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Enduring Friendship

It's all about having a positive outlook.

Ed and Betty Klein and

Sue Pearl
Special to the Jewish News

Arthur and Dotty Smith

have maintained their
friendship for 65 years.

M

ore than 65 years ago, a wonder-
ful friendship was formed among
four individuals. This friendship
grew slowly and evolved into a close, life-
long bond that continues.
Arthur and Dotty Smith and Ed and
Betty Klein met in 1946 while attending
Wayne University (now Wayne State) in
Detroit. During college, both couples mar-
ried. The Kleins married Jan. 25, 1948, and
the Smiths' wedding followed two days
later.
Ed Klein, 87, Betty Klein, 84, and Arthur
Smith, 87, all were born in Detroit. Dotty
Smith, 84, was born in Philadelphia, but
moved to Detroit by the time she was a
year old.
In 1946, after serving in the Army for
three years, Ed enrolled at Wayne to study
accounting. Betty enrolled to study elemen-
tary education. They met when he asked to
share her locker.
"Betty and I ended up sharing a locker
because there were more students than
lockers at the time," Ed recalls. "I went up
to Betty and asked if she had room for me
in her locker. She answered yes, and the
rest is history. We got along pretty well and
everything just clicked.
"Not long after we got married, I quit
college to help my father out in our fam-
ily's growing business, Klein's Department
Store:' he said. "Betty also dropped out of
college because she became pregnant with
our first child. After our kids got older,
Betty also worked at our family's depart-
ment store." -
Following his service in the Navy, Arthur
Smith also attended Wayne State in 1946.
He graduated with his degree in account-
ing, later earning his CPA. Dotty received
her degree in special education. They met
at a Hillel dance.
"After I met Dotty, I had my brother
call her up and ask her out on a date for
me:' said Arthur, who claimed to be very
shy when he was younger. "I know Dotty
thought I was a jerk for not asking .her out
myself, but luckily her sister convinced her
to go out with me anyway. We began dating
and, a year or so later, I proposed to Dotty
on her birthday."
Dotty recalls advice from her older sis-
ter. "She told me, 'You can marry Arthur
because we like him, but you will finish
college, get your degree in special educa-
tion, and get a teaching job — then we
can talk about children!' Well, I took her

30

October 11 • 2012

"We don't look for the negative in our friendship;
we only look for the positive."

- Ed Klein

advice"
Soon after both weddings, the couples'
friendship blossomed. "We started doing
everything together; said Betty. "Dotty
even came with me to the doctor's office
the day I found out I was pregnant for the
first time. I remember it quite well because
when I walked out into the waiting room
after my appointment, she shouted out, `So,
are you pregnant?' After that, everybody
knew!"
The Kleins' children, Marsha, Steven and
Howard, and the Smiths' children, Mindy
and Fred, always treated one another as
cousins. They addressed each other's par-
ents as aunt and uncle. "We lived in Detroit
in the same area as Dotty and Arthur until
1965, when we bought our house in West
Bloomfield," said Betty. They are in that
same house today. "We had a pool in our
backyard and every weekend we would
have a get-together with Dotty and Arthur's
family. We now have three wonderful
grandsons and a great-grandson:'
The Smiths raised their children in
Detroit until moving to Southfield in 1967.

They have lived in their West Bloomfield
condo for 18 years now They also have
three grandchildren.
Through the years, the Smiths and the
Kleins have always socialized together.
They had a big group of friends they trav-
eled and went out to dinners with. Now
Arthur and Ed are the only men left in the
group.
"I'm in a harem with no benefits:' Arthur
said with a big grin.
For more years than they can remember
now, the Smiths and the Kleins have cele-
brated their anniversaries with one another.
They often spend Shabbat dinner together,
too. Dotty prepares the weekly meal for at
least 10-12 family members and friends.
And both couples are active at
Congregation Beth Ahm in West
Bloomfield. Back in 1965, when the syna-
gogue was originally called Beth Abraham
and located in Detroit, Dotty was the
second vice president and the first woman
board member. "I remember during the
installation, women at that time were not
allowed on the bimah," she said. "When it

was my turn to be appointed,
all the other male board
members had to come down
and stand next to me on the
floor."
Arthur Smith also
served on the board and
as president in 1992. He
is still on the board of the
Beth Abraham Cemetery
Association.
Ed Klein attends services
at Beth Ahm every Saturday.
The Smiths jokingly say that
"Eddie does the praying for
all of us!" Both Kleins also
volunteer several times a
week at Yad Ezra in Berkley.
The Kleins and the Smiths
not only have a great rela-
tionship within their friend-
ship, but also as individual couples in their
own marriages.
When asked the secret to a good mar-
riage, Ed said, "You need to adjust to each
other's feelings. We always work out our
disagreements."
Betty added, "Don't ever be afraid to say
you are sorry. Never carry a grudge. We
always kiss goodnight and good morning:'
Ed recalls a story from many years ago
when he almost forgot his anniversary.
"I decided to buy Betty roses — a red
rose for every year we had been married
and one white rose for the coming year."
Almost 65 years later, Ed continues this
tradition.
The Smiths have their own advice on
marriage. Arthur said, "We are partners.
We always do everything together. We don't
sweat the small stuff. If we have an argu-
ment, it blows over the next day:
Dotty said, "The most important part of
marriage is to always listen to your partner
and make decisions together. We also just
enjoy being together, and we laugh a lot!"
It seems both couples have similar advice
when it comes to a good friendship as well.
Arthur said, "It all boils down to the fact
that we all just like each other a lot and we
all get along. "
Ed added, "We never point out the other
person's faults. We don't look for the nega-
tive in our friendship; we only look for the
positive."

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