Community Dynamos
BILL CARROLL
Special to the Jewish News
A
synagogue fund-raiser
extraordinaire. The "busi-
ness doctor" who counsels
and advises those in busi-
ness. A native of the Philippines who
comforted U.S. prisoners during the
infamous Bataan Death March. A cou-
ple who operates a camp for kids with
cancer. A scientist whose research
helped improve the modern automo-
bile. The man who feeds a synagogue's
morning minyan. The "singing presi-
dent" of Hadassah who helps people
in Israel hear better. The "late
bloomer" who graduated from college
at 67 and is a social action whirlwind.
These are the "heroes" of the 11th
annual Eight Over Eighty program
sponsored by the Jewish Apartments
& Services. They will be inducted into
the Senior Adult Hall of Fame on
Sunday, May 16, at the Jewish
Community Center in West
Bloomfield. JAS relies solely on this
event to raise funds to provide low-
income residents with food subsidies
to take care of their daily kosher
meals.
This year's honorees are Alfred D.
Bricker, Jack Caminker, Nena Dillick
Evergreen in Detroit. This began a
long-time relationship between
Bricker, 83, and the synagogue, which
since has evolved into Congregation
Beth Ahm in West Bloomfield.
Bricker, a past president and mem-
ber of many synagogue committees,
has raised thousands of dollars for the
synagogue's annual dinner-dance and
ad book. In fact, he and his wife,
Lillian, who have been married for 56
years, will be honored by the 350-
member congregation May 23 for
their service to Beth Ahm. They have .
three children and two grandchildren.
Bricker is a 1939 graduate of
Detroit Central High School and
spent three years in the U.S. Army
during World War II, serving in the
Philippines and New Guinea. After
taking some accounting courses, he
started working as a typist for Wayne
County, leading to a 41-year career
there, the last 25 years as executive
director of the 8,000-member Wayne
County Employees Retirement
System. He's past president of the
Michigan Association of Public
Employees Retirement System.
The Brickers also have volunteered
many years as packers for the Yad Ezra
kosher food pantry.
"Raising money all these years for
Newman
Caminker
Kershenbaum
Bricker
Harwood
Sylvia and Harry Granader
Sacks
Eight Over Eighty honorees devote energies to diverse projects.
and Julius Harwood, all of West
Bloomfield; Sylvia and Harry
Granader of Beverly Hills; Bea Sacks
of Huntington Woods; and Belmont
Kershenbaum and Phyllis Ruth
Newman, both of Bloomfield Hills.
They have dedicated their time, tal-
ents and energies to improving the
metro Detroit community through
their exemplary volunteerism.
Here's a close look at the eight hon-
orees:
ALFRED D. BRICKER
When Bricker's son, Stuart, died 30
years ago in a motorcycle accident at
age 20, Bricker needed to be affiliated
with a synagogue to say Kaddish (the
prayer for the dead), and he chose
Beth Moses at Seven Mile Road and
Beth Ahm has been a labor of love,"
he said, "and I'm happy to do it to
help keep the synagogue flourishing."
JACK CAMINKER
Caminker, 81, is a "doctor" who still
makes "house calls." Detroit-area busi-
ness owners know him as the "business
doctor" who spends about 25 hours a
week at downtown Detroit's Federal
Building and traveling around the
business community working for the
Small Business Administration. He
counsels and advises young men and
women just going into business on all
facets of business, such as negotiating
leases or settling problems with their
landlords.
With the Detroit Executive Service
Corps, he volunteers to help churches,
charity groups and other non-profit
organizations; serves on Detroit city
committees aiding school system exec-
utives; works with the Chamber of
Commerce and Red Cross helping for-
eign small business owners, and
instructs engineers on the business
part of their careers.
"I've been in the world of commer-
cial real estate for more than 40 years,
so I've tried to put my experience to
good use helping young business peo-
ple," said Caminker, who was a U.S.
Navy enlistee at age 18, and a
University of Michigan graduate with
degrees in business and engineering.
He worked for Schostak Brothers &
Co., Berry and Seyburn, and
International Hotels & Midwest
Properties. He cites his efforts to
improve Detroit's Fisher Building as
one of his most memorable achieve-
ments.
A past president of Temple Israel,
Caminker is. still active on the board
of trustees and various temple corn-
mittees and with national B'nai B'rith.
He and his wife, Eve, whom he met
when she was a legal secretary in
Detroit, have been married 57 years.
They have four children, _eight grand-
children and four great-grandchildren.
NENA DILLICK
"I will release these prisoners in your
custody, but you must guarantee their
good behavior," barked the Japanese
commander of a prisoner of war
camp in the Philippines at the height
of World War II. He was talking to a
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