ANN ARBOR – Carmen Harlan was the face of Detroit local news for nearly four decades. She retired from WDIV Local 4 News as senior anchor in 2016, and was often admiringly called "The Queen" by her Channel 4 colleagues.
Throughout her illustrious career, she covered the 9/11 attacks, the invasion of Iraq, the death of Princess Diana, the relief efforts following the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti and both of President Barack Obama's inaugurations, among other major stories.
Before joining WDIV as an assignment reporter in 1978, Harlan got her start in broadcast in Detroit radio. Harlan attended the University of Michigan in the 1970s and has fond memories of her years as a student and continues to enjoy Ann Arbor, one of her favorite places.
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What makes Ann Arbor unique?
“What city has as many restaurants and parks? You can walk around you can enjoy yourself. You can spend the night if you want in Ann Arbor. They have lovely hotels. And certainly the university is a draw, but I fell in love with the city. I really did. And it’s been a love affair of mine that I keep alive and well after all these years.
"I was on campus from ’71 to ’75 and I’ll tell you right now, at 64, I enjoy going back to Ann Arbor as much as I did when I was there as a student.
“Whenever I want to shop for the most unusual gifts for people that I really care about, the first place I think of is Ann Arbor. I can have lunch, I can walk and down Main Street, visit the galleries, you know it just brings back a lot of memories."
You were born and raised in Detroit. Was U of M always your top choice?
“I think it was. My parents got a phone call one evening and they said, ‘We’d love to have Carmen come to the University of Michigan.’ And I’ll tell you, after that, I didn’t see anything but maize and blue. I was familiar with the quality of education offered at the university and I just felt like I belonged there, and I did."
Did you participate in any extracurricular activities on campus?
“I was involved with the speech, radio and television (program) with a minor in journalism. I got a chance to think about what I wanted to do professionally and in fact, when I applied to the university, I thought I wanted to be a psychologist.
"In the back of my mind, I always wanted to be a reporter. But I said, ‘Maybe I’m really cut out to be a psychologist.’ Well, part of the requirement of a Psych 101 class that I took was that I had to visit the Ypsilanti state hospital. And I learned rather quickly that what is needed to be a good psychologist is a real understanding of mental health and all that goes with it. I probably didn't have that at that time. So my admiration is very high for people who work in that field.
"Reporting was something that I enjoy and I do well. And that was something I discovered, and I think most people discover, when they’re given the opportunity to go to a school like the University of Michigan. They find what they're passionate about. You can sample and experiment and dream about what it would be like to do this or to do that. But when you know what you’re good at, that’s what you do."
Are there any memories that stand out to you as particularly fond ones?
“I have so many. I’ve been a torch bearer twice, one for the Winter Olympics and one for the Summer Olympics years ago. And the university asked me to come back. They said, ‘We’re going to honor Michigan Olympians during halftime and would you bring your torch and bring it onto the field?’ And let me tell you something, if that wasn’t the highlight, I can’t tell you what would have topped that.
“I had been to many games as an undergrad and my son in law played for the university, but actually walking out on that field with 100,000 people, was just -- it’s hard to put it into words what it really meant. So, by far, that was probably one of the most special moments. And my kids were with me, too."
Was there a school tradition that you really enjoyed?
“We never had that run your senior year, ‘The Naked Mile’, is that what they call it? We didn’t have that. We were just all about the business of graduating on time and getting on with the work that we needed to do.”
I heard those years (1970s) were Ann Arbor in its heyday. It sounds like those were really special years. How does it compare then and now?
“I’ll be honest with you. I haven’t been on campus a lot, so I’m hoping that that spirit to want to challenge hasn’t gotten lost. Because that is something that, when you’re young, you’ve got that energy and it’s okay to push the boundaries and fight for change, or to challenge the status quo -- I hope that hasn’t changed. It certainly was very characteristic of the time I was on campus and it might have gone a little too far (at times), but I hope that on all campuses that students realize they still have that power."
If you could describe Ann Arbor in three words, what would they be?
“Ann Arbor in three words? One of my favorite places." (Smiles)
What did it mean to you to be invited by U of M to speak at its bicentennial symposium this year?
“It was quite an honor but I was around a long time ago at the university -- going on 40-something years since I was a student there. It’s unbelievable. It makes me feel not just special, but proud that the time that I spent there has been remembered in such a special way.”
Watch: Local 4's 'Celebrating Carmen' honors career of Carmen Harlan