 Wistert , who was born in Chicago , Illinois , was from a Lithuanian family . His father , <unk> Wistert , was a Spanish – American War veteran who was later killed in the line of duty while working for the Chicago Police Department . The story of the Wistert brothers at Michigan began when Whitey 's Carl Schurz High School classmate John Kowalik was invited to visit the University of Michigan . At the time , Whitey Wistert had a factory job where he was involved with building Majestic radios . Kowalik took Whitey with him on his visit to Ann Arbor , and according to Alvin , " that 's how it started : the <unk> of Michigan . " 
