MAY 20 • 2021 | 101
M
ort Harris of
Bloomfield Hills,
international
industrialist, philanthropist
and decorated WWII
veteran, passed away on
May 5, 2021. He was 101.
Harris co-founded
American Axle &
Manufacturing (AAM), a
multi-billion-dollar global
Tier 1 automotive supplier.
“The AAM family was
saddened to hear of the
passing of Mort Harris,”
said AAM Chairman and
CEO David C. Dauch in
a statement. “Mort was a
great man and a special
person that meant so much
to so many. He certainly
had a strong and positive
influence on all that knew
him.”
Harris was born April
11, 1920, in Detroit. He
was confirmed at Temple
Beth El. He graduated from
Central High School and
began studying engineering
in 1939 at Wayne University,
the forerunner of Wayne
State University (WSU).
A true patriot, Harris left
school to enlist in the
WWII effort.
As a member of the U.S.
8th Air Force, famously
known as the “Mighty
Eighth,” Harris became
known as the “Berlin
Kid” for the decisive
B-17 bombing missions
he flew over the German
capital. Two of Harris’ 33
missions included passes
over the beaches
of Normandy
on D-Day; he
survived two crash
landings in the
North Sea.
For his heroism
and distinguished
service in battle,
Harris was
awarded three
U.S. Distinguished
Flying Crosses, six air
medals, a presidential
citation, the Polish Medal
of Honor and the French
Legion of Honor, France’s
highest decoration.
For all his success, like
many of the Greatest
Generation, Harris
remained a modest and
humble man who never
sought out recognition
for his accomplishments,
either on the battlefield,
in business or in his
philanthropic endeavors,
for which there were many.
It was a lesson he learned
form a very young age
according to Harris’ first
cousin, Ed Levy Jr., 90, of
Birmingham.
“It was my father who
taught Mort and I that
money has three purposes,”
said Levy Jr. “One, to put
a roof over your head and
that of your family and
food on the table. Two, to
practice the free enterprise
system and practice it not
only for your own benefit,
but for the benefit of the
people that helped you
make it. And three,
if there’s anything
left over, it should
go to good causes.
He took that very
seriously.”
Those sentiments
were echoed by
WSU President M.
Roy Wilson in a
statement: “Anyone
who has reached
his incredibly high levels of
success could be justifiably
proud, but that wasn’t
Mort,” Wilson said. “Despite
his financial success and his
many military and civilian
honors, Mort was humble
and kind, and he would
happily opt for a sandwich
over a five-star meal
because it was the people he
was with that mattered the
most.”
WSU was on the receiving
end of many generous
donations by Harris.
He made a $10 million
donation to the Wayne-
Med-Direct program for
students that WSU says
“creates a pipeline for
admission to Wayne State’s
School of Medicine.” A
recreation and fitness center
at WSU also bears Harris’
name.
The Detroit Symphony
Orchestra, Detroit Institute
of Arts, the Michigan
Science Center, Northwood
University, and community
organizations like the
Boys and Girls Clubs of
Southeastern Michigan,
Focus: Hope and Detroit
Public Television are just a
few of the beneficiaries of
Harris’ endless generosity.
Sadly, Harris lost both his
first wife, Edith, and second
wife, Brigitte, to illness. He
established the Edith Harris
Memorial Lecture Series
at WSU in her memory. A
$10 million contribution to
the Brigitte Harris Cancer
Pavilion at the Henry Ford
Cancer Institute just opened
in January, which was part
of $40 million in lifetime
giving to the health system.
He is survived by his
and Edith’s three sons and
Brigitte’s three children
from a previous marriage.
Harris is also survived by
his close and loving friend,
Sandy Morrison.
Harris remained active for
most of his 101 years and,
as recently as 2017, shocked
his cousin Ed, then 86, by
asking him to arrange for
what would be Harris’ first
trip to Israel at the age of
97. Three weeks later, the
two began an unforgettable
eight-day tour.
“Mort loved every minute
of it,” said Levy Jr. “He
couldn’t say enough about
what an eye-opener it was.
He even started saying
things like maybe he should
spend the rest of his life
there.”
A memorial service
for Mort Harris is being
planned for a later date.
Jewish War Veteran and Co-Founder
of American Axle
ALAN MUSKOVITZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Mort Harris