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.
