(.11“ H THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS tic, i Friday, January 17, 1986 TEENA G E COLLECTOR BY BETTY ELSTER Special to The Jewish News Many prople strive for a lifetime to acquire recognition and fame. But, at 17, Aaron Milstone has al- ready achieved these goals. He is listed in the 1984-1985 edition of Who's Who Among Ameri- can High School Students. The Southfield-Lathrup High School senior's most recent succeps is the development of a first-aid com- puter software program designed for school-age children with little or no knowledge of computers. "Reddy Cross's First-Aid for All" has been accepted by the American Red Cross, as well as by numerous school districts for first-aid instruc- tion. Two software companies have approached Milstone regarding these programs, but at the moment he is concentrating on completing the series of five first-aid programs promised to the American Red Cross. Recently, Milstone returned from a trip to New Orleans where he accepted a $1,000 college scholarship from the Bureau of Wholesale Rep- resentatives, due in part to his software success. Milstone's family has played a major role in orienting him to a suc- cessful lifestyle. Inspired by his father, Leonard, the younger Milstone has always strived to be well-rounded and involved in every- thing possible — from sports to cook- ing. "I've always tried to live up to my father's* definition of a "Renais- sance" person," he said. Milstone's mother, Sydney, has been responsible for keeping scrap- books of his numerous accomplish- ments, and seeing that his many deadlines are met. "My Mom's been the one to make sure that things get done," he said. "She's my 'paceset- ter.' " In addition to his parents' in- volvement, Milstone's own persever- ance and motivation have helped him to accomplish his goals. Before anyone would even consider looking at his computer proposals, several letters had to be written. At age 12, Milstone decided to enter his gerbil, Sahara, in the Gui- ness Book of World Records as the oldest-living gerbil. He sent all let- ters and necessary documentation (kept.by his mother) to support his • case. - The average life span for a ger- bil is two-three years. After a week of media. attention, Sahara died at 8 years, 3 months. "I thought it would be nice for her to live on," Milstone said. Her stuffed body is on display in the Guiness Museum of World Records in Niagara Falls, Canada, next to the world's largest ostrich egg. Sahara still holds the world ti- tle. She and Milstone have been listed in the Guiness Book of World Records since 1980, as well as the Guiness Book of Pet Records. partment for the many floats he and his brother designed for Southfield parades. At 7, Milstone began a diary- like journal. During that same year, his grandfather, David Fox, intro- duced him to one of his favorite hob- bies — penny collecting. "My grandfather used to be a Detroit News paper boy, he said, "and he saved all the pennies he re- ceived from 1909 on. He told me stories of the Depression. He saved every penny so that he wouldn't ever Animals have always fascinated Milstone. "I like nice furry ones the best," he said. Everyone, except for Dad, has pets they call their own. Milstone owns Jet, a 2-year-old large white torn cat; his brother Jason has two quails, Quailbert and Quail- berta; his sister, Rebecca, has two gerbils, Romeo and Juliet; and Mom takes care of South American coc- kroaches (Blabberus Giganticus). About four inches in length at full adult size, the cockroaches eat only cat food. They don't resemble the household cockroach, however, but look more like the prehistoric Trilobite. said Milstone. He once took them to school for a project, and discovered they pos- sessed unique abilities. "They fly," he said. "They landed on girl'slswea- ter, and when she screamed, they gave off a vinegar-like odor. My mom takes care of them now. She likes them," he said. At age 8, Milstone, a 4-H member, received 50 of these "pets" from Michigan State University. They now number 100. "We give them away to schools," he said. The family also owns several other "pets" — now away "at school." They consist of 11 spiny mice — so named because of their porcupine-like fur when frightened, one cockatiel and two hampsters. In the past, the family has owned goldfish, an albino rabbit, and a fer- ret, a weasel-like animal. The ferret was returned to its original owner, however, when it was discovered that he possessed a skunk-like "per- fume," said Milstone. "At one time," said Milstone, "our whole family room was filled with ten-gallon aquariums contain- ing mice, gerbils and hamsters." Milstone's quest for fame began at an early age. At 6, he began to enter numerous art contests. He won many awards for posters and draw- ings. The Woodland Medical Group of Novi selected a drawing of his for its Children's Health and Art Color ing Book. Milstone also has a collec- tion of ten trophies received from the Southfield-Lathrup Recreation De- have to be poor again," Milstone said. Fox presented his grandson with a collection of 500 pennies — rang- ing from 1909 to 1950. "Some were already in collector's folders," Miles- tone said. "The quality of the. coins were excellent." Today, Milstone owns approxi- mately 10,000 pennies — all catalogued through his computer. Someday, said Milstone, he would like to pass this collection down to his own children. Milstone became interested in photography at 8. He entered several of his pictures in the Levitt Literary Contest at Temple Beth El, and a picture of a tree,, with a quote from the Bible, won an award. A total of 30 books were his awards' for the other categories entered in this con- test, through the years. , Milstone's interest in comic bo ok Continued on next page Aaron Milstone and his "empire?' f. 71 )"