looking back
In 1951, Mrs. J. Shurly Horowitz, Mrs. William Fogel, Mrs. Samuel Wexler and Mrs. Lewis Jackel review a street map in preparation for G-Day.
Each year, the Women’s Division of Federation hit the streets and went door to door to solicit for the Allied Jewish Campaign. The collected
money was then brought to the Michigan State Fairgrounds, where a headquarters was set up to count the donations. •
Courtesy Leonard N. Simons Jewish Community Archives
From the JN Foundation Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History
W
riting history is
often like a trea-
sure hunt. You
follow the clues wherever
they may lie to try to build
a complete story, and there
are always unexpected
discoveries. Now, I would
Mike Smith
like to think I am like
Detroit Jewish News
Indiana Jones searching
Foundation Archivist
for lost artifacts in exotic
places, but, alas, I do my
searching in the comfort
of an archives, online or with my trusty
smart phone. To this point, however, I had
an interesting conversation with Esther
Morrison, and her daughter, Nancy.
Esther is now living in Florida and is 99
54
August 16 • 2018
jn
years old. She has a fine memory and also
told me: “I still drive at night!” Mazel tov!
Nancy and Esther had read my story on
portable radios sold by “Boyer’s Haunted
Shacks” in the 1940s. They called me with
another clue — Esther’s husband, Justin
Morrison, had been a manager at the
Downtown Boyer’s Haunted Shack. So, I
went into the Davidson Digital Archives to
see what I could find.
I did find a few items on Justin Morrison.
After working in Detroit, he later moved
to Charlotte, Mich., and founded Charlotte
Auto Parts. The Morrisons then moved to
Lansing when Justin bought Kamin’s Auto
Parts there in 1965. He later became a
founder of the Michigan Automotive Parts
Association. And, along the way, Justin and
Esther were instrumental in the establish-
ment of Hillel at Michigan State University.
I still have not learned the origins of the
“Haunted Shacks,” but I now have another
clue to follow. Esther said the name of the
owner of the Haunted Shacks was Mark
Raffelson.
I could not find a photo of Justin or
Esther in the archives, but I did find a
photo of baby Emmett Justin Glass (Emet
Shmuel) in the March 22, 2012, issue of
the JN. Emmett was named in honor of his
great-grandfather Justin Morrison. And, I
figured, I can’t go wrong printing a baby
picture with my story! •
Want to learn more? Go to the DJN Foundation
archives, available for free at www.djnfoundation.org.