Sonny Eliot Papers

Accession Number: 
UP002542
Extent: 
11.25 linear feet (10 SB, 1 OS, 1 MB)

Sonny Eliot, husband of Annette Gaertner, was a beloved weathercaster in Metro Detroit from the late 1940s to 2010. Eliot worked for Channel 4 (then WWJ-TV), Channel 2, Channel 50, and WWJ AM radio. Eliot also wrote children’s books and he hosted a slew of game shows, in addition to hosting “At the Zoo” for the Detroit Zoo for 17 years. During his career, Sonny Eliot was inducted into both the Michigan Broadcasters Hall of Fame and the Michigan Aviation Hall of Fame. Moreover, Eliot was the master of ceremonies for the Thanksgiving Day Parade for numerous years.

Prior to his career in weathercasting and media, Sonny Eliot (born Marvin Schlossberg) was a B-24 pilot in World War II. During a mission in Germany, Schlossberg was bombed down and held as a POW at Stalagluft I, a prison camp near Barth, for 18 months. This collection holds correspondence, newspaper clippings, and website print outs about his time as a prisoner of war. Notably, this collection also contains a digital copy of the journal he kept during his imprisonment at Stalagluft I.

Date: 
1939-2012, bulk 1955-1980
Attachment(click to download)
UP002542.pdfUP002542_guide.pdf140.89 KB