenient state court sentencing (probation and fines), of Chrysler plant superintendent Ronald Ebens and his stepson, Michael Nitz, in the racially motivated Murder of Vincent Chin, a Chinese American man who was beaten to death in June 1982 with a baseball bat after an altercation at the Fancy Pants Lounge, a Woodward Avenue strip club. Ebens was convicted on June 28 in the federal case and sentenced on September 18 to 25 years in federal prison.[7] (The appellate court later ordered a new trial that resulted in Ebens' acquittal on May 1, 1987.)
10. (tie) The comeback of Chrysler Corporation after repaying federal loan guarantees in 1983 and achieving record earnings of $803 million in the quarter from April to June 1984; and
10. (tie) The House of Judah controversies, including the trial and conviction of three members of the religious camp in South Haven arising out of the July 1983 beating death of 12-year-old John Yarbough, the conviction of another member for raping a 13-year-old girl, the removal of 66 children from the camp, and the death of two other children in a mobile home fire in October 1984.[8][9]

Office holders

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State office holders

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Gov. Blanchard

Mayors of major cities

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Federal office holders

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Sen. Riegle
 
Sen. Levin

Population

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In the 1980 United States census, Michigan was recorded as having a population of 9,259,000 persons, ranking as the eighth most populous state in the country. By 1990, the state's population had grown only marginally by 0.4% to 9,259,000 persons.

Cities

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The following is a list of cities in Michigan with a population of at least 50,000 based on 1980 U.S. Census data. Historic census data from 1970 and 1990 is included to reflect trends in population increases or decreases. Cities that are part of the Detroit metropolitan area are shaded in tan.

1980
Rank 		City County 1970 Pop. 1980 Pop. 1990 Pop. Change 1980-90
1 Detroit Wayne 1,514,063 1,203,368 1,027,974 −14.6%  
2 Grand Rapids Kent 197,649 181,843 189,126 4.0%  
3 Warren Macomb 179,260 161,134 144,864 −10.1%  
4 Flint Genesee 193,317 159,611 140,761 −11.8%  
5 Lansing Ingham 131,403 130,414 127,321 −2.4%  
6 Sterling Heights Macomb 61,365 108,999 117,810 8.1%  
7 Ann Arbor Washtenaw 100,035 107,969 109,592 1.5%  
8 Livonia Wayne 110,109 104,814 100,850 −3.8%  
9 Dearborn Wayne 104,199 90,660 89,286 −1.5% 
10 Westland Wayne 86,749 84,603 84,724 0.1%  
11 Kalamazoo Kalamazoo 85,555 79,722 80,277 0.7%  
12 Taylor Wayne 70,020 77,568 70,811 −8.7%  
13 Saginaw Saginaw 91,849 77,508 69,512 −10.3%  
14 Pontiac Oakland 85,279 76,715 71,166 −7.2%  
15 St. Clair Shores Macomb 88,093 76,210 68,107 −10.6%  
16 Southfield Oakland 69,298 75,608 75,745 0.2%  
17 Royal Oak Oakland 86,238 70,893 65,410 −7.7%  
18 Dearborn Heights Wayne 80,069 67,706 60,838 −10.1%  
19 Troy Oakland 39,419 67,102 72,884 8.6%  
20 Wyoming Kent 56,560 59,616 63,891 7.2%  
21 Farmington Hills Oakland -- 58,056 74,611 28.5%  
22 Roseville Macomb 60,529 54,311 51,412 −5.3%  
23 East Lansing Ingham 47,540 51,392 50,677 −1.4%  

Counties

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The following is a list of counties in Michigan with populations of at least 100,000 based on 1980 U.S. Census data. Historic census data from 1970 and 1990 are included to reflect trends in population increases or decreases. Counties that are part of the Detroit metropolitan area are shaded in tan.

1980
Rank 		County Largest city 1970 Pop. 1980 Pop. 1990 Pop. Change 1980-90
1 Wayne Detroit 2,666,751 2,337,891 2,111,687 −9.7%  
2 Oakland Pontiac 907,871 1,011,793 1,083,592 7.1%  
3 Macomb Warren 625,309 694,600 717,400 3.3%  
4 Genesee Flint 444,341 450,449 430,459 −4.4%  
5 Kent Grand Rapids 411,044 444,506 500,631 12.6%  
6 Ingham Lansing 261,039 275,520 281,912 2.3%  
7 Washtenaw Ann Arbor 234,103 264,748 282,937 6.9%  
8 Saginaw Saginaw 219,743 228,059 211,946 −7.1%  
9 Kalamazoo Kalamazoo 201,550 212,378 223,411 5.2%  
10 Berrien Benton Harbor 163,875 171,276 161,378 −5.8%  
11 Muskegon Muskegon 157,426 157,589 158,983 0.9%  
12 Ottawa Holland 128,181 157,174 187,768 19.5%  
13 Jackson Jackson 143,274 151,495 149,756 −1.1%  
14 Calhoun Battle Creek 141,963 141,557 135,982 −3.9%  
15 St. Clair Port Huron 120,175 138,802 145,607 4.9%  
16 Monroe Monroe 118,479 134,659 133,600 −0.8%  
17 Bay Bay City 117,339 119,881 111,723 −6.8%  
18 Livingston Howell 58,967 100,289 115,645 15.3%  

