94-year-old shoe shiner missed at courthouse

By Christina Hall Detroit Free Press MOUNT CLEMENS (AP) -- He has shined the shoes of judges, lawyers, the county executive -- and even boxer Thomas (Hitman) Hearns. White-haired, bespectacled Otis Hopson has been a fixture at the Macomb County Circuit Court for decades, perfectly polishing peds outside the Clerk's Office on the first floor. But the 94-year-old isn't just any shoe shiner -- an occupation he has had since age 10. Having Hopson polish your shoes is an experience, during which he impresses clients with his encyclopedic knowledge of Mount Clemens, his focus on what's important in life, his never-failing positive attitude and his faith in God. That wisdom and knowledge -- such as riding in Model T's and remembering how getting to Mt. Clemens from Detroit was "nothing but a wagon trail through the woods" -- had been missed for the last several months, as Hopson stopped coming to work because of health issues. But he recently returned for a visit, surprised by lines of well-wishers and a cake that said, "Love You, Miss You, Shine On!" He missed not being at the courthouse. "I love people," the folksy, down-to-earth man said. And people love him. They love hearing his stories about Mt. Clemens -- when it was equipped with shoe-shine stands, when the river would rise, the sugar beet factory and the races held near the Gibraltar Trade Center. "It's fascinating, sometimes, listening to him," County Executive Mark Hackel said. "The roads, the buildings. He can take you back there. The history of people and the city and Mt. Clemens and Detroit." John Thedford, a county building engineer, said Hopson is "one of Macomb County's wonders" whose brain is a Rolodex -- remembering everything, especially names -- and whose life and spiritual life are an open book. "He's a delicate soul encased in a human body that one day will sprout wings and fly," Thedford said. "He is incredible for one human being." Hopson talks about Mt. Clemens, where his family moved in 1923 from Kentucky to escape the Ku Klux Klan, and the city's bathhouses and its history. He talks about his family (he's the last of 10 children), especially his mother -- a midwife -- from whom he derives his strong faith in God. He talks about folklore and home remedies and will pray with clients. He talks to everyone -- especially young people who he thinks are troubled. "If I can help a person, I'm gonna help 'em," Hopson said from his daughter's home in Detroit, where he is staying. "I wasn't without problems." He's even known to carry extra quarters in his pockets so he can hand them to people needing change for parking meters. Carmella Sabaugh, county clerk and register of deeds, called Hopson's specially made, three-seat stand "his little island of goodness in this building." "In this building, where (people) come in for unpleasant things, life-changing events, it just gives a little humanness to the building," she said. Attorney Robert Ihrie stopped to see Hopson at least once a week, especially in the winter -- usually about 8:30 a.m. on Mondays. "He was a person of great faith. He took his spiritual life very seriously and was always willing to share it," Ihrie said. Sometimes he and Hopson, whom Ihrie described as "a ray of sunshine," would chat about the weekend. Other times, Hopson let Ihrie quietly sit and review his files. But he always noted Hopson's technique: washing with a brush, drying, applying polish, hitting the sides of the soles with a toothbrush and finishing off with a rag and infamous holler of "OW!" "He can make that rag pop -- it'll snap," said Judge Mark Switalski, who frequented Hopson's stand around the holidays when court slows down -- giving him a chance to talk with Hopson. "He uses his fingers to apply the polish -- he could get that polish like a cream." The whole process -- which cost just a handful of dollars -- only took a few minutes a pair and often netted Hopson a tip. Hopson doesn't know how many pairs of shoes he has shined in his career, which he entered thanks to his brother. "There's no way you can keep up with it," the father and grandfather said, adding that the largest shoe he has shined was a Size 14. "If you give good shines, people will come back." Susan Wetter, an account clerk in the elections office, spent her breaks talking with Hopson. "Even when you were not having a good day, he would always cheer you up," she said. So while some miss Hopson's shines, it's his smile and personality, conversations and reassurances that everything is going to be all right that they miss the most. Hopson said it's up to God -- whom he thanks for everything in his life -- if he returns to work. It's a blessing he looks forward to. "Always remember, God knows how to find a way," he said. "When God blesses you, he don't see your color. He don't see no color. God just blesses you." Published: Tue, Jan 29, 2013