JACK E. SCHRAMM (1924–2010) An Online Tribute
On February 24, 2010, the Detroit transit scene suffered a major loss with the passing of local transit historian and author JACK SCHRAMM,
who at age 85 passed away after a long illness. Jack Schramm began working as a junior clerk for the City of Detroit's Department of Street
Railways (DSR) in 1942, working his way up to Superintendent of Payrolls where he served until his retirement from the city's Department of
Transportation (D-DOT) in 1982.
Schramm always had a strong interest in the history of the DSR, especially Its streetcar operation. As the streetcars were being phased out
during the 1950's, he became interested in archiving their history. Over the years, he amassed a storehouse of information on the history of
the DSR system, cataloguing every type of streetcar, bus and trolley-coach that ever operated within Detroit. Schramm was also regarded as
an authority on the history of public transit companies in and around the City of Detroit, including the former Detroit United Railway (DUR).
Schramm's efforts resulted in two volumes published by the CERA in 1978 and 1980 titled Detroit's Street Railways, which he co-authored.
© 2010 (PAGE LAST UPDATED ON 06-11-10)
In addition to authoring and co-authoring a collection of books and magazine articles, Mr. Schramm was frequently called upon to make historical presentations at
local museums, historical societies, and libraries, and was one of the original founders of the Michigan Transit Museum. Schramm also worked with City Planner
Alex Pollock to establish one of America's First Heritage Streetcar Lines, which began operating downtown along Washington Blvd. in 1976—operating for over 25
years. In 1997, he was named the Historian for the Detroit Transportation Department by Mayor Dennis W. Archer, and named the Historian for SMART( Suburban
Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation) in 2007. He was one of the original members of SORT (Supporters of Regional Transportation), which established
the Jack Edward Schramm Transit Award in his honor.
Detroit's Street Railways - Volume I (1863-1922) 1978
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(Contributed transit related articles)
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(Motor Bus Society's Motor Coach Age magazines)
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Detroit's Street Railways - Volume II (1922-1956) 1980
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Tonnancour: Life in Grosse Pointe and Along the
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Detroit Motor Bus Company September 1988
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When Eastern Michigan Rode the Rails - Book 1 1984
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---Shores of Lake St. Clair - Volume I 1994
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Eastern Michigan Motor Buses Nov-Dec 1989
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When Eastern Michigan Rode the Rails - Book 2 1986
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Tonnancour: Life in Gros... - Volume II 1997
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Detroit's D.S.R. Part 1 January-February 1991
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When Eastern Michigan Rode The Rails - Book 3 1988
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(Published articles in the following magazines)
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Detroit's D.S.R. Part 2 March-April 1992
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When Eastern Michigan Rode The Rails - Book 1 1989
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Heritage Magazine - Grosse Pointe 1986
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Detroit's D.S.R. Part 3 May-June 1993
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(Reprinted/Enlarged)
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Muskrat Tales - St. Clair Shores 1983
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Detroit's Suburban Buses October-December 2002
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When Eastern Michigan Rode The Rails - Book 4 1994
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Muskrat Tales - St. Clair Shores 1995
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SEMTA and SMART October-December 2003
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The books and magazine articles either authored or co-authored by Jack E. Schramm include:
We here at the "DetroitTransitHistory.info" website are forever grateful for the dedication and hard work exhibited by Jack Schramm as he set out to track
down and chronicle the history of public transportation within the City of Detroit and its surrounding suburbs. It was through the publications he authored and
co-authored that inspired the launching of this website. It's for this reason we've decided to post this online tribute to the late Jack Edward Schramm.