Sports

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Baseball

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American football

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Basketball

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Ice hockey

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Boxing

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Other

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Music and culture

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Chronology of events

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January

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  • January 2 - Coleman Young celebrated the 10th anniversary of his inauguration as Mayor of Detroit.
  • January 2 - No. 8 Michigan lost to No. 3 Auburn by a 9–7 score in the 1984 Sugar Bowl. Al Del Greco kicked three field goals for Auburn.
  • January 6 - The Census Bureau issued a report showing the cities over 50,000 population with the highest percentage of homes occupied by their owners. Redford Township ranked first in the nation with a 91.4% rate of owner-occupied housing. Livonia ranked second at 90.24%; Dearborn Heights was fifth with 85.76%; and St. Clair Shores was seventh with 84.06%.[15]
  • January 8 - Jesse Jackson held a rally attended by 7,000 persons at Calihan Hall at the University of Detroit in support of his presidential campaign.
  • January 9 - The Supreme Court rejected a challenge to a Detroit Police Department requiring promotion of equal numbers of white and black officers.
  • January 9 - General Motors' Board of Directors approved a reorganization consolidating the company's five car divisions into two new groups, one for large cars and the other for small cars.
  • January 11 - Fred Cummings resigned as director of the Detroit Institute of Arts after months of controversy over his management of the museum.
  • January 20 - Two House of Judah members were sentenced to a year in prison and five years probation for child cruelty in the beating death of a 12-year-old boy.
  • January 21 - Detroit recorded a temperature of 21 degrees below zero, the coldest recording in the city since 1872.
  • January 26 - Astronaut Jack Lousma announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination to challenge Carl Levin for his seat in the U.S. Senate
  • January 29 - Isaiah Thomas was named the MVP of the NBA All-Star Game.
  • January 30 - Upjohn pharmaceutical heir Roger Gauntlett was sentenced to one year in county jail and five years of probation and ordered to take and experimental drug to reduce the male sex drive. He had been convicted of repeatedly raping his teenage stepdaughter over a seven-year period. The drug, Depo-Provera, was manufactured by Upjohn. In announcing the sentence, the judge described the treatment as "castration by chemical means".[4]
  • January 31 - In special elections to fill the seats of two Democratic members of the Michigan Senate (both had been recalled for supporting an income tax increase), Republican candidates won both contests. The victories gave Republicans control of the Senate for the first time in 10 years.[3]
  • A Michigan State University judicial board found the school's marching band director, Stanley DeRusha, had sexually harassed six women students, including coerced oral sex and multiple instances of sexual touching. DeRusha had been the band director since 1978.[16]

February

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March

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April

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May

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June

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July

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August

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September

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October

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November

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December

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Births

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Deaths

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  • January 11 - Peter Licavoli, organized crime figure, at age 81 in Tucson, Arizona
  • January 21 - Jackie Wilson, singer and Detroit native, at age 49 in New Jersey[17]
  • January 21 - Rebecca Shelley, pacifist, at age 97 in Battle Creek, Michigan
  • March 18 - Charley Lau, baseball catcher and hitting coach, at age 50 in Florida
  • April 1 - Marvin Gaye, Motown singer, at age 44 in Los Angeles
  • April 29 - Neno DaPrato, American football fullback, at age 91 in Pennsylvania
  • July 14 - Philippé Wynne, singer and member of The Spinners, at age 43 in Oakland, California
  • July 15 - Marcus Plant, law professor and athletic administrator, at age 72 in Ann Arbor
  • July 27 - C. L. Franklin, Baptist minister, civil rights activist, and father of Aretha Franklin, at age 69 in Detroit
  • August 14 - Bobo Jenkins, Detroit blues and electric blues guitarist, singer and songwriter, at age 68 in Detroit
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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Midland nuclear plant shutdown state's top story". Detroit Free Press. December 30, 1984. pp. 1B, 11B – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Closure of Midland Plant Top Michigan Story in '84". The Herald-Palladium. December 26, 1984. p. 31 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b "Republicans Win Special Elections, Control of Senate". Detroit Free Press. February 1, 1984. pp. 1–2 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b "'Chemical castration' ordered in Kalamazoo rape". Detroit Free Press. January 31, 1984. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "One killed, others hurt amid revelry". Detroit Free Press. October 15, 1984. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Devil's Night vandals set hundreds of fires". Detroit Free Press. October 31, 1984. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Ebens gets 25 years in Chin case". Detroit Free Press. September 19, 1984. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Fire at 'Judah' Kills 2 Children". The Herald-Palladium. October 19, 1984. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "House of Judah: What police found at the cult's Allegan County compound". Grand Rapids News. June 25, 2013.
  10. ^ "1984 Detroit Tigers Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  11. ^ "1984 Detroit Lions Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  12. ^ "1984 Michigan Wolverines Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  13. ^ "1983–84 Detroit Pistons Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  14. ^ "1983–84 Detroit Red Wings Roster and Statistics". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  15. ^ "2 Detroit suburbs top U.S. in home ownership listing". Detroit Free Press. January 7, 1984. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Band director harassed MSU women, panel says". Detroit Free Press. February 1, 1984. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Farewell to a star: Rhythm-blues great Jackie Wilson is mourned, praised". Detroit Free Press. January 29, 1984. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
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