LIFESTYLES
RAPHAEL
SALON
PROFILE
Howard Tapper: Community Volunteer
CARLA JEAN SCHWARTZ
Local Columnist
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PHILOSOPHY: "I think I'm here for a
purpose. I'm here to make the world a
better place. First and foremost is my
family and then the community."
NAME: Howard Joseph Tapper
AGE: 41
OCCUPATION: Jeweler and owner of
Tapper's Jewelry in Southfield.
FAMILY: He is married to Susan Berlin,
a bookkeeper at Tapper's. He has two
children: a daughter, Marla, and a son,
Mark. His brother, Steven, is an
associate in the business. His sister,
Barbara Goldman, also works at
Tapper's.
EDUCATION: He was graduated from
Wayne State University with a
marketing degree. He has a diamond
grading certificate from the Gemological
Institute of America.
(
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RESIDENCE: Bloomfield Hills
SYNAGOGUE: Congregation Beth Shalom
ORGANIZATIONS: He is a board member
of Hebrew Free Loan, Variety Club and
City of Hope. He is active in the Jewish
Welfare Federation and the Jewish
Community Center.
FAVORITE BOOK: The Haj by Leon Uris
and The Chosen by Chaim Potok.
HOBBIES: Tennis and fishing.
LATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT: "Being
elected president of Hillel Day School."
BACKGROUND: Howard Tapper was
raised in northwest Detroit on Biltmore
attending Bow, Coffey and Henry Ford
High School. His father, Morris, was a
salesman and worked at National Dry
Goods. His mother, Regina, became a
widow at age 39 and in her final years
worked at Tapper's Jewelry.
Tapper developed entrepreneurial
skills early. At age nine he was cutting
lawns in his neighborhood. As a teen-
ager he often had more than one job at
a time. Some of his work experience
includes selling food at Tiger Stadium
and the State Fair, working at Larco's
and selling an alternative newspaper
during the newspaper strike..
The job that had the most influence
on Tapper's life was at E.L. Rice, a
jewelry store on Wyoming owned by
Norman Allan, where Tapper began
working at age 15. He stayed for 11
years. Larry Allan, Norman Allan's son,
was a mentor. "I was impressed with
the people in the business," says Tapper.
In 1973, the year Tapper was
married, he worked at Meyer Jewelry
and eventually became the diamond
buyer. In 1977, he opened his Southfield
store, which has expanded four times.
Tapper is proud that one-third of his
employees are family members,
including his in-laws, Stan and Trudy
Berlin.
Tapper's first trip to Israel in 1980
was inspiring, for when he returned he
became active in the Jewish community.
He was honored by the City of Hope
and received the Frank A. Wetsman
Young Leadership Award from the
Jewish Welfare Federation in 1988. He
is studying with different rabbis to
learn the Jewish heritage. "I try to live
my life through the same things I
learn." 111
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