January 1, 1921 – May 14, 1997
Indian Village homeowner Andrew “Andy” Karagas was the son of Greek and Italian immigrants and served in the Pacific during World War II. Brother to Woodward Lounge owner William Karagas, he served as the nighttime host there for more than 40 years and was active in the Detroit Bar Guild. Generations of customers recalled Karagas booming bar “Tonight’s the Night!” as he strolled the bar.
Detroit Free Press, May 19, 1997
January 7, 1921 – January 18, 1975
Brooklyn-bred Chester Simon Kallman was a librettis, poet, and longtime companion to poet W.H. Auden. Kallman pursued graduate studies at the University of Michigan and while in Ann Arbor he and his roommate Strowan Robertson were the nuclei of a gay social circle. He went on to write three volumes of poetry and authored or co-authored librettos for several operas.
July 28, 1921 – January 9, 1994
Born in Detroit, John Pierre Adams served in the U.S. Army during World War II and, while living in New York City following his tour of duty, performed with the Katherine Dunham Dance Company. He returned to Detroit in the 1950s and worked as a shipping clerk for an equipment company. In the 1970s, Adams led the local gay organization ONE in Detroit as its president for three years.
No known obituary
May 21, 1921 – March 4, 2004
Joan Jeanette Corbin was born in Armada, grew up in Richmond, and moved to Los Angeles in 1946. With her then-partner Irma Wolf, Corbin was a founding member of the board for ONE Incorporated, publisher of ONE magazine. She served as art director for ONE under the pseudonym Eve Elloree from 1953 to 1963. Corbin continued to draw into her 70s, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
No known obituary
March 23, 1921 – June 12, 2018
Detroit native Gilbert Hart Whelden Jr. attended Cranbrook Academy and Olivet College before serving in the U.S. Army during World War II. He later graduated from Michigan State University and worked as an interior designer for J.L. Hudson. He was also a member of the Forum Foundation and Unlimited Seniors. In retirement, Whelden shared a home in Leland with his partner Paul Kieren.
January 25, 1921 – December 26, 1997
Actor and artist, Clifford Reynolds Jr. grew up in Highland Park and attended what was then called Wayne University in Detroit. He married in 1945, moved with his wife to California in 1952, and they divorced in 1968. A radio and television performer, Reynolds was survived by companion Lorne Gay.
April 7, 1921 – June 15, 2014
As a fighter pilot in World War II, Pontiac native and Rochester Hills resident Robert Harper survived weeks in the jungles of the Philippines after his plane was shot down. With degrees from Albion and Michigan State University, he taught in the Waterford Schools for twenty-five years. Harper was of a generation that never told their parents they were gay.
January 20, 1921 – April 16, 1998
Irma Wolf grew up in Mount Clemens and worked as a stenographer and sales clerk during World War II. After the war, she moved to Los Angeles where, in the 1950s, she served as editor of ONE magazine under the name Ann Carll Reid.
November 16, 1921 – August 10, 2015
C. Bruce Lee served with the Tuskegee Airmen in World War II, after which he earned an M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Michigan and later held a high-level position with the federal government. He appeared in the documentary film Coming Out Under Fire.
February 28, 1921 – May 20, 2001
David Whitney Brewer was founding vice chairman in 1958 of the Detroit Area Council of the Mattachine Society, the first known homosexual organization in the State of Michigan.
Michigan LGBTQ Remember 