Metro
A DEFINING LEADE
Applebaum from page 11
has to move. He's an outstanding
citizen and great for the Jewish
community and the Detroit area in
general. Whenever you invite him
to participate and be helpful — he
shows up and he's helpful!"
Changing Times
In 1998, at the age of 61, Applebaum
was the major beneficiary when CVS
Corp. bought Arbor Drugs for $1.48
billion in a stock swap. At that time,
the 207-store Arbor chain had about
45 percent of the retail drugstore
market in Southeastern Michigan
and had sales of about $1 billion a
year. Notably, three years earlier, the
224-store Perry Drug Store chain,
headed by Jewish businessman/
philanthropist Jack A. Robinson
of Bloomfield Hills, was sold to
Pennsylvania-based Rite Aid Drugs.
"When I worked at Merrill Drugs
at Greenfield and Puritan in the
late 1950s:' Robinson said, "Gene
Applebaum replaced me after I left
to open my first Perry store': recalls
Robinson, 80, who now operates JAR
Investment Group in Bloomfield
Township. "Like Gene, I believe in
focusing philanthropy on the com-
munity and children."
Applebaum has strong views on
today's retail drug business and sees
only CVS, Walgreen's and a few oth-
ers as the ultimate survivors.
"Everyone's in the pharmacy
business today — Costco, Meijer's,
Target, all of them. It's tough to sur-
vive. And the state's economy is in
very poor shape. I feel sorry for the
average customer who can't afford
the necessary medicines. What used
to be the middle class in America is
now closer to the lower class."
Having become a major philan-
thropist during his business career,
Applebaum maintains his philan-
thropic work at a rapid pace today,
mainly through the Applebaum
Family Foundation, which focuses
on Jewish education, medical initia-
tives and the arts.
"I still serve on various boards:'
he says, "and go to the office every
day,' which is Arbor Investments
Group in Bloomfield Hills, his link to
major local business deals.
Ability To 'Read' People
Lionel Margolick of Franklin,
an investment banker, has been
Applebaum's partner in various
business deals for the past 20 years.
"Gene has the uncanny ability to size
up and 'read' people when he meets
them for the first time': Margolick
says. "He's very perceptive. When I'm
not sure about a situation, I check
with Gene and he always provides
the correct advice. Needless to say,
I'm one of his greatest admirers:'
Applebaum misses some of his
longtime philanthropic and personal
friends, such as the late Max Fisher,
David Hermelin and Bill Davidson,
and the late Fred Marx of the Marx
Layne Co. in Farmington Hills, who
was his public relations counselor in
Arbor Drugs' heyday.
"Gene reminds me a lot of my
husband, Bill: said Davidson's wife,
Karen, of Bloomfield Hills. "He's a
hard worker, supports the Jewish
community above all and is pas-
sionate about Jewish education.
Everyone respects him and his word
is his bond, both in business and in
philanthropy. My husband had the
same characteristics and the same
moral integrity."
Philanthropy Variety
Some of Applebaum's current inter-
ests include support for Mandell
"Bill" Berman, 92, of Franklin in the
new Madeline and Mandell Berman
Performing Arts Center now rising
at the JCC in West Bloomfield, and
with the Cleveland Cavaliers bas-
ketball team, whose majority owner
is Quicken Loans Chairman Dan
Gilbert, 47, of Franklin.
Although not actually by design,
Applebaum's major philanthropies
reflect his passionate interests.
For his profession, he made the
largest individual gift in Wayne
State's history, $5 million toward
construction of the Eugene
Applebaum College of Pharmacy
and Health Sciences.
"I'm determined to play a leader-
ship role in assuring that future gen-
erations receive the best health care
education possible — right here':
he says, "and that good jobs stay in
Detroit and surrounding communi-
ties:'
Wayne State's president, Dr. Jay
Noren, points out that "many people
know about Gene's gift to the phar-
macy college, but not many realize
that he was the first chair of the
Wayne State Foundation for 10 years
and helped raise more than $500
million for the school. He has always
been very active and committed to
Wayne, attending events whenever
possible. He has a strong affection
for Wayne — and we have a strong
affection for him."
For his synagogue, Congregation
Shaarey Zedek of Oakland County,
Applebaum created the Beth
Hayeled Building and Jewish
Parenting Center in West Bloomfield.
