its early years:' Katz
said of the DAC, which
was established in
1887. But by 1915,
there were none. "In
the 1970s, a few Jewish
guys were nominated,
but didn't get in" he
saidiews were not
asked to be in the club
until the 1980s, when
a few were admitted.
"Then there was the
whole issue of women
Jerry Solomon, Frank Mamat and Paul Meyer, all of West
in the late 1980s when
Bloomfield, Henry Wineman II of Bloomfield Hills and Ken
a few were admitted.
Katz of Huntington Woods listen to Rabbi Joseph Klein dur-
The barrier started
ing a discussion of the week's Torah portion.
to drop and the first
black members were
admitted in the early '90s. I don't think there
Katz added, "I know there are members
who come downtown the days of the minyan was a Jewish issue by the '80s on. By the '90s,
it was not an issue:
and Torah study just for this. I go early and
He added, "The club now, is really the
play squash for an hour first with another
epitome of diversity. We are welcoming to
minyan member."
everybody and have a committed member-
ship from all cultures and religions and all
Historically Speaking
areas of the community'
"The real irony is that the dub, which at one
An attorney, Mamat said in the late 1980s
point had no Jewish members, had promi-
when he joined the DAC,"There were not
nent members of the Jewish community in
too many other Jewish members, but it was
never an issue in my mind and never came
up.
"The DAC is not a place where religion
is an issue,' he said. "It's just a great club to
entertain clients, work out and participate
in activities. And at lunch, it's a who's who
of Southeastern Michigan doing important
business."
In addition to the minyan and Torah study,
Mamat said, "There is also a Catholic group
that meets, sometimes on the same Fridays
as we do. We hold separate services and have
had breakfast together with them a couple of
times afterwards.
"And on Passover, matzah brei (matzah
scrambled with eggs) is made in the DAC
kitchen and matzah is put in the bread bas-
kets:
Physical Changes
The DAC, whose membership Katz said
"now hovers around 3,500," was formed and
remains foremost an athletic club, where
tournaments and exhibitions of many types,
including boxing and swimming take place.
Katz, a 15-year DAC member who sat on
the dub's board of directors for five years
before becoming president, has been on
various committees including the DAC
Foundation.
His company, Conservation and Museum
Services in Detroit — which is involved in
the conservation and preservation of artistic
and historic works of art — was instrumen-
tal in conserving painted areas of the club.
"My staff and another company were
behind uncovering all of the original painted
and decorative surfaces first applied in 1915:"
Katz said.
"We had to remove 85 years of dirt, grime,
cigar and cigarette smoke and multiple layers
of paint. To my knowledge, except for two
rooms in the Michigan State Capitol and the
main dining room at Franklin Hills Country
Club, these walls and ceilings are the only
historically conserved, originally painted
surfaces to be seen in Michigan."
Katz's presidency stands out "because he
is so deserving of the position:' not because
he is Jewish, Mamat said. "It was historic that
Ken was elected after not being a longtime
member. He made himself known by being a
hard worker, being involved in many activi-
ties and serving on committees.
"The reason he is president is simple. The
membership saw him as a serious guy who
would do a good job."
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