As a college student in the mid 1980's I minored in fine arts (photography) and took a jazz appreciation class. I bought a used color enlarger from a gentleman in Bangor, MI. He was a bass player in the jazz clubs in Benton Harbor, and Chicago. I ended up spending an afternoon on his porch after I purchased the enlarger listening to his stories about that time as he picked on his bass to demonstrate some techniques and styles, it really mode the jazz class come to life. His stories painted a picture of Benton Harbor as a vital, town with a bit of mystique and some mayhem. In the 1980-1990's Benton Harbor could be politely described as a slum. There was a symbolic significance to the county jail being the first thing you saw going across the river from Benton Harbor into St, Joseph, MI. Some of the surplus electronics dealers in Benton Harbor I frequented sold surplus from Heathkit/Zenith in St. Joseph, MI. One summer I watched the City of Benton Harbor drive their D8 caterpillar down streets, clearing one side of the street at a time.
