On her Schwartz side, one of her first cousins in New York was Burton S. Wirtschafter (1914-1966), who sadly was lost to cancer on this day 60 years ago. Burton was the only son of Mary Schwartz Wirtschafter and Edward Avram Wirtschafter. He was a respected leader in the American handbag industry and very active in community affairs.
Redoing my newspaper research, I discovered a few news items that told me a little more about Burton's background.
- From the Mount Vernon Daily Argus (New York), April 28, 1927, a report of his role as announcer in a radio broadcast of De Witt Clinton High School students, speaking on the subject of wild flower conservation.
- From the Mount Vernon Daily Argus (New York), May 21, 1934, an article indicating Burton's election as acting chair of the Assembly of Jewish Youth Organizations of Mount Vernon, his home town.
- From the Mount Vernon Daily Argus (New York), March 19, 1936, an article reported that he was one of the speakers at a YMHA forum about contemporary Jewish youth. His topic: "Youth Movements for the Interest of Youth."
- From the Mount Vernon Daily Argus (New York), March 27, 1936, a brief item about Burton as a cast member in a play produced at the YMHA in Mount Vernon, followed by a dance.
- From the Mount Vernon Daily Argus (New York), December 27, 1946, an article about Burton (a World War II veteran whose promotions were regularly reported in this newspaper) as cofounder of the local Westchester county American Veterans Committee and named chairman of the state legislative committee.
