Recently, