Notice the sign, Quality Service since 1955. His sons Steve and Mike run the business now, and it's history was something I just learned from the obit.
Here's what I have of my little league shirt from the late 70s, to remember those fun games.
and here is my sister wearing hers, and yes, that is me next to her, yes, that's mom's lava lamp.
The boys shirts were orange, the girls shirts were yellow
things you learn while researching, aren't always great news, but very informative:
Philip Sleeman, was 88 when he died Jan. 2011 in Kalamazoo.
Philip Sleeman was born on August 20, 1923 to Sidney and Una Sleeman on the 76-acre farm in Cooper that his grandfather purchased in 1908 after emigrating from Canada.
Sleeman's passion from a young age was farming, which he continued at least part-time with the help of his children until he was 80. Active as a member and leader in 4-H for many years, one of his proudest moments was showing his champion steer under the Michigan State football stadium's goal posts and being awarded a $50 scholarship to the school.
Sleeman worked for Carlton Equipment before taking a sales job with Farm Bureau Services selling farm equipment throughout southwestern Michigan, moving up to a sales manager position.
Sleeman's passion from a young age was farming, which he continued at least part-time with the help of his children until he was 80. Active as a member and leader in 4-H for many years, one of his proudest moments was showing his champion steer under the Michigan State football stadium's goal posts and being awarded a $50 scholarship to the school.
Sleeman worked for Carlton Equipment before taking a sales job with Farm Bureau Services selling farm equipment throughout southwestern Michigan, moving up to a sales manager position.
In 1955, he purchased a service station with his brother in downtown Cooper, naming it Sleeman's Service. Shortly after, his brother decided to return to college, leaving Phil Sleeman to operate and expand the business until his retirement in 1981.
Sleeman served as a 4-H leader for many years, a Cooper Township trustee for 16 years and was an active member and leader of Cooper Congregational Church.
Phil was survived by his wife, Marian; children, Steve (Cyndee)Sleeman; Mike (Mary Jane) Sleeman; Cheri (Steve) Schulz and Scott (Linda) of Otsego; grandchildren and older sister, Thelma Mollet.
Sleeman served as a 4-H leader for many years, a Cooper Township trustee for 16 years and was an active member and leader of Cooper Congregational Church.
Phil was survived by his wife, Marian; children, Steve (Cyndee)Sleeman; Mike (Mary Jane) Sleeman; Cheri (Steve) Schulz and Scott (Linda) of Otsego; grandchildren and older sister, Thelma Mollet.
I played little league central Indiana around the same time frame. In 76 or 77 my team was sponsored by Bob Glidden. I think he won the pro stock championship those years driving a Ford Pinto. I love those memories.
ReplyDeleteWow! He was one of the greatest! https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2006/11/bob-glidden.html
DeleteWhat a good history of the American dream! Oh, and you and your sis are adorable.
ReplyDeletethank you! My paternal and maternal ancestors had similar origins from New England into Canada, then into Michigan in the same area, and that's how I was a kid there on a little league team one town away that Phil Sleeman sponsored through his service station. My maternal great grandfather was a lifelong Chevy dealership mechanic I posted about https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2014/02/denooyer-chevrolet-small-michigan-town.html and my other maternal great grandfather was a farmer a couple miles away from Sleeman's farm
DeleteHello! Somehow I just tripped over this blog, and how it warmed my heart! I can't believe you took the time to recognize our dad after all these years! It just goes to show you the impact you can have a young person's life, even if it is sometime as "minor" as sponsoring a baseball team! My brothers, Steve and Mike ran Sleeman's Service after my dad retired - and they are now retired. Sleeman's service was in good hands with Robert Hatfield for a number of years who purchased and ran it. He is not retired too and Gordy Borrows is now owner/operator. We are so blessed that that have continued on with our Dad's work ethic and integrity. Sadly, none of our family lives in Cooper anymore - we sold the remaining farm acreage a few years after our mom passed in 2017. God bless you for making note of our dad.
ReplyDeleteHi! First, here is the message I sent you on Facebook messenger (I don't look into my messages very often either, it's no big deal, you found this post anyway!) :
DeletePardon me interrupting your day, but I'm trying to contact the Sleeman family of the Plainwell and Kalamazoo area, to connect with the Sleemans who in the 70s, sponsored my Plainwell little league team. I'd like to thank them, first, and find out if they have a photo of the team. Watching the Sandlot movie got me wondering... Thank you for your time.
I sure did take the time, and darn it, a bit of effort to find the tire center, as I have no recollection of it from when I was, oh, about 6? Maybe 7 years old... so, I was going through my things, and that shirt is something I've prized every since 1977 or 78, whichever it was, because not only was it my team shirt, it was my PLAINWELL shirt! That's pretty cool home town stuff to me.
DeleteI can't believe you found my blog and this post! That's really great! It makes my day!
Well, dang, your brothers retired too? That's a good thing though, the future of retiring isn't looking to good from my point of view at age 52.
I wonder, is there any records of the teams, hopefully, photos of the teams by year? It would be the most, seriously, most incredible thing to find a team photo of me and my team from 77, or it might have even been 78...
Well, thank you for liking the post... this sort of thing is something I do to pay it back, and share it with friends. I say friends, because for the past 16 years I've been adding to this blog about car related stuff (and a local tire center that sponsors kids ball games? CERTAINLY fits my criteria!) and the regular readers have been following along for over a decade now.
Is there a chance you know of a website, facebook page, or something similar that celebrates the kid teams from Plainwell that Sleeman's Tire Center sponsored? I think that would just be a hoot, for us old Plainwell/Cooper/Otsego people who once played ball together to knwo that the team spirit is still alive, just like the end of League Of Their Own. Decades removed, but with a tie that binds.
SO darn happy to hear from you!
Do you maybe want to help me add a couple photos of your dad, the tire center, or any of the teams with THESE shirts, from the 60s and 70s?
I focus on those decades, and photos from those decades, to honor and appreciate the people and places and things that made us happy then, and it would make this particular article even better.