soul

of blessed memory

A Life Well Lived Filled With
“Family, Philanthropy And Fun”

SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

M

adeleine “Madge” Berman
was a lifelong supporter of the
arts, an advocate for animals
and humane education, and a woman
of wit, wisdom and presence who made
an indelible impact on Metro Detroit.
She died Feb. 5 in her Franklin home at
age 90.
Born in Detroit in 1927, Madge had
a love of the arts that began early. She
was drawn to music and became an
accomplished pianist. “As a child,” her
daughter, Ann, said in her eulogy, “I
remember listening in awe as she and
her father played together, Grandpa on
the violin and Mom on the piano.”
After graduating Miss Newman’s
School, Madge went on to receive
a bachelor’s degree in music from
Northwestern University, a master’s
degree in speech and communication
from Wayne State University (WSU)
and a job writing musical and theatrical
criticism for the Birmingham Eccentric.
As her two children reached their
teens, she began devoting her time to
civic causes, many rooted in the arts.
In the role of special projects director
for the Detroit Central Business District
Association, Madge planned perfor-
mances of theater, music and dance in
Detroit’s public parks.
She also pioneered auction activities
to raise funds for public television sta-
tion WTVS and participated in creating
Friends of WDET, the public radio out-
let run in conjunction with WSU.
These were only the beginning. Rabbi
Aaron Starr of Congregation Shaarey
Zedek, who led her funeral service,
spoke of Madge’s lifelong impact and
the breadth of her community affilia-
tions.
“As a leader and investor in the arts,
Madge Berman charted a course for the
future that brought Detroiters together
as dreamers and storytellers,” the rabbi
said, noting the “tremendous network
of friends” she established while head-
ing up projects.

ARTS ADVOCACY

Madge and her late husband of 66
years, businessman and philanthropist
Mandell “Bill” Berman, who died a
little more than one year ago, provided
transformative leadership and support
for the Metro Detroit community.
The couple envisoned and built the
Berman Center for the Performing

Arts at the Jewish
Community Center
in West Bloomfield
to showcase world-
class entertainers
and provide a stage
for emerging local
talent.
“I had the great
honor of working
with Madeleine
Berman for the last
few years as CEO
of the JCC,” Brian
Siegel said. “Madge
was a person you
could never forget.
Her passion for the
arts and the Berman
Center was extraor- Berman
dinary.
“She had great
goals for the Berman and received
support for her vision at every turn
because she was a powerful leader.”
Madge Berman was a major support-
er of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra
(DSO). A string quartet of symphony
musicians played at her funeral, and
Anne Parsons, president and CEO,
spoke as well.
Parsons told of her admiration for
Madge as the two became personal
friends, and she also saluted the cou-
ples’ support of the DSO’s Civic Youth
Wind Ensemble and for Classroom
Edition, which streams symphonic con-
certs into Detroit’s public and charter
schools. She described how Madge
would sit in Detroit classrooms with
young students, noting their reactions
to the webcasts.
“She wanted to make the experience
more impactful,” said Parsons, explain-
ing how Madge talked with young lis-
teners to obtain their input for program
improvements.
“She expanded opportunities for
access and made generous commit-
ments. Madge held herself and others
accountable for pushing boundaries to
realize what some thought were impos-
sible dreams. She had a voice and spoke
her mind. She lived a life of service.”
Wayne Brown, president and CEO
of Michigan Opera Theatre (MOT),
praised the Bermans for their more
than 25 years of service as trustees and
major benefactors of local opera.
David DiChiera, MOT founder, said,

“I am so saddened
by the loss of my
dear friend Madge.
For so many years,
I have enjoyed her
personality with its
warmth, intelligence
and wit. The depth of
her commitment to
so many social and
cultural issues, both
locally and nation-
ally, was much to be
admired.”
The Detroit
Institute of Arts was
also a longterm ben-
eficiary of the cou-
ple’s generosity. And
the Berman Family
Foundation was one
of the first small
foundations to make a major donation
to the DIA’s $100 million contribution
to the Grand Bargain, the plan that
saved the DIA’s artwork during the
city’s recent bankruptcy crisis.
Madge Berman’s support of the arts
was local, statewide and national. She
initiated and implemented a plan for
the establishment of the first Detroit
Arts Council and was appointed by
Mayor Coleman Young as one of
seven original members of that board.
In 1981, she was appointed to the
Michigan Council of the Arts and, in
1983, she was appointed as vice chair of
the council by Gov. James Blanchard, a
position she held until 1990.
In 1994, Madge Berman was appoint-
ed by President Clinton to serve on the
President’s Committee for the Arts and
Humanities, serving two terms, and in
2009, President Obama reappointed her
to serve on the committee.
She served on the boards of the
Detroit Community Music School,
the Archives of American Art and the
Music Hall for the Performing Arts in
Detroit. And she was an early board
member of Concerned Citizens for the
Arts in Michigan, where she originated
the idea of the Michigan Governors
Arts Awards. As a board member of
Americans for the Arts, a national
arts advocacy organization, she was a
recipient of the group’s Legacy Award
in 2004.
But arts advocacy was only one of
Madge Berman’s passions: She was

also an avid lover of animals, domestic
and otherwise. An emeritus member
of the board of the Detroit Zoological
Institute, she established the Madeleine
Berman Academy for Humane
Education where children are taught to
honor the relationships between all liv-
ing things.
“Madge was such an extraordinary
advocate for helping people learn how
to help animals,” zoo director Ron
Kagan said. “She was so strong in her
determination to help people be com-
passionate toward humans and non-
humans. She influenced so many deci-
sions we made.”
Madge was also a member of the
executive committee of the Michigan
Humane Society, where she worked
with public schools to support humane
educational efforts. The society’s
Berman Animal Shelter in Westland,
funded by the couple, is a major adop-
tion and veterinary center.

MADGE THE PERSON

At the funeral, son Jonathan talked
about Madge Berman the person, and
said his mother’s life was a life well
lived, filled with family, philanthropy
and fun.
“You can’t talk about Madge Berman
without talking about funny,” he said.
“She was a master craftsman when it
came to using humor to lighten the
world.”
He recalled nightly meals around the
white tablecloth-covered table at the
house. “Within minutes, Mom, Ann
and I would begin the ritual of creating
mirth,” he said.
“With Mom at the helm, we cre-
ated songs, make-believe people with
hilarious names and skits. And she
would bring us to our knees with crazy
Russian accents, until the ever-present
straight man, Bill Berman, would put a
stop to all this nonsense, knowing that
tomorrow night would come our next
performance. This also went on with
the next generation, as her three grand-
children can attest.”
Jonathan also admired that his moth-
er was on the right side of history when
it came to the Vietnam war. “And here,”
he said, “she was a big influence on me.
Mom didn’t just talk about how wrong
it was that our troops were in Vietnam.
She stood up and did something about
it. She paid for anti-war ads in news-

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February 22 • 2018

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