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Edward
Deeb
Celebrates
60th
Anniversary
as
Community
Leader
and
Problem
Solver
WARREN,
MI - Ed
Deeb is
an
active
Detroit
area
community
leader
and
problem
solver.
He was
born on
May 4,
1936 in
Detroit
and is
considered
a
tireless
patriot,
peacemaker,
entrepreneur,
youth
advocate
and
philanthropist
to
mention
some of
his
involvement.
He
was
involved
in
numerous
local,
state,
and
national
organizations.
Most of
his
colleagues
call him
a
peacemaker
who
helped
resolve
problems
and
conflicts
through
his
various
positions
in
civic,
charitable,
and
professional
organizations.
He
was also
considered
a
champion
of small
business
who
resisted
corporate
hegemony
and had
the
ability
to
reconcile
conflict
by
unifying
business
and
government
entities,
entrepreneurs,
residents,
and
clashing
ethnic
groups.
Once
Ed was
quoted
as being
a
“peacemaker.”
“I help
make the
peace …
the only
way to
make the
peace is
to
talk.”
He
initiated
dialog
which
led to
peace
among
hundreds
of
organizations
and
officials
through
social
and
industry
crises
during
his
career
of 60+
years,
acting
as a
liaison
to
government
agencies
and
various
communities.
As chief
trouble-shooter
for the
food
industry,
Mr. Deeb
was
involved
in
various
crisis
intervention
programs.
If any
problems
should
develop
between
merchants
and
residents,
he was
called
upon to
help
resolve
the
problems.
He
was also
recognized
nationally
by the
U.S.
Senate
Investigations
Committee
for the
work he
did in
the
aftermath
of the
1967
Detroit
riots,
documenting
damage
which
was done
to food
stores.
Later he
worked
to quell
tensions
between
Arab and
Chaldean
store
owners
and
local
African
American
communities.
“Our
communities
need
more
cheerleaders
and
positive
individuals.”
Mr.
Deeb was
active
and
involved
with
numerous
organizations
in
Michigan
as well
as the
general
community.
He was
influential
in the
revitalization
of
historic
Eastern
Market.
He was
the past
president
of The
Guild at
Ascension
/ St.
John
Hospital
and
Medical
Center
and
serves
on the
board.
He has
served
on the
boards
of
United
Way for
SE
Michigan,
Boy
Scouts,
Detroit
Police
Cadets,
American
Red
Cross,
Dean’s
Advisory
Council
of U-M
Dearborn,
Detroit
Athletic
Club,
Belle
Isle
Conservancy,
co-founder
and
board
member,
Detroit
Police
Chief’s
Advisory
Council,
Crime
Stoppers,
Eastern
Market
Corporation,
co-founder
and
board
member
and is
listed
in Who’s
Who of
America.
He was
also the
former
editor
of Corp!
Magazine.
He was
one of
the
founding
members
of the
MSU
School
of Music
Advisory
Council.
In
addition,
he was
editor
of the
MSU
Marching
Band
newsletter.
Mr.
Deeb was
also
founder
of the
following
organizations.
Michigan
Food and
Beverage
Association,
Michigan
Business
and
Professional
Association.
(Mr.
Deeb
later
turned
it over
to
Jennifer
Kluge,
Mr.
Deeb’s
daughter,
and was
renamed
Michbusiness).
Deeb
also
founded
and was
head of
Michigan
Youth
Appreciation
Foundation,
Metro
Detroit
Youth
Day,
Eastern
Market
Merchants
Association,
Friends
of
Eastern
Market,
president
and then
founder
of the
Women
and
Leadership
in the
Workplace
Conference
and
Awards
Program,
and
Scouting
for the
Handicapped
for Boy
Scouts
of
America,
Detroit
Chapter.
He
also
co-founded
the
following:
Eastern
Market
Corporation,
the
Belle
Isle
Conservancy,
Michigan
State
Lottery
program
with
Sen. Gus
Harrison,
Arab
American
and
Chaldean
Council,
Grosse
Pointe
Shores
Improvement
Foundation,
and
Services
for
Older
Citizens,
Grosse
Pointe.
As
founder
and
chairman,
Mr. Deeb
annually
volunteered
his time
to
coordinate
Metro
Detroit
Youth
Day, an
event
which
draws
more
than
45,000
youngsters
to Belle
Isle
each
July for
more
than 39
years.
President
George
H.W.
Bush
presented
Mr. Deeb
with the
477th
Point of
Light
Award
for his
involvement
and
inspiration
to young
people.
During
the
Iraq-Kuwait
war
since
several
Chaldeans
of Iraq
reside
in
Detroit,
Mr. Deeb
was
quoted
as
saying,
“I was
swamped
with so
many
media
calls
that I
decided
to
produce
a video
which
was
provided
to the
news
media,
and
later to
various
schools.”
More
than
2,000
were
distributed
nationally
for
those
who
requested
one, to
minimize
time on
the
phone.
Mr. Deeb
graduated
from
Michigan
State
University
in 1960,
on a
four-year
music
scholarship
(clarinetist).
He was
also an
active
board
member
of the
MSU
Alumni
Bands
and
edited
its
newsletter
for 10
years.
He later
co-founded
the
College
of
Communication
Arts and
Sciences
Alumni
Association,
as one
of the
College’s
newest
areas of
study,
and was
its
first
president.
