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Obituaries

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A Humble Hero

David Sachs
Senior Copy Editor

I

f you'd met Nate Shapiro, he'd strong-
ly encourage you to visit one of his
fondest places, the Charles H. Wright
Museum of African American History in
Detroit.
Nate grew up in humble circumstances
in the old Black Bottom neighborhood
east of downtown and witnessed first-
hand the poverty and discrimination his
African American neighbors endured in
Depression-era Detroit. He was a child-
hood friend of future Detroit Mayor
Coleman A. Young and future UAW leader
Robert "Buddy" Battle, and they remained
close all their lives.
Mr. Shapiro, 87, died Jan. 3, 2007, of
complications after heart surgery.
"Nate, as a child, could not understand
why his friend Buddy could not try on
shoes in the same store with him," said
Rabbi Harold Loss of Temple Israel, who
eulogized him before an overflow audi-
ence at Ira Kaufman Chapel. "He could not
comprehend why, when they walked into a
soda shop and bought something to drink,
his good friend couldn't sit down next to
him and had to go outside'
The impact of Nate's early experiences
never left him. He regarded the economic
and civil rights struggles of blacks and
Jews as the same and dedicated his life to
fighting bigotry and improving the lives of
underprivileged Detroiters.
Pulling himself out of poverty, Nate
attended Cass Technical High School and
Wayne University in Detroit and become
an engineer. After World War II, while
working for Detroit's Public Lighting
Commission, Nate was passed over for
promotion. "His boss told him he had
gone as far as any Jew could ever hope to
go in this department," said Rabbi Loss.
This anti-Semitism prompted Nate to go
into business for himself.

STUART JAY BURNSTEIN, 56, of
Farmington Hills, died Jan. 4, 2007.
He is survived by his beloved wife,
Maxine Burnstein; mother, Harriet
Burnstein; sons and daughters-in-law,
Bryan and Brooke Burnstein of Freeland,
Mich., Kevin Burnstein of Farmington
Hills; brother and sister-in-law, Edward
and Judith Burnstein of Farmington
Hills; mother-in-law, Selma Gross; sister-
in-law, Sue Gross; many loving cousins,
nieces, nephews, other family members
and friends. He was the dear son of the

His firm, Consulting Engineering
Associates Inc., located near Mumford
High School in northwest Detroit, became
a springboard for Nate's philanthropic and
mentoring activities. He personally paid
for the college educations of 100 Detroiters
and supplied jobs at his firm for many
Mumford students.
While `IV students could get scholarships,
"he concentrated on minority kids who
got 'Bs' and 'Cs' in high school," said son
Fred Shapiro. "They were falling through
the net." Through his help, many attended
United Negro College Fund schools. In
1985, Nate received the UNCF's Lou Rawls
Award for dedicated service and support.
"Nate has been a beacon for helping the
have-nots," said longtime friend Charlie J.
Williams, a former deputy Wayne County
executive. "He was a fighter for people'
Nate was also a heroic fighter in World
War II, enlisting in 1940 as a private and
returning after the war as a major. He
served in the Army, Army Air Corps and
Army Corp of Engineers. He fought at
Normandy on D-Day and in the Battle
of the Bulge. He helped liberate Eisenach
concentration camp near Weimar,
Germany.
He earned four Purple Hearts, a
Distinguished Service Cross, three Bronze
Stars and a Silver Star. Gen. Charles de
Gaulle presented him with the Croix de
Guerre, France's highest wartime honor.
Nate's World War II experiences further
engrained in him the evil of bigotry. He
was put in charge of an all-black unit
because he was the only white officer who
would accept the role. And he was dev-
astated by the horrors of the Holocaust,
which he witnessed at Eisenach.

A Fighter For Justice
Before the war, Nate was involved in the
beginnings of the labor movement. He,
along with his friend Buddy Battle, were
victims at the "Battle of the Overpass"

late Harold Burnstein; son-in-law of the
late William H. Gross.
Interment at Machpelah Cemetery.
Contributions may be made to the
Michigan Humane Society or to a char-
ity of one's choice. Arrangements by
Dorfman Chapel.

