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Helen Salem ou
is surrounded
by lileitiOriCS

Public

Life

Helen Salamon retires from her
federal job, regreully.

JULIE EDGAR
News Editor

etirement, says Helen Sala-
mon, is "horrible."
She was always known
for her inability to sit still,
so a bad leg is a condition that leaves
her irritated rather than resigned.
There's nothing she can do about a
weakening heart.
"It's a terrible change of pace. I'm
not a person of hobbies. The Democ-
• ratic Party was my hobby, but that's
• gone. I'm at odds," Salamon said.
The first female graduate of her
law school class at the University of
Detroit Law School, Salamon recent-
ly left her job as penalties officer at
the U.S. Customs Service in Detroit
after 36 years of service. Her job
entailed investigating civil fraud, and
because of her expertise she became a
\- national resource for such cases. But
A don't ask her to talk about some of
the more interesting ones she
encountered; as a federal employee,
she is prohibited from talking
specifics.
In mid-March, at a farewell party
given by her colleagues, 175 people
showed up to wish her well, includ-
• ing a representative from Sen. Carl
,-) Levin's office. The occasion also was
marked by a letter from President
Clinton. Salamon believes that, at 89,
she was the oldest federal employee
ever.
Her speech that night was terse;
she essentially thanked her colleagues
for helping her to become a valuable
employee and said again that she did-
n't want to retire. Half her dining

room table is covered with the flot-
sam of the farewells: clocks, plaques,
a necklace, a lapel pin, a doll. She
doesn't know what she'll do with it
all.
Salamon, a Southfield resident
who emigrated to the United States
from Hungary in 1921, started her
career fairly late in life. After graduat-
ing from law school (second in her
class) in 1939 and becoming a mem-
ber of the bar, she became a "full-
time mommy" with the birth of
Peter. Later came Robert. Both are
orthopedic surgeons. Salamon's hus-
band, Stanley, a dentist, died in
1990.
Not that her status kept her at
home. Salamon steeped herself in her
sons' schooling and extra-curricular
activities and did some occasional
legal work. And she became deeply
involved in the Democratic Party,
thanks to George Edwards, a neigh-
bor who served as police commission-
er in Detroit and later became a judge
on the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of
Appeals. He urged her to work on G.
Mennen Williams' campaign for gov-
ernor.
It's clear from photographs that
Salamon was a player in those days.
There she is, clad in a crisp wool suit,
her eyeglasses all business, smiling
next to Adlai Stevenson in 1952,
shaking Harry Truman's hand, stand-
ing with John F. Kennedy during his
presidential candidacy in 1960,
Williams and gubernatorial candidate
John Swainson looking on. She twice
served as a delegate at the Democratic
National Convention, and in 1960
Salamon managed the senatorial cam-

paign of Patrick McNamara.
In 1962, at 53 years old, she
joined the U.S. Customs Service as a
beneficiary of the "spoil system"
prevalent in the world of partisan
politics. A fellow whom she had
interviewed for a customs collection
job called her and offered her a posi-
tion in the Fines, Penalties and For-
feitures division.
Her sons were both off to college
and "my husband was familiar with
my restlessness and said, 'Do as you
please.' I felt too young to retire at
that point," she said.
Salamon learned the job on the job
and gradually her reputation grew.
In a note apprising the staff of
Salamon's retirement, a supervisor
wrote that he learned more from her
than from anybody else in their divi-

sion.
"I would never be able to ade-
quately express the value that I placed
on having her on my staff. This lady
had more get up and go than most
people half her age and never did less
than her very best at any task," he
wrote.
Salamon brushes off the flattery.
She claims she doesn't want to be
turned into a "celebrity." And then
her phone rang. She gingerly got up
from her chair and shuffled to the
kitchen to answer it.
"Dear, let me call you back. I have
somebody here. Thanks," she said to
the caller.
"That was the office," she said
matter-of-factly. "Now what were we
talking about?" ❑

4/10
1998

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