The MSU
Comm
Arts
building
lobby
and
conference
room are
named
after
him.
He
is the
recipient
of
numerous
awards
and
honors
for his
involvement
to
improve
the
quality
of life
for all,
especially
in
community
and
business
relations,
and for
inspiring
young
people.
He
received
a Doctor
of Law
degree
from the
Detroit
College
of
Business,
Davenport
University,
and a
Doctor
of
Humanities
degree
from
Marygrove
College.
In 1998,
he was
the
recipient
of the
MSU
Distinguished
Alumni
Award.
He was
also
inducted
into the
International
Heritage
Hall of
Fame,
the
Michigan
Journalism
Hall of
Fame,
and
Eastern
High
School
Hall of
Fame. In
2011, he
received
the
National
Director’s
Community
Leadership
Award
from the
FBI in
Washington.
Among
Mr.
Deeb’s
additional
honors
included:
Distinguished
Warrior
Award
from the
Detroit
Urban
League,
the
George
Romney
Award
for
Lifetime
Achievement
in
Volunteerism,
the
“Closing
the Gap”
Award
from New
Detroit,
Peacemaker
of the
Year
Award
from
Wayne
State
University,
the Neal
Shine
Shining
Light
Award
for
Exemplary
Regional
Leadership
by the
Detroit
Free
Press
and the
Metropolitan
Affairs
Coalition,
The
Salvation
Army’s
national
William
Booth
Award
for
Community
Service
as past
president,
the
McQuade
Distinguished
Community
Service
Award
from
Ascension
/ St.
John
Hospital
and
Medical
Center,
the
Ellis
Island
Medal of
Honor,
and the
Michiganian
of the
Year
Award by
the
Detroit
News.
Mr. Deeb
was also
co-founder
of
Scouting
for the
Handicapped
and
received
a
special
award
from the
Boy
Scouts
for his
efforts.
In
addition,
he was a
delegate
to the
White
House
Conference
for
Small
Business,
the
recipient
of the
Lifetime
Achievement
Award
from the
Eastern
Market
Association,
received
the Blue
Angel
Award
from
Blue
Cross
Blue
Shield
of
Michigan,
Michigan
Businessman
of the
Year
from the
Arab
American
Chamber
of
Commerce,
National
Silver
Beaver
Award
from the
Boy
Scouts
of
America,
Outstanding
Leadership
Award
from the
Urban
League
of
Detroit,
Eagle
Award
for
Visionary
Leadership
from the
Greater
Detroit
Area
Health
Council,
Heart of
Gold
Award
from
United
Way for
SE
Michigan
for 50
years of
service,
the
Stewardship
Award
from
Detroit
Public
Television,
and the
Outstanding
Volunteer
Award
from
Crime
Stoppers
of
Michigan.
Ed,
his
lovely
wife
Joanne,
and
their
family
resided
in
Grosse
Pointe
Shores,
MI, for
40 years
and he
was
quite
involved
in the
community
there
including:
Board
member
and past
president
of
Barnes
Elementary
School
PTO (now
Community
Center),
board
member
and past
president
of
Parcells
Middle
Schools
PTO,
board
member
and past
president
of
Grosse
Pointe
North
High
School
Parents
Club.
In
addition,
he was a
board
member
and past
president,
Grosse
Pointe
PTA-PTO
Council
of
Schools,
past
president
of
Friends
of the
Grosse
Pointe
Library,
past
president
of the
Grosse
Pointe
Library
Association,
co-founder
and
board
member
of
Grosse
Pointe
Shores
Improvement
Foundation,
a member
of the
Senior
Men’s
Club of
Grosse
Pointe,
co-founder
of
Services
for
Older
Citizens
Grosse
Pointe,
and was
featured
in the
Grosse
Pointe
News as
“Pointer
of
Interest”.
At
Michigan
State
University
he
majored
in
Journalism
and
Advertising.
Deeb is
a
veteran
of the
U.S. Air
Force
and Air
Force
Reserves.
Presently,
he is a
resident
of
Bloomfield
Twp.
(formerly
of
Grosse
Pointe
Shores).
He and
his
wife,
Joanne,
have two
grown
children
and five
grandchildren.
A native
Detroiter,
he is a
graduate
of
Eastern
High
School
(renamed
Martin
Luther
King Jr.
Senior
High
School).
The High
School
presented
Mr. Deeb
with a
Distinguished
Service
Award
for his
involvement.
He is
also a
member
of Beta
Theta Pi
fraternity.
In
addition,
in 2018,
the
Dept. of
Natural
Resources
in the
State of
Michigan
named
one of
the
streets
on Belle
Isle
after
him. The
street
is
called
Edward
Deeb
Ave. Mr.
Deeb was
also
honored
by
Oakland
County,
the City
of
Warren,
Wayne
County,
the City
of
Detroit
and the
State of
Michigan.
Mr.
Deeb and
his wife
Joanne
have
been
married
for 55
years.
His
children
are
George
(Sarah)
Deeb,
grandchildren,
Natalie,
Charles,
and
Jack,
reside
in North
Carolina,
and his
daughter
Jennifer
(Deeb)
Kluge,
(Michael),
and
grandchildren,
Lindsay
and Max
reside
in
Grosse
Pointe
Shores,
MI.
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