ShowsRetired Judge Tom Yeotis
Legendary Jurist and Lover of Flint Sports September 28, 2022 In the entire history of Flint there are a handful of names so legendary and beloved that their mere mention evokes a smile and a positive comment. Retired Judge Tom Yeotis is a member of that elite group, and his name exists in the rare air of vibrations so good they echo across multiple generations.
A Flint Central graduate Judge Yeotis’ influence extended across all social strata, with the legal arena in particular, but especially when it came to social issues and athletics. He was as likely to direct a juvenile in trouble in his courtroom to join the high school football team as he was to throw the book at them. He saved countless kids from a bad fate, and redirected them to a positive and productive life rich with family, material, and career success. How do you put a price on that? Well you don’t measure it in metrics. You measure it in heartbeats. Heartbeats saved. Heartbeats enhanced. Heartbeats that exist that might otherwise not. In truth you can’t put a price tag on people like Judge Yeotis. You just appreciate that you have them in your community, and in your life. His family business growing up was the Coney Island world. In fact when President John F. Kennedy came to town a locally famous photo was taken of him in front of the Yeotis family business, Tasty Coney Island on Saginaw Street. It’s impossible to separate Judge Yeotis from the fabric of Flint because he’s in the weave. He IS the fabric of Flint. There’s much to learn about his example. When people ask what can be done to improve the community, finding more Tom Yeotis’ would be a good start. In the end it’s people that make a city great or weak. It’s their character and their deeds. It’s the size of their heart and the decibels of it’s beats that taps the tune of prosperity always and forever. In Tom Yeotis’ case it’s a thumping drumbeat of love, commitment, community, and caring. That’s really what it takes to build or revitalize a city. We just so happen to have one of the drummers in our midst. It’s an honor and a privilege to host him in the Aquarium. |
Judge Yeotis with Fish at a Genesee County Historical Society presentation about the beloved but now defunct Flint Northern vs Central Turkey Day Games played at Atwood Stadium, holding an original ball
Tasty Coney Island, owned and run by Judge Yeotis's family, in the background during brick replacement on Saginaw Street in downtown Flint
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