Upcoming Services
| Marc Zeitlin |
Sun Oct 6th at 1:00 GRAVESIDE AT MACHPELAH CEMETERY | |
| Linda Radin |
Sun Oct 6th at 1:00 IRA KAUFMAN CHAPEL |
FUNERAL DETAILS
Alan E. Schwartz
Alan E. Schwartz, 97, of Birmingham, Michigan, died after sunset on 27 July 2023. The Funeral was A PRIVATE FAMILY SERVICE on Sunday, 30 July 2023. Rabbi Mark Miller officiated. Alan was a founder and partner at Honigman LLP as well as a business, civic and Jewish community leader in Detroit for more than half a century. He created permanent, positive change. He was known for his brilliance, elegance, public service, ability to create consensus, sound advice, business acumen, and deep love of community, arts, the Jewish faith, and family, especially his wife of 67 years, Marianne. Alan at age 27 joined with Jason L. Honigman and Milton J. (Jack) Miller in 1952 creating the firm, which was then known as Honigman Miller and Schwartz. “Alan was in every sense of the word a gentleman. He treated everyone he met with kindness and dignity. Alan was a lawyer, businessman and friend to his clients, whom he served with integrity and intelligence,” said Honigman Chairman and CEO David Foltyn. “It was his vision for Honigman ‘to be the best law firm for the best lawyers’ which has inspired and guided our firm for over half a century. He was a selfless leader and volunteer in civic, cultural and nonprofit organizations devoted to improving Detroit from a business and a social perspective. He was involved in nearly every major development project in the city as an attorney and as a leader in business organizations. His commitment to the cultural treasures of Detroit is well known.” Alan was raised in Detroit and graduated from Cranbrook Schools and the University of Michigan. His undergraduate studies were interrupted by two years of service in Guam during World War II. After graduating, with distinction, from U-M, he earned an LL.B., magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School where he graduated second in his class and served as an editor of the Law Review. Schwartz began his career on Wall Street. In 1952, he and the love of his life, his wife, Marianne, decided to return to Detroit where they both grew up to raise their own family. His legal practice at Honigman focused on corporate organization, governance, acquisitions, mergers, and divestitures. He served on approximately 20 public company boards, including AT&T, Burroughs, Comerica and Detroit Edison. The list of community organizations that benefited from his leadership is extensive. He was a founding trustee of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan and among the first to serve on the boards of New Detroit, Detroit Renaissance (now Business Leaders for Michigan) and the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation. Alan was also a trustee emeritus of New Detroit, which honored him for his contributions in 2012. At the time of his death, Schwartz was an honorary board member of the Detroit Institute of Arts and a director emeritus of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Both organizations honored him for his generosity as a volunteer and as a donor. Together, Marianne and Alan amassed one of the world’s great private collections of works on paper, from Rembrandt to Dürer to Picasso, with a concentration in American prints. In a 2010 interview with the Detroit Free Press, Alan explained that it all started because of Marianne. The article noted that their collection is a connoisseur’s dream and the result of Marianne’s impeccable eye and collecting philosophy. He was a lifetime board member of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, which bestowed upon him the Fred M. Butzel Memorial Award in 2008. In 2013, then Detroit Mayor Dave Bing created the Alan E. Schwartz award, making him the first recipient. This award is given annually to an individual in recognition of his or her outstanding commitment to community service, as exemplified by Schwartz. His other awards include the George W. Romney Award for Lifetime Achievement in Volunteerism, the Max M. Fisher Community Service Award from United Way for Southeastern Michigan, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Detroit Institute of Arts with his wife, and the Judge Learned Hand Award from the American Jewish Committee. He also has received honorary Doctor of Law degrees from Wayne State University and the University of Detroit. In addition, Schwartz was inducted into the International Institute of Metropolitan Detroit Hall of Fame in 1984 and named a Detroit News Michiganian of the Year in 1987. Alan was preceded in death by his wife, Marianne Shapero Schwartz, in 2017. He was the cherished father of Marc (Emily Camiener) Schwartz, Kurt (Susan) Schwartz, and Ruthanne (Joseph) Fuller. He was the proud grandfather of Chris Fuller, Mark (Charlotte Rizzi) Fuller, David (Rosemary) Fuller, Alana Schwartz, Derek (Lily Xie) Schwartz, Miles and Hugh Camiener, and adoring great-grandfather of Henry and Jeremiah Fuller. Alan was the loving brother of the late Marilyn (Mitzi) Giles and the late Cyril “Chris” (the late Hella) Schwartz. He was the devoted son of Maurice and Sophie Schwartz. Family and friends will be gathering on Sunday from 4:00-7:00 p.m. at the residence, 416 Hawthorne St., Birmingham, MI 48009. It is suggested that those who wish to further honor the memory of Alan E. Schwartz may do so by making a contribution to: Detroit Institute of ArtsClick to Visit Charity Website or Detroit Symphony OrchestraClick to Visit Charity Website |