06/11/2026
MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. — After more than three decades of helping students safely cross busy streets, longtime Macomb County crossing guard Frank Fourway announced this week that he will be retiring at the end of the school year. Fourway, who has become a familiar sight to generations of local families, said he is grateful for the opportunity and the countless relationships he has built over the years. "This was actually the first job I got after getting out of prison, and now it's going to be my last," Fourway said. "Not many employers were willing to hand me a stop sign and put me in charge of traffic, but Macomb County took a chance on me." Residents say Fourway has safely escorted thousands of students across the roadway while enduring snowstorms, heat waves, freezing rain, and motorists who somehow failed to notice a man wearing a reflective vest standing in the middle of the street. As news of his retirement spread, community members flooded social media with tributes. "You don't realize how important a Fourway is until it's gone," said longtime resident Karen Mitchell. "The community just won't be the same without him." Another resident added that "a good Fourway is hard to find these days," while one parent noted that "we've all depended on Fourway at one point or another." County officials say a replacement will be selected before the start of the next school year, though many residents remain skeptical that anyone can truly fill the reflective safety vest of a man some believed had been standing at the same intersection since the early 1990s. Fourway says he plans to spend his retirement relaxing, traveling, and enjoying the simple pleasure of crossing the street without having to tell everyone else when it's safe to do so.