MICHAEL ALAN CARRIS, 46, of
Cottonwood, Ariz., died Dec. 8, 2006.
He is survived by Laura Carris; daugh-
ter, Karen Carris; parents, Harry and
Arline Carris of Margate, Fla.; brother,

when security guards at Ford's Rouge
plant assaulted UAW picketers in 1937.
In the 1950s and '60s, he aided the civil
rights movement in the South, participat-
ing in freedom marches and registering
voters.
Nate opposed the anti-Semitic rhetoric
of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan
and openly fought efforts to legitimize
him.
"Jews and blacks have really gotten
estranged over the last few decades, and
that really broke his heart;' said son Fred.
"And he did everything he could to try to
rebuild a very important alliance because
Jews and blacks really have much of the
same interests and goals and some of the
very same enemies."
Nate served on numerous boards,
including the Detroit NAACP, the
Michigan Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday
Commission, the Wright Museum, Citizens
for Better Care and Temple Israel.
Among the myriad honors he received
were the Distinguished Warrior Award
from the Detroit Urban League, the
Humanitarian of the Year Award from the
Federal Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday
Commission and the first Community
Activist Award from the Jewish
Community Council of Metropolitan
Detroit.
"At Council, he helped underwrite
some very important projects including
the Youth Ambassadors Program, which
identified extraordinary high school stu-
dents in the city of Detroit and sent them
on a trip together to Israel:' said former
Executive Director David Gad-Harf.
Speaking at the funeral, local NAACP
president Rev. Wendell Anthony called
Nate "one of God's best." Mayor Kwame
Kilpatrick said, "Thank you, Nate Shapiro,
on behalf of all Detroiters."
"Dad was a man of extreme humil-
ity and modesty:' said daughter Susan
Shapiro. "He often did his good deeds

he. -

Matthew Carris of
Boca Raton, Fla.; sister
and brother-in-law,
Jodi and Adam Becker
of Bloomfield Hills;
nephews, Eric and Ryan
Becker.
Contributions may
Carris
be made to a char-
ity of one's choice.
Arrangements by Westcott Funeral Home
in Cottonwood.

Nathan Shapiro entering his beloved

Charles H. Wright Museum of African

American History in Detroit

anonymously. He was as moved in help-
ing a homeless woman as he was in doing
big acts of charity. He tried to change the
world both at the macro and at the micro
level."
Daughter Nancy Shapiro-Pikelny, who
remembers her father as a fun-loving dad,
cannot completely fathom the scope of his
humble altruism.
"There are probably thousands of sto-
ries we will never know of very humble
and secret gestures that he made to rescue
the souls of people who didn't have an
advocate."
Nathan Shapiro is survived by his wife
of 58 years, Ruth; children, Susan Shapiro,
Nancy Shapiro-Pikelny and Izhak Pikelny,
Ken and Carolyn Shapiro, Fred Shapiro
and Carol Rosenberg-Shapiro; grandchil-
dren, Motti Pikelny, Noam Pikelny, Erin
Shapiro, Zachary Shapiro; sister, Mildred
Cooper.
Mr. Shapiro was the beloved son of the
late Bella and the late Sam Shapiro and the
cherished brother of the late Ann Shapiro.
Interment was at Clover Hill Park
Cemetery. Contributions may be made
to Temple Israel Caring Committee, 5725
Walnut Lake Road, West Bloomfield,
MI 48323; NAACP, 2990 E. Grand Blvd.,
Detroit, MI 48202; American Civil
Liberties Union, 60 W Hancock, Detroit,
MI 48201; or Charles H. Wright Museum
of African American History, 315 E.
Warren, Detroit, MI 48201. Arrangements
by Ira Kaufman Chapel.

EDWARD "EDDIE" COHEN, 58, of
Rochester, died Jan. 5, 2007.
He is survived by his beloved wife,
Allyson Cohen; son, Jacob Levin of
Farmington Hills; daughters and son-in-
law, Natasha and Steve Matthews of Royal
Oak, Gabriella Giampetroni of Clarkston;
grandson, Lucas.
Contributions may be made to
the American Liver Foundation.
Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel.

Obituaries on page 72

January 11. 2007

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