OUR COMMUNITY
TOP: Dedication of the Eugene and Elaine C. Driker Trail on the east
end of Belle Isle in April 2022. MIDDLE LEFT: Eugene and Elaine were
avid bicyclists. Six weeks before he died, Eugene completed a 15-mile
bike ride in Glen Arbor, Michigan. MIDDLE RIGHT: Stephen Driker with
his dad. BOTTOM: The entire Driker clan in Israel on the occasion of
Eugene’s 80th birthday.
continued on page 18
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16 | OCTOBER 13 • 2022
ON THE COVER
DEDICATED TO FAMILY
Although many Jewish families
were abandoning Detroit and
moving to the suburbs, Eugene
and Elaine opted to stay in the
city, buying a house in Palmer
Woods that became the family
headquarters for holidays, birth-
day celebrations and numerous
gatherings large and small.
“Their home was a refuge, full
of laughter, welcoming warmth
and yummy treats,
” said Shelley
Kroll. “Eugene and Elaine were
always fun to be around, energet-
ic, defying the sobering stereo-
types of aging with their energy,
their wit, their curiosity and their
unceasing interest in new ideas
and new ways of being.
”
While he received immense
gratification from his work and
philanthropic activities, nothing
matched his love for his family
and the pleasure he got from
spending time with them.
His children have fond memo-
ries of going to baseball games at
Tiger Stadium, visiting Belle Isle
and the Detroit Zoo and playing
catch in the driveway of their
Detroit home.
“
As a child, I didn’t understand
the magnitude of his professional
and community involvement
because none of us ever felt he
was too busy for us,
” said his
daughter, Elissa. “He showed
us how to live a meaningful life
full of friendship, family, beauty,
nature and connection.
”
While he had high standards
for himself and his children, his
advice and even his admonish-
ments were dispensed lovingly.
“When I needed him, he was
there with full attention; he made
problems seem less overwhelm-
ing and more manageable,
” said
his son, Stephen.
Eugene lit up in the presence
of his grandchildren, and he
enjoyed a special relationship
with each one. He respected
them as individuals regardless of
age, teaching them about politics,
the importance of clear and con-
cise writing, humility, compas-
sion and hard work.
“Each of us is called to live
more deeply, more ethically and
more joyously because of the
example he provided,
” said his
grandson, Charlie. “He taught us
there are no short cuts to being a
good person.
”
He attended their school and
sporting events whenever pos-
sible and expressed his playful
side building sandcastles on the
shores of Lake Michigan during
family vacations in Glen Arbor.
“He taught me the quickest
way to solve a problem is not to
care who gets credit for the solu-
tion,
” said his grandson, Caleb.
A MASTERFUL
PROBLEM-SOLVER
That philosophy served Eugene
well when he was asked to join
the mediation team tasked
with helping the City of Detroit
emerge from bankruptcy. He was
instrumental in negotiating the
agreement known as the “Grand
Bargain,
” a solution that restored
solvency to the city while ensur-
ing the DIA stayed open and the
pension funds of city employees
remained intact.
Eugene loved art and music;
visiting the DIA often and hold-
ing season tickets to the Detroit
Symphony Orchestra. He liked
maps, potato chips, Coney
Islands and telling jokes with
Yiddish punch lines.
He took pride in being one
of four life trustees of the Ralph
C. Wilson Jr. Foundation, an
organization that helps com-
munities and individuals in
Southeast Michigan and Western
New York. Earlier this year, he
expressed his gratitude at the