Tour guide, commission member, association member, and TV interviewer: Sylvia Pressman does it all.
And that’s not even counting what she’s involved with at Henry Ford Village!
by Keith Gamboa
All aboard the bus . . . the tour of Dearborn is about to begin! Up front is Sylvia Pressman, ready to show off the city she loves to her fellow Henry Ford Village residents.
Once all the passengers are on board from the community and from the on-campus Renaissance Gardens, Sylvia takes over the microphone—and everyone’s attention—with her fascinating tales, stories, and historic accounts of Dearborn.
It’s no wonder Sylvia knows the place so well. “I’ve lived in Dearborn for years,” she says, “and I’ve been active there. My children went to Dearborn schools, and I was a librarian at a local Henry Ford Community College.”
Sylvia’s historic tours happen monthly during the nice weather months and are popular enough to have a waiting list. They are scheduled by staff member, Sandra Wyatt, and the bus and driver are supplied by Henry Ford Village’s Transportation Services.
First stop is the place where Henry Ford I and his wife, Clara, are laid to rest next to the little church built in 1947. Then it’s on to other places Sylvia knows so well: the Dearborn Historical Museum, Greenfield Village, the Ford Rouge Plant (once the world's largest industrial complex), and on and on.
It’s all to “give the new residents a chance to get acquainted with the city,” says Sylvia. “And that’s especially important because this year because is the 75th anniversary of the city of Dearborn’s consolidation with the city of Fordson.” Sylvia is on the city committee to help organizations celebrate the commemoration.
Dedicated to Dearborn
Sylvia is still active in the Dearborn community and has been reappointed many times to the Dearborn Library Commission by Mayor Michael Guido. The commission oversees the city’s library system and is responsible for hiring the city’s Library Director.