34 | OCTOBER 21 • 2021 

The third annual Howard 
Weingarten Memorial Baseball 
Outing and Awards Ceremony 
is in the books.
Even though attendance 
was less than expected (about 
30 people attended) last 
month because of the COVID-
19 pandemic, said event 
organizer Deby Lebow, more 
money was raised this year for 
Detroit PAL’s Diamond Sports 
Program than in the event’s 
inaugural year in 2019.
“I can’t wait to have the 
outing without the impact of 
COVID-19,” Lebow said.
Last year’s event was held 
virtually.
Event participants last month 
played baseball on the Willie 
Horton Field of Dreams at The 
Corner Ballpark, located in the 
footprint of Tiger Stadium at 
Detroit PAL’s first permanent 
home, and ate lunch.
Also on the outing agenda 

was the presentation of 
Howard Weingarten Memorial 
awards to Nyla Chames-
Williams, Noah McKinney and 
Aidan Pearson.
Lebow and Robert 
Jamerson, the Detroit PAL 
CEO, presented the awards 
to players in the Diamond 
Sports Program’s Tiny Tigers 
program for youngsters age 
4-8.
Coaches selected the 
award recipients, who were 
honored for their leadership, 
teamwork and responsibility.
The Diamond Sports 
Program provides baseball, 
softball, T-ball and coach-pitch 
opportunities for boys and 
girls.
Weingarten, a West 
Bloomfield resident who loved 
baseball and the Tigers, died 
in a car accident in 2018 at 
age 65. Lebow is his longtime 
significant other.

A red-shirt freshman year. A lost 
season because of the COVID-
19 pandemic. A bad case of 
COVID-19. Injuries.
All made Benji Jacobson’s 
first four years on the Tulane 
University men’s tennis team a 
challenge, to say the least.
Add a hurricane to the list of 
Jacobson’s challenges at Tulane. 
The dangerous and damaging 
Hurricane Ida, to be exact.
The imminent arrival of the 
powerful storm in New Orleans 
caused Jacobson to quickly 
catch a 6 a.m. Aug. 28 flight 
home to Bloomfield Hills.
He spent time in Michigan 
and New York — where he met 
up with Tulane tennis teammates 
Billy Suarez from New York 
City and Fynn Kuenkler from 
Germany and watched a little 

of the U.S. Open 
tennis tournament 
— while he was 
away from Tulane.
He started online 
classes Sept. 13 
and finally returned 
to New Orleans 
on Sept. 24, three 
days before the 
resumption of 
in-person classes.
Because his dormitory was 
damaged by the hurricane, he 
stayed in a downtown New 
Orleans hotel with other dorm 
residents until Oct. 11, when 
all the dorm residents were 
allowed to move back into the 
dorm.
“The school moved our stuff 
from the dorm to the hotel and 
back to the dorm,” Jacobson 

said. “I appreciated that.”
Debris on the sides of 
roads and blue tarps on 
roofs weren’t the only 
ramifications of Hurricane 
Ida that Jacobson noticed 
when he returned to 
Tulane.
“There was a horrible 
smell of sewage in the air,” 
he said.
How is tennis going 
for Jacobson? He went 2-3 in 
a season-opening tournament 
at Mississippi State. A strained 
hamstring slowed him down, but 
Jacobson feels he’s getting back 
to 100% health.
“I’m praying for a normal rest 
of my senior year,” he said. “All 
I want to do is go to school and 
enjoy playing tennis and being 
in New Orleans.”

Howard Weingarten Baseball Outing 
Hits a Home Run for Detroit PAL

Hurricane Ida Sends Tulane Tennis Player 
Back Home to Bloomfield Hills

Benji Jacobson

TULANE UNIVERSITY
DEBY LEBOW

Deby Lebow with Howard Weingarten 
Memorial Award recipient Aidan 
Pearson (right) and his brother, 
Mi’Kale Young.

quick hits
BY STEVE STEIN 
continued from page 33

The Senior & Caregiver 
Resource Network of Jewish 
Family Service presents 
“Bringing the Soul to Life” with 
medium Lori Lipten, Thursday, 
Oct. 28, from 
7-8:15 p.m. on 
Zoom.
This past year 
has taught us that 
the unexpected 
can happen at any 
time. And many 
of us are still 
coping with the loss of a loved 
one. Join JFS for a healing 
experience with Lori Lipten as 
she discusses the soul’s journey 
through death and the afterlife, 
based on her experiences as a 
shamanic medium and Akashic 
records reader.
Lori Lipten holds a master 
of arts in clinical and human-
istic psychology and serves 
thousands of clients around the 
world as a shamanic medium, 
intuitive guide and healing 
force. Lori brings insights and 
messages from loved ones in 
Spirit and Divine Messengers to 
heal, inspire and empower. She 
is also a shamanic healer pro-
viding shamanic healing meth-
ods, mentoring, coaching and 
spiritual psychotherapy to serve 
mind, body and spirit.
Proceeds raised from this 
fundraising event will help pro-
vide emergency assistance for 
older adults served by Jewish 
Family Service.
Tickets are $38. For sponsor-
ship information or to purchase 
tickets, visit SACRN.org/event 
or call (888) 458-0667. To pur-
chase raffle tickets for a chance 
to win $3,000, contact Paula at 
(513) 317-5088. 

Jewish Family Service 
Event Features 
Medium Lori Lipten

Lori Lipten

