Arts Life Sports Flour Greats Jewish Sports Hall of Fame will induct new class on Monday. ALAN HITSKY Associate Editor lir he Michigan Jewish Sports Hall of Fame will induct four new members at its annual dinner on Monday, Nov. 3, at Congregation Shaarey Zedek. In addition, two high school athletes of the year and the Bill Hertz Scholar Athlete will be honored. Michigan State University basketball coach Tom Izzo will receive the Alvin Foon Award and his predecessor, Jud Heathcote, will be master of ceremonies. This year's Hall of Fame inductees are former University of Michigan and Mumford High School basketball player Steve Fishman, long-time Detroit newspaper reporter and sports public relations director George Maskin, national yachting figure Eugene Mondry and squash champion Willie Stone. Willie Stone As an athlete at Detroit Central High School, 5'5" William "Willie" Stone competed in track, cross-country and basketball. He later was a fast-pitch soft- ball pitcher for B'nai Kith. But at age 24, he discovered the game of squash, and over the next 50 years accumulated more than 200 trophies in singles and doubles, from the club level to North American competiitons. He was Michigan Class C champion, won several Michigan doubles champi- onships in both Class A and B, was run- ner-up in Class B singles and a finalist several times in the state Class A singles. Stone gave up squash five years ago, at age 74, when he had both knees replaced. But he still plays tennis, win- ning a prize several years ago in Florida "for the slowest serve." "I'm kind of surprised and very hum- George Maskin The Michigan Jewish Sports Hall of Fame induction dinner will be held at Congregation Shaarey Zedek Southfield on Monday, Nov. 3. Cocktail hour and silent auction begin at 5:30 p.m. Live auction, seaecl dinner and awards cere- monies begin at 7. Tickets are 8125 (members) and 5150. Age 17-and-younger price is equal to person's age. For tickets, call Elavue Wolfson, (248) 788-0921. The Michigan Jewish Sports Foundation was founded by Alvin Foon in 1 . 984 to honor Jewish , sports figures who have distinguished themselves in IVIichigari. Significant funds are raised annually to support several charities, including the Hank Greenberg oncology Fund at the Detroit Medical Center. Projects include the Hank Greenberg Memorial Golf and Tennis Invitational, the annual Fame Games for developmentally disabled persons and camp and college scholarships. The MJSF is housed at the Jewish Community Center in West Bloomfield, where the Hall of Fame plaques are permanently displaye d. J14 10/31 2003 _ 82 The son of Russian immigrants who owned a candy store in Hamtramck, George Maskin always wanted to be a sportswriter. He began writing for the Detroit Times when he was a student at Detroit Northern High School. The Times hired him to cover Michigan State University sports while he was an MSU student; he served as sports editor of the State News. Returning to the Times in 1939, Maskin was a reporter, editor and colum- nist until the paper folded in 1960, except for 1941-45, when he served in the U.S. Army and wrote for Stars and Stripes. When the Times closed, Maskin joined the Detroit Pistons as public relations director and assistant executive manager. He traveled with the team, was public address announcer and occasionally served as TV color announcer. He has also been PR director for the World Hockey Association Michigan Stags and both Hazel Park Raceway and bled" about his Hall of Fame induction, Stone said. Its been a long time." He said squash has changed dramati- cally over the years. Today's rac- quets are larger and the balls, courts and scoring are different. "The new game is for the young and fast," he said. "In the William Stone old days, it took finesse and more brains than body." He owns William Stone Insurance Group in Southfield. Detroit Race Course. At the same time, he has been a regular official at high school, col- lege and other ama- teur sports. Even today, at age 86, he referees grade school and middle school vol- leyball matches. He remains one of approxi- George Maskin mately 25 Michigan voters for the national Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown "and I still sit in the press box at Tiger games — both the Tigers and the Pistons have been very nice to me," he said. Maskin lives in West Bloomfield and Boca Raton, Fla.