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14 December 21 • 2017 jn jews d in the Irvin Reid." Reid, president emeritus, now holds the Eugene Applebaum Chair in Community Engagement at WSU. "The city of Detroit and Wayne State University had no greater champion than Eugene Applebaum; nor had I a greater friend," Reid told the JN. "I learned so much from him, both about the university that I had come to lead and about the city that was his home. Throughout his lifetime, he never lost the love of his alma mater or his home city. "He wanted most of all for the univer- sity to do whatever was possible to make Detroit a great place for everyone. He loved this city. Enabling the education of young people of the university and the city will stand out among his greatest legacies. He wanted all to come here to the cam- pus and enjoy its assets, many of which he created. "The university's Forum On Contemporary Issues In Society (FOCIS) lecture series grew out of his vision that the university needed to bring people together in dialogue. He wanted influ- ential people to come to the university so the students and citizens of the city could be engaged with their ideas. And he loved coming to meet with them ahead of their lectures and pepper them with questions." In the Jewish commu- nity, Applebaum was able to fulfill a childhood self- prophecy. One day in 1947, he was riding down Woodward Avenue with his mother and noticed Aaron DeRoy's name on the Jewish Community Center. He asked his mother, "Why is his name on the building?" She explained Mr. DeRoy was a generous Jewish man who gave back to his com- munity. He said, "Someday I will be a nice Jewish man who will give to my com- munity." Robert Aronson, for- mer CEO of the Jewish Federation and current senior development adviser, marvels at how Applebaum set his sights so young on the future. "What a big thinker he was," said Aronson, who became a close friend to Applebaum and considered him a mentor. "His first thought was always giving back." Aronson, also philanthropic adviser to the family, secured the gift in 1999 from Eugene and Marcia Applebaum that became the largest capital gift in the his- tory of the Jewish community through Federation's Millennium Campaign for Detroit's Jewish Future. The donation expanded and beautified the 195-acre West Bloomfield Jewish Community Campus, renamed after the Applebaums. A lifetime member of the Federation Board of Governors, Applebaum received Federation's highest honor, the Fred M. Butzel Award, in 2013. He also created the Eugene and Marcia Applebaum Beth Hayeled Building and Jewish Parenting Center at Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Southfield. He was a member of the Taubman Institute Advisory Board and served as an honorary chair of the Foundations' Board of Advisers for the Detroit Jewish News Foundation. "Gene was a special friend of the Jewish News and one of my guiding lights in the creation of the independent, nonprofit Detroit Jewish News Foundation," said Arthur Horwitz, JN publisher and presi- dent, DJN Foundation. "He retained a deep appreciation for the vision and ser- vice of community leaders who preceded him and sought to honor and build upon their efforts. "He embraced and defended the role of the Jewish News as a credible, indepen- dent source of information and valued its role in connecting myriad segments of the community to each other. I will miss his wise advice, sharp wit and unwaver- ing encouragement." SUPPORTING HEALTHCARE Eugene Applebaum was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at age 50 and battled the disease with an unstoppable positive attitude, amazing sense of humor, and the love and support of family and friends for 31 years. Already active in the field of healthcare, after his diagnosis he and Marcia chan- For those wishing to honor the memory of Eugene Applebaum: Beaumont Health Foundation Eugene Applebaum Nursing Education and Patient Care Fund-Beaumont Hospital P.O. Box 5802 Troy, MI 48007-5802 (248) 551-5330 beaumont.org/giving Brigham and Women's Hospital Marcia and Eugene Applebaum Fund in support of the Partners Multiple Sclerosis Center 75 Francis St. Boston, MA 02115 (617) 732-5500 tinyurl.com/https-giving-brighamwomens Mayo Clinic-Department of Development Marcia and Eugene Applebaum Endowed Fund for Research Related to Multiple Sclerosis 200 First St. SW Rochester, MN 55905 (617) 424-4321 philanthropy.mayoclinic.org/donateMC Tamarack Camps Eugene Applebaum Tamarack Scholarship Fund for Applebaum Village 6735 Telegraph Road, #380 Bloomfi eld Hills, MI 48301 (248) 952-9110 tamarackcamps.com/tributes Wayne State University Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences 5475 Woodward Ave. Detroit, MI 48202 cardinal.wayne.edu/wsugiving/give.cfm CLOCKWISE, TOP LEFT: Eugene Applebaum with Alfred Taubman and Sidney Forbes. David Hermelin and Applebaum, circa 1980s. Applebaum and Dr. Irvin Reid, then WSU President. Applebaum with Robert Aronson. COURTESY LEONARD N. SIMONS JEWISH COMMUNITY ARCHIVES continued from page 12 continued on page 16 "The city of Detroit and Wayne State University had no greater champion than Eugene Applebaum; nor had I a greater friend." — DR. IRVIN REID, WSU PRESIDENT EMERITUS COURTESY ARBOR INVESTMENTS GROUP COURTESY ARBOR INVESTMENTS GROUP COURTESY ARBOR INVESTMENTS GROUP