Ashley Clague, Osias Zwerdling Win JCC Public Service Awards

Ashley Clague, Osias Zwerdling

Win JCC Public Service Awards

Five Judges Select

Ann Arbor Grocer

And Retired Furrier

(photo)

Ashley Clague

(photo)

Osias Zwerdling

A grocer and a retired furrier

have received Ann Arbor Junior

Chamber of Commerce 1955 pub-

lic service awards. 

Ashley Clague, the grocer, re-

ceived the JCC good government

award. Osias Zwerdling, the fur-

rier, was given the organization’s

human relations award.

Clague has served on the Ann

Arbor Board of Education for the

past 15 years. He has been a

member of the Ann Arbor Park

Commission for 19 years and has

served as commission president

for five years.

Zwerdling is the founder of the

local Beth-Israel Congregation,

now called the Beth-Israel Com-

munity Center. He has always

been its president.

Zwerdling also founded the

Hillel Foundation, which was the

second of 225 Hillel chapters in

the nation. His public service

spans half a century.

Cite Long Service

In presenting Clague the good

government award, the Jaycees

cited his long, uncompensated

service on the school board

“through difficult times when

the schools . . . needed service in

the field of government.” They

praised his efforts in helping to

make the long sought new Ann

Arbor High School a reality. 

Clague also has been a force

behind the drive for a commu-

nity recreation center. He fre-

quently requested that a commit-

tee be formed to study the possi-

ble construction of a community

center for varied activities. He is

now a champion of the proposed

Veterans Memorial Park project.

A $2,600,000 bond issue to finance

a recreation center will be on a

special ballot May 22.

Zwerdling, in addition to his

local achievements, is active na-

tionally and internationally with

the Zionist Organization of

America, the American Jewish

Organization and the United Jew-

ish Appeal.

Serves Many Groups

He has been active in the Ann

Arbor Kiwanis Club, Boy Scouts,

YMCA, Dunbar Community Cen-

ter, USO, Community Chest

drives and the Community Chest

family service group. He is on the

board of the Ann Arbor Federal

Savings & Loan Association.

The Jaycees, in making the

award, said of Zwerdling, “He is

known to exude an above aver-

age amount of humility in rela-

tion to his effectiveness in any-

thing he undertakes. His counsel

and advice are valued by all who

have had the opportunity to dis-

cuss their problems with him.”

Judges for the awards were

Probate Judge Jay H. Payne;

School Supt. Jack Elzay; Prof.

John Dawson; Chamber of Com-

merce Manager Robert L. Gage;

and Dr. David G. Dickinson, head

of the University Hospital Res-

pirator Center.