Applebaum Campus
For the Jewish community in
general, Applebaum made one of
the largest capital gifts in its his-
tory, about $5 million, to expand
and beautify the 195-acre Jewish
Community Campus in West
Bloomfield. "It pays for the new
infrastructure and landscaping for
the campus and to maintain the
area in general:' he says. "My main
intent for the JCC was to make sure
it would be a great place for the kids
to go and have fun."
Also for kids, Applebaum set up
an endowment for the Applebaum
Village at Fresh Air Society's
Camp Maas in Oakland County.
Applebaum attended the camp for
three summers on scholarship.
In Israel, Applebaum co-founded
a child development center and
established a chair at the Weizmann
Institute of Science. For the field of
medicine, he helped create a surgi-
cal learning center at Royal Oak's
Beaumont Hospital, a neurosci-
ence center at the Mayo Clinic in
Rochester, Minn., and co-founded
the Hermelin Brain Tumor Center
in Detroit. He also has contrib-
uted extensively to the Detroit
Institute of Arts, Detroit Symphony
Orchestra, Michigan Opera Theatre
and other arts organizations.
"Gene is a unique leader of the
Jewish and general communities:'
said Detroit Jewish News Publisher
Arthur Horwitz, "and he probably
understands better than anyone the
exceptional relationship between
the two communities.
"We at the Jewish News continue
to value Gene's vision, leadership
and ongoing friendship': Horwitz
said. "It has helped us remain an
independent and dynamic Jewish
News that continues to play an
important role in shaping the com-
munity's future."
His philanthropy is expansive,
but Applebaum is always happy
to contribute to important causes,
especially to those for "the kids," as
he likes to say.
"I grew up and was educated
in Detroit:' he says, "and I want to
continue to do everything I can to
show my appreciation to the corn-
munity." 1 -1-1
Penske A Strong Detroit Booster
F
riends for many years, former drugstore mogul
Eugene Applebaum and transportation titan Roger
Penske have been "building" the Detroit communi-
ty for as long as they can remember, and they're always
ready to help children in the process.
That's why they readily agreed to be honored for their
community service on May 12 by the Jewish Community
Center of Metropolitan Detroit, receiving the JCC's
"Boneh Kehillah" award ("Builder of the Community").
Proceeds benefit children's programming at the JCC.
Applebaum's business achievements and philanthropy
are well known in the Jewish community. But exactly who
is Roger Penske, the former racecar driver, who is noted
for his civic and philanthropic work in Southeastern
Michigan in general?
An ardent Detroit booster,
Penske has been active for
more than a decade in major
initiatives that benefit the city
and the surrounding region.
He's a member of Buisness
Leaders for Michigan and
served as chairman of the host
committee for Super Bowl XL
Roger Penske
in 2006, helping to raise about
$12 million for the event. He
is a proponent of the M-1 RAIL project and currently
chairs the Downtown Detroit Partnership.
Penske is founder and chairman of Penske Corp., a
closely held, diversified transportation services company
whose subsidiaries cover retail automotive, truck leas-
ing, transportation logistics, transportation component
manufacturing and high-performance racing. Penske
Corp. manages businesses with revenues in excess of
$14 billion annually, operating in more than 1,800 loca-
tions worldwide, employing about 36,000 people.
Penske Corp. is well known locally for its racing
activities. Penske Racing has become one of the most
successful teams in the history of professional sports.
Competing in a variety of racing activities, cars owned
and operated by the company have recorded more
than 300 major race victories – including a record 15
Indianapolis 500 races.
A New Jersey native, and former high school football
player after the family moved to Ohio, a teenage Roger
Penske bought and repaired "junker" cars and sold
them at a profit. He attended his first Indy 500 race at
14; a few years later, he was racing cars himself profes-
sionally and enjoyed a successful racing career.
By 1965, Penske retired from racing to focus on busi-
ness, buying a Chevrolet dealership in Philadelphia that
became the foundation for Penske Corp. He and his
wife, Kathryn, have five adult children.
Penske, 73, of Bloomfield Hills, was unavailable for
comment about the JCC honor, but Penske Corp. donat-
ed a mini Smart car for auction at the awards gala.
Applebaum made a financial contribution to the event.
"We are delighted to be honoring these outstanding
leaders," said JCC Executive Director Mark Lit. "Their
commitment and dedication to Metropolitan Detroit as
well as Jewish community agencies such as ours allows
us to continue to grow and flourish in our mission."
❑
- Bill Carroll