;,,Tf:777=47777740Z7743 , i7e14WITTIPPaa
104 Friday, October 18, 1985 THE DETROIT. JEWISH, NEWS
.
"e sat,: a
the- table- coneentrating; rhyttuni ,
cally rubbing' a small WoodenSciwire
. against a jam& wooden
was relaiing; sanding the 'pieces as
preliminary etep:ter putting .together
a woodenshoe test.:
His 'thick shock "of white ,ludr,
was brushed 'back. A' eOft;'Welli:
manicured-white beard .frareed,',14;.
face. His royal blUe •woodworking
apron matched clear,' MiechieVOUs'
blue eyes. //:
At first . 1 thought . T heitIthe
wrong man.. was`. at Borman Hall;
the -Jewish :HMO/ fer./.the Aged? :te
interview':a 'man': who: 'Woe::: two
Months :short of :100 years: old;
fore me Wee '4n. energetic, litl e,
beautifully r'diessed • goitleliaii;
.-Maybe in his early 80'al : *
Jacob Kurti' was ',born in 1885,
the .same year as m .'maternal
grandfather: I couldi0;,4elp;•.netiCiiig. . :
the 'sfinilarittek:-'4etWeen men Like
my grandfather, who died: at 93 iri
4978, Kin:tiles a full:head of White
hair, straight; whiteteeth;. and a.
pleasant, smooth-lookin
g. face..that'
has retained its youthfUl -handgenief-
ness,
His voice is,meledic, with oly. a
slight trace of an accent. A hearing
aid rests in his left ear and he. turns
it up in order to more fully „partiei; , ....
pate in conversation. ,
, _
His hands, large and capable;..
with long; hard, curved ,nails; ,.are -
active, graceful. hands;niost cOmibitf
able when working on something
tangible, making, a point-in ,cOnver-, 1
sation or caressing a grandchild's
head
Kurtz 'has a zest for life;' an. avid . .
interest in Peeple, 'ands proud =work.
ethic that keeps hiinforeyer
Kurto now finds 'hiinselt%oldet,
than he ever ',Would haVe iniagined:
At ' almost . 106,. he has,,,,,come.
thousands , of , thiles froni;hia, birth:
place. He has outlived 'sililifigaand•
frienda,
Borman Mall and lie environs
define'the: bOundariew 414'
perional-poisessions
now fit into...two:cup
dresser, on one side;..Orkehai.13,
hospital-like ` room the .:aecond
,
-
Jacob Kurtz's
health
belie the ac
a centenarian.
BY .ELL'YPE FIELD ,
Special to The Jewish Nava
-
lifIV4
HEe,REW UNION COLLEGE
LIBRARY —
WALTER ROTH1AN, LIR
CINCINNATI
OH 45220
NatUre hid: been kind te,Jecel),
Kurtz.. :And • he..has worked':hard :to•
capitalize on his natural gifts '.an
strengths
I fit together the "large :pieces c
his • lif .based:
C I ()Sri e
dcwit6thiS'ine7,7*3
4.,444,4•24.44144.744 411.2.3.= 4-1414.49441.741
•
•
qti .
.174......77