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Any photos not otherwise credited are from the personal collection of Frank Passic, Albion Historian.
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Morning Star, July 12, 2009, Pg. 22 Did you know that Albion once had a Coney Island restaurant? This was a favorite place for people to come and have coffee, and to catch up on the latest news that was happening. The Coney Island was located at 105 W. Porter St. from 1945 to 1964. It was owned and operated by Gus Vervaras (1899-1964). Gus was a native of Greece, and came to America at the age of 14; he settled in Detroit. Gus was employed in the restaurant business there for three decades. He married his wife, Marie Kleist in Detroit in 1942. In 1945 Gus moved to Albion and opened the Coney Island which he operated until shortly before his death in 1964. That was a total of nearly 50 years in the restaurant business! Gus was quite an accomplished cook, and gained a favorable reputation through the years. He was a member of the once very prominent Albion Conservation Club. The Club would hold annual banquets, and Gus was the main cook for many years. From our Historical Notebook this week, we present a photograph of Gus serving up chow at the Albion Conservation Club 1953 annual banquet. From left to right: Dale Nutt, Waldo Johnson who had a gun shop in Adrian, Fred Haeske, Don McAuliffe, and Gus Vervaras. How many of our readers remember Gus Vervaras and the Coney Island in Albion? 
Gus Vervaras at the Albion Conservation Club 1953 annual banquet Next: CHARLES KOPP All text copyright, 2024 © all rights reserved Frank Passic
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