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He was 93. Performing for 80 years, he continued to entertain at the senior residence he called home for nearly a decade. Every Saturday evening, he captivated audiences in the theater with recorded music and commentary from his fascinating history in the music biz. He even capital- ized on the residents' growing musical interest by luring them into a chorus that rehearsed weekly and per- formed four times a year. A trumpet player from the age of 9, Mr. Aptekar graduated with a bachelor's degree in music from Wayne State University in Detroit and went on for post-graduate study at Columbia University in New York City. He taught music in Detroit at Eastern, Cooley and Henry Ford high schools. His professional musical career began at 16 while he was a student at Detroit Central High School, where he formed the Varsity Syncopators with his buddy Bernie Besman. Their very first job was in 1931, playing from nine to midnight at a second-floor dive in downtown Detroit. Since there was no piano, Milton had to rent Milton Aptekar one; and he and his friends lugged it upstairs with a promise from the bar owner that he would cover the $15 rental fee. Milton's father, Albert, had agreed to pick up the Syncopators in his car. As midnight approached, the band started to pack up, though the place was still hop- ping. The bar owner sauntered over. "Keep playing," he said. Milton reminded him they were hired only for three hours. "I said keep playing," the owner replied. But what convinced Milton to play on was the glint of the gun the bar owner flashed at him. Three hours later, with the crowd thinning out, the owner said, "Get outta here," and the Syncopators split — without a penny. Lifelong Connections While at Wayne State, Mr. Aptekar sought to join a fra- ternity. When told, "Sorry, pal, no Jews allowed," he and his Jewish friends formed Chi Omicron. Though the fraternity never shared a house, they remained lifelong friends. Among the surviving couples are Detroiters Sam and Bebe Barnett and Iry and Jean Rosen, all in their eighties or nineties. One summer day at a Chi Omicron picnic, Milt spotted a girl with the sweet smile of an angel. He asked around. She was taken. He turned to Sam Barnett."Sammy, what's that beauty doing with that guy? If you're really a swell pal," he said,"you'll get her to ditch him." Sam was a good friend indeed. Milton and Anne Molodofsky were married in 1940 and held hands throughout their 65-year marriage. In 1939, Mr. Aptekar joined forces with Gene Fenby and three others who taught in Detroit public schools. They called themselves the Fenby-Carr Quintet, "The Singing Schoolteachers." The group's entertaining mix of barbershop quartet, Dixieland jazz and standards quickly brought fame. Milton wrote all the vocal and instrumental arrangements. In 1955, Fenby-Carr introduced their music and witty repartee to a broader public on the television show Stump Us. Detroiters would propose song titles to challenge the band's encyclopedic knowledge of music. The show ended abruptly when another televi- sion station began broadcasting Liberace's program. The sponsor of Stump Us, Heckman's Crackers, pulled the plug on Fenby-Carr. Mr. Aptekar performed with Fenby-Carr for over six decades at countless weddings, bar mitzvahs, automo- tive industry events and conventions in and around Detroit. Among the many celebrities with whom they performed were Bob Hope, Ed Sullivan, Dinah Shore, George Gobel, Annette Funicello, Jimmy Dean, Count Basie, Pat Boone and George Kirby. For years, they played the Soap Box Derby in Akron, Ohio, and the Detroit Athletic Club and performed as the house band at the London Chop House. The band traveled frequently to lux- ury resorts like the Greenbrier in West Virginia, the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island and venues in French Lick, Ind., and Fort Lauderdale, Fla. They delight- ed audiences with their inventive blend of vocal and instrumental sounds, but they always returned to Detroit. Performing And Teaching Though tempted to go to Hollywood and seek his for- tune on a national stage, Mr. Aptekar, a child of the Great Depression, chose instead to keep his day job as a teach- er and school administrator in Detroit and take advan- tage of the entertainment needs of a rapidly expanding auto industry with its razzle-dazzle car shows. Ten years ago at age 84, Milton learned how to use a computer. Not one to miss out on the greatest tech- nological revolution he had ever witnessed, he became adept at arranging music, designing greeting cards for his family and friends and using the Internet. With his four children, Richard, Stuart, Lucy and Ken, and his grandchildren and great-grandchildren living in California, Boston, New York and Paris, he kept in daily contact through Skype video. Even in his final days, he was learning to use the social network- ing Internet service Twitter. Milton Aptekar is survived by his sons and daugh- ter-in-law, Richard Aptekar of California, Stuart Aptekar of California, Ken Aptekar and Eunice Lipton of France; daughter and son-in-law, Lucy Aptekar and Gerry Leader of Massachusetts; grandchildren, Jeff and Nicole Aptekar, Dan Aptekar, Nicole Aptekar, Rory Aptekar, Wren Aptekar Leader, Jody Leader and Paul McLean, Kristin Leader and Nicola Moscufo; great- grandchildren, Jerilyn McLean, Michela Moscufo and Emily Moscufo; brother and sister-in-law, Jerry and Jane Aptekar; and dear friends, Lu Teichman, Sam and Bebe Barnett and Iry and Jean Rosen. Donations in memory of Milton Aptekar may be made to Wayne State University Department of Music, 1321 Old Main, Detroit, MI 48202. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. ❑ AN Obituaries August 27 • 2009 65