jews d

in
the

continued from page 17

“I am highly honored to
be named a Churchill
Fellow. World War II was
about a relentless fight
for freedom against a
well-armed enemy. At
the outset, a successful
outcome was uncertain.
Churchill’s voice gave
us hope. His courage
was contagious.”

— MORTON “MORT” HARRIS

UPSCALE UPGRADED
CONDO STYLE HOMES

Spacious 2-br. ranch & 3-br.
townhome apartments
2-car attached garage
Full basement
Private entrance

ALL NEW!

*5$1,7(&2817(57236Ř60227+*/$66
7235$1*(Ř0$5%/()2<(5025(

33000 Covington Club Dr. 14 Mile west of Middlebelt
248.851.2730 KaftanCommunities.com

18

June 14 • 2018

jn

Harris added, “As a native Detroiter,
it was a joy to have two Detroit stu-
dents travel to Fulton with me and a
gift to share my World War II experi-
ences with them.”

HARRIS’ HISTORY

Harris flew 33 combat missions dur-
ing World War II, was shot down twice
and is pictured with fellow pilots in
Life magazine as a part of the flying
squadron that first bombed Berlin.
He was honored for leading a squad
of 12 B-17s to deliver cannons to the
town of Footman-Lilas, where French
freedom fighters and farmers used the
cargo to liberate the first major city in
France. This operation helped turn the
tide of the war for France, and Paris
was soon liberated from the Nazis.
After returning home, Harris
became a successful businessman
in Detroit, serving as president
of Mercier Corp. and later co-
founding Detroit’s American Axle &
Manufacturing Holdings Inc. in 1994.
Over the years, Harris and his late
wife, Bridgette, donated millions of
dollars to benefit the arts, education
and health care in Metro Detroit,
including the Cranbrook Garden Club,
Oakland Family Services, the Detroit
Symphony Orchestra, the Detroit
Institute of Arts, the Boys and Girls
Clubs of Southeastern Michigan and
other organizations. They also con-
tributed to Wayne State University,
where Harris attended college, and
where today the university’s recreation

ABOVE:
Churchill Fellow William Clark Durant III speaks
about Fellow Morton “Mort” Harris at the
Churchill Fellows ceremony.

and fitness center bears his name.
Last June, Harris donated $20 mil-
lion to facilitate cancer care and
research as part of a $40 million pack-
age to support the Henry Ford Health
System. Harris’ donation will help
fund the $155 million Brigitte Harris
Cancer Pavilion, a six-story outpatient
cancer center expected to open in
2019. The pavilion will feature special
gathering places for patient and care-
giver support groups, yoga classes,
music and art therapy, a rooftop third-
floor garden and a skywalk to connect
it to the 805-bed Henry Ford Hospital
in Detroit’s New Center neighborhood.
In addition to the Churchill Fellows
honor, Harris recently was pre-
sented with the Knight of the French
Legion of Honor medal by Guillaume
Lacroix, consulate general of France
in Chicago, on behalf of the president
of the French Republic, for his service
during World War II as a bomber pilot
in the U.S. Army Air Corps’ Eighth Air
Force, 95th Bomber Group, based in
Horham, Suffolk, England. The award
was created by Napoleon in 1802 and
is the highest national decoration of
the French Republic.
Additionally, Harris was a longtime
friend and business partner of the late
Detroit philanthropist Mandell “Bill”
Berman.•

