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The Best Temples
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"It was almost as if he had a vision,"
says Harry's brother, Hadar, a
pharmacist who lives in Bloomfield
Hills. He felt a tremendous need to
do this, and he pursued it with such
fervor.
The dream began when Harry, who
owns eight McDonald's franchises in
downriver Detroit, helped found two
Ronald McDonald Houses; one near
Children's Hospital in the Detroit
Medical Center complex, and one
adjacent to Mott Hospital in Ann
Arbor.
These houses provide free lodging
for parents whose children are in-
patients in nearby hospitals. During the
building of the Detroit facility, Harry
started visiting many of the young
cancer patients in Children's Hospital.
"The (Ronald McDonald) houses
were wonderful for the parents," Harry
says, "but I wanted to do something
directly for the children.
He says he was not motivated by any
personal or family experiences with
cancer.
"We were very fortunate to have
healthy children and grandchildren,
he says. "We're very grateful."
Harry, 83, and his wife Sylvia, who
have been married 55 years, live in
Beverly Hills. Both were born and
raised in Detroit. Harry attended
Central High School and was an All-
State football star. They have five sons
and six grandchildren. An accomplished
weaver and former art teacher, Sylvia
was a WASP (Women's Air Service
Pilot) during World War II, serving as
one of the first female Air Force pilots.
Despite his almost non-stop work
raising funds for Camp Mak-A-Dream,
Harry refers to himself as "semi-retired."
Sylvia works full time in the family
business, which is now run by their
youngest son, Gary.
Harry exhibited his concern for
children during his days as a
McDonald's franchise owner. His

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