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Family To Fight Will

CL

Old wounds fuel an upcoming court battle
over Irvin Abramson's will

DAVID ZEMAN STAFF WRITER

ne month after his death,
nieces and nephews of
millionaire Irvin Abram-
son stand poised to con-
test his will as revelations
continue to unfold about his
fractious family history.
Mr. Abramson -- who had
the look of a beggar and the fi-
nancial holdings of a tycoon —
died April 3 in Southfield, leav-
ing a will that awarded his en-
tire estate of more than $10
million to three Jewish chari-
ties.
Ten nieces and nephews,
from Royal Oak to Beverly
Hills, Calif., were snubbed in
the will.
But last week, an attorney
representing the relatives filed
papers in Oakland County Pro-
bate Court. While the papers
themselves offer no hint of a
court fight, at least two of the
relatives confirmed in . telephone
interviews that d'i4iiillinge was
i mminent.

0

Funding Frenzy

among surviving family mem-
bers under a formula set by
state law. (Members of Mr.
Abramson's immediate family
are all dead.)
The surge of interest in Irvin
Abramson's financial portfolio
began in early April, when he
died of heart complications at
age 82.
For much of the last two
decades, Mr. Abramson floated
from hotel to seedy hotel in a
rusty, junk-filled pink 1975
Cadillac. He had the disheveled
appearance of a vagrant, and
shunned the company of ac-
qunintances and distant fami-
ly members.

Urging the Legislature to continue
English classes for New Americans.

JENNIFER FINER STAFF WRITER

A

t this point, Barbara
Nurenberg, the executive
director of Jewish Voca-
tional Service (JVS), is be-
ginning to accept a harsh reality.
It appears the state will no
longer fund English as a second
language (ESL) classes, which
will severely impact the Russian
clients JVS assists, particularly
with job placement.
Still, Ms. Nurenberg and oth-
ers involved with the issue per-
sist with frequent trips to
Lansing, asking the Michigan
Legislature to provide some type
of mechanism that will allow for
the continued funding of ESL
classes.
Their efforts are in response
to a proposal by Gov. John En-
gler, who wants to cut state fund-
ing of adult education from $185
million to $65 million. ESL class-
es are offered through a school
district's adult-education pro-
grams.
Among those most impacted
in the Jewish community would

be the New Amer- Top: Older adults from the former Soviet Union learn
ican population, English at Northgate Apartments in Oak Park. Above:
who frequently Barbara Nurenberg looks for alternatives.
begin ESL class-
been funded almost completely
es shortly after their arrival in by Ferndale schools although the
the United States and rely on Jewish Federation of Metropol-
learning EngliSh as a means for itan Detroit picks up some of the
successfully gaining employ- costs.
ment.
Maureen McNulty, a
Most New Americans take spokesperson for the Michigan
their classes through Ferndale Department of Management and
Public Schools, which, in con- Budget, said the governor wants
sortium with the Southfield and to reduce the adult-education
Oak Park districts, services ap- budget because Michigan far out-
proximately 3,000 ESL students spends all other states in adult
per year, according to Barbara education. Gov . Engler main-
Stein, assistant director of adult tains that the state is not re-
and community education for ceiving a return on its
Ferndale.
investment because the literacy
At least 1,200 of those stu- rate here is almost equal to
dents are from the former Sovi- states that spend considerably
et Union and typically attend one
less.
of 11 daytime classes offered at
"With the endless demands on
the Jimmy Prentis Morris build- the state budget, the money is
ing of the Jewish Community not being properly targeted," Ms.
Center in Oak Park or one of the McNulty said. "We think fund-
six evening classes taught at
Jewish Vocational Service in
FUNDING page 24
Southfield. The programs have

ing in Bever ly
also dismissiVe of
had been drafte
Abramson by an attain
1986.
"I don't give it any credence,"
she said Tuesday. "I looked at
the will and I couldn't believe it
I don't believe he knew what he
really had" in surviving family
members.
Roger Myers, an attorney for
the relatives, declined to discuss
the case saying, "ViTe're still con-
ducting our investigation."
If the will is contested, it
could delay the distribution of
Mr. Abramson's estate for years,
even if the challenge is eventu-
ally found to be without merit.
On the other hand, if the will is
struck down, Mr. Abramson's
entire estate would be divided

=

a

4c

"good iealt and app mess
the will, but left, them nothi
In recent interviews with
0)
more than a dozen acquain
tances, Mr. Abramson was
uniformly described as con- c;
teraptuous of his various nieces —
and nephews, contending they >z,-
were more interested in his mon-
ey than in his welfare.

FAMILY page 10