11-

Page Fourteen

A Community

Friday, November 24, 1944

THE JEWISH NEWS

Builder Reaches 70

Leo M. filnizel AgOains Fame
S Lawyer and Noted Citizen

"A great city is that whirl) has the greatest men and women"—
Watt Whitman

One of the group who came to the United States from
Germany in 1840, was Martin Butzel. He was followed by
his brother, Magnus. The brothers finally settled in Detroit
during the early days of the Civil War and became leading
business men. Martin Butzel was interested in civic and
Jewish affairs and made his place in the community. He was
a member of the
first Public
Lighting C. o m -
mission of the
City. He served
a s President o
Temple Beth El,
and as the head
of the Jewish
Charities. .
At the time,
Detroit had a
population of 45,-
000. The City
was just begin-
ning to grow.
Woodward Ave.
was a broad high-
way, with beauti-
ful shade trees.
Mr. Butzel
built a home at
Woodward a n
Henry, then.a
f in e residential
district, f a r re-
moved from the
business district
on Jefferson Ave.
LEO MARTIN BUTZEL
There, on Nov.
27, 1874, was born Leo Martin Butzel. Leo lived in that home
with his parents until December, 1904, when he married
Caroline Heavenrich, a member of another prominent and
pioneer Jewish family of the City.

of the old Detroit Symphony
Society.
Trustee of Beth El
His activities in the Jewish
life of Detroit have been many
and varied. He was president of
Phoenix Club from 1902 to 1904.
He was the first president of
Franklin Hills Country Club, and
some years later was again called
to the presidency. He has been a
trustee of Temple Beth El and
a director of United Jewish Char-
ities of Detroit, and of the Jew-
ish Welfare Federation. At pre-
sent he is a member of the Amer-
ican Jewish Committee.
In his younger days, Mr. But-
zel was a well known tennis and
cricket player. Today, he ac-
knowledges "reading and people
are my hobbies." A voracious
reader, he goes through several
books a week on a variety of
subjects. He reads continuously
on legal subjects a n d related
matters, holding to the old fash-
ioned belief, as he puts it, that
no lawyer is worth his salt un-
less he keeps up with the deci-
sions and philosophy of the ever
changing law. Legal research is
an important- part of his life. A
sparkling conversationalist, he
enjoys people and he has a fund
of good and funny stories.
A Son In Service
Mr. and Mrs. Butzel have three
children, Lt. Col. Martin L. But-
zel, Mrs. Leonard Lewis and Mrs.
Philip T. VanZile II. Mr. Butzel
adds his four grandchildren as
being among his hobbies.
One fact of his life of which
there is no written record re-
flects his philosophy of being
helpful to his fellow men. He
has been instrumental in recon-
ciling families and avoiding
scandal and promoting unity.
Particularly has he been helpful
to the younger members of his
profession, with adVice and
counsel.
The late Judge Harry B. Kei-
dan once pointed to Leo M. But-
zel as a shining example of a
Jew who had reached the very
pinnacle of his profession with
the admiration of the fellow
members of the Bar and the re-
spect and confidence of the ju-
diciary.
A Cardozo Etching
On the wall of Mr. Butzel's
office hang the photographs of
many prominent judges, lawyers
and industrialists. All of them
are his friends and admirers.
Among them is an etching of a
kindly person garbed in judicial
robe, and bears the inscription
"To Leo Martin Butzel. - Law-
yer and man of affairs. With
the regard and esteem of"
The signature—that of a great
American—"Benjamin N. Car-
dozo."
Such is the measure of the
man-whose 70th birthday on Nov.
27 is hailed by a great city, in
the building of which he has
played, a prominent part.

A Brilliant Student
Leo went to Cass School, ,not Company and Bankers Trust
far from his home, and Central
High School. From high schbol Company. For a time he was
he went to the University of president of the First National
Michigan and was graduated in Company.
1894, with the degree of Bache-
A Trusted Adviser
lor of Philosophy. His professors
He has served on the Board
selected- him for election to the
newly created honorary society of many Detroit corporations,
of Phi Beta Kappa. Then follow- among them Kelsey Wheel, Stan-
ed a course in law at the Uni- dard Accident Insurance Co.,
versity. He was graduated in Detroit Steel Products, Senior
1896 with the degree of Bachelor Investment Company and In-
of Law and returned to Detroit vestment Company of America.
to commence the_ practice of law:
He has been the trusted adviser
A brilliant' student, with a of many of Detroit's industrial-
quick, incisive mind and a persu- ists and merchants and currently
asive speaker, his services were he is executor of the Estate of
sought by the then leading lawy- Fred J. Fisher of the famed
ers of Detroit. Butzel decided Fisher brothers, trustee of the.
to associate himself with Elliott Estate of Louis Mendelssohn and
G. Stevenson, who became Mich- counsel for the Estate of Horace
igan's greatest trial lawyer. At Dodge.
the time, Mr. Stevenson was a-
His Active Interests
partner of Don M. Dickinson, a
.Mr.
Butzel has never sought
member of the Cabinet under
President Grover Cleveland. As public office, but in 1919, the
an associate of Dickinson, Thur- GovernQr of the State, named
ber & Stevenson and as a partn- him as president of the Mackinac
er in Dickinson, Stevenson, War- Island State Commission. In 1925,
Shaarey Zedek Library
ren and Butzel; Stevenson & when there were rumors of cor-
Butzel; Stevenson, Carpenter, ruption in city affairs, particu- Holds Book Exhibit
Butzel and Backus; and now as larly in connection with paving
Shaarey Zedek Library is ob-
senior partner in the firm of contracts, the Common Council
Butzel, Eaman, Long, Gust & named him as special counsel in serving Book Month with a spe-
Bills,. he has spent nearly 50 a Grand Jury investigation con- cial exhibit of Jewish books and
ducted by Mayor Frank Murphy. periodicals.
years in the practice of law. Dur-
Miss Janet Olender, librarian,
ing that time he has helped He served without compensation.
Mr. Butzel has taken the time announces that the theme of the
found and guide many of the in-
dustries which have made De- from his extensive interests to exhibit is "The Jew in America."
troit great. His wise counsel and participate in many civic enter- There are sections featuring Jew-
broad vision have in no small prises. For years he has been ish contributions •to- art, litera-
measure contributed to Detroit's on the board of the University ture and science.
All Detroit Jews are invited to
of Detroit, and he is a trustee of
growth.
the three Cranbrook Foundation see the exhibit daily, except Sat-
His Important Clients
Schools—Cranbrook, Kingswood urdays or Sunday mornings. It
Newspaper files reveal that and Brookside. He was a director will continue until Dec. 10.
Mr. Butzel was general counsel
to General Motors Corporation.
His clients in the automotive
field included Chrysler Motors,
Maxwell, Hupp, Dodge Brothers,
Wills-Sainte Claire, Graham
RAndolph 6900
UNiversity 3-9054
Paige, E.M.F. and Murray Body.
405 Fox Bldg., Detroit 1, Michigan
Other clients were Evening News
Sales Representative
Association (Detroit News), De-
troit United Railways, several
railroads, the telephone corn-
pany, Burroughs Adding Ma-
Advertising
chine Company, D. M. Ferry &
SAINT PAUL 4, MINNESOTA
Co., Solvay Process Co., and
REMEMBRANCE ADVERTISING serves your customer .
Fisher & Co.
and by this service reminds him of you.
Early in his career Mr. Butzel
* CALENDARS * UTILITY ADVERTISING * DIRECT MAIL
displayed special aptitudes in
* PLAYING CARDS * BUSINESS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
financial and banking fields. At
* MORALE BUILDING PATRIOTIC PUBLICITY
various times he was director of
* MISSION LEATHER
the Michigan Savings Bank,
Home
Savings
Wayne County
Never Forget a Customer—
Bank, Industrial Morris P1 a n
Never Let a Customer Forget You
Bank, First National Bank, Se-
curty Trust Company, Equitable
Trust Company, Detroit Trust

VHS Marks
Graduations
Next Week

Parkside School Exercises
This Sunday to Launch,
Week of Programs

The first of the four Commen-
cement exercises of the 1944

classes of the United Hebrew
Schools, the Parkside Hebrew
School, will be held Sunday, at
8 p. m. in the auditorium of the
Custer Public School, 15531 Lin-
wood.
A feature of the program will
be a playlet, "Lights and Shad-
ows", written by Michael Mich-
lin, instructor, and members of
the graduating class. The pro-
gram will be opened by Alex
Roberg, principal of the sc400l.
Chairman of the evening will be
Ralph Levy, class president.
The second in the series of
exercises will be' held by the
Philadelphia-Byron School in the
auditorium of the school, on
Tuesday. A playlet, "The Prop-
het Finds the Hero", is directed
by the Misses Leah and Rose
Pike. The program will be open-
ed by Morris Lachover, principal.
Chairman of the evening will be
Eva Zaretsky.
. The third graduation will be
held by the David W. Simons
School on Wednesday, at 8
p. m. in the auditorium of the
Winterhalter School, 12121
Broadstreet. The central theme
will be the "Upbuilding of Pal-
estine". Talks will be delivered
by members of the graduating
class. The program will be open-
ed by Abraham J. Lachover,
principal. - Chairman will be
Jean Baschin, class president.
The last graduation will be
held by the Rose Sittig Cohen
School, Thursday, at 8 p. m. at
13226 Lawton. The playlet "The
Prophet Finds The Hero" will
be staged by the graduates and
directed by David Shackney, in-
structor. The program will be
opened by Solomon Kasdan,
principal chairman of the eve-
ning will be Sidney Katz, clasS
president.
Greetings will be extended to
various classes by the president
of the United Hebrew Schools.
Rudolph Zuieback, Mrs. Jack
Tobin, president of the Woman's
Auxiliary and others. Diplomas I

Remembrance

.

CHICAGO — The 1,000th rec-
reation facility furnished by Bnai
Brith. for the armed forces of the
U. S. and Canada as part of its
national war service program
will be dedicated at Vaughan
General Hospital, Maywood,
outside of Chicago, this . Sunday.
Henry Monsky, Bnai Brith
president, the nation's oldest and
largest Jewish service organiza-
tion, and chairman of its Na-
tional War Service Committee,
will' present the 1,000th facility,
one of 26 equipped by Adolf
Kraus Lodge, Chicago, at a cost
of $100,000, to Gen. Percy J. Car-
roll, hospital commandant, who
Was in charge of the last hospital
ship to leave Corregidor, and
Maj. Gen. Norman T. Kirk, sur-
geon-general of the U. S. Army.
The facility which becomes the
1,000th furnished by Bnai Brith
since May 1942, when the first
one was completed at Fort
Custer, Mich., is the main wait-
ing room in the hospital's ad- •
ministration building, equipped
for the use of visiting relatives
of all casualties housed in the
hospital. An oil painting of Dr.
Victor Clarence Vaughan, for
whom the hospital is named, also
a gift of Bnai Brith, will be un-
veiled in the waiting room dur-
ing the dedication.

will be awarded by Maurice H.
Zackheim and Maurice LAndau,
chairmen of the Board of Edu-
cation, and school instructors:
Michael Michlin, Max Gordon,
Joseph Haggai, David Shackney
and Morris Plafkin.
The first prize to an outstand-
ing student in each class will be
given by Feigefison Brothers, in
the form of a War Bond. The
second prize will be presented
by the Hebrew Teacher's Organ-
ization and Kvutzah Ivrith.
Sunday, Dec. 3, at 2:30 p. m.,
a reception will be tendered
to graduates and their parents by
the Woman's Auxiliary in the
Rose Sittig Cohen Auditorium.
Mrs. Morris Fishman is chairman
of the reception committee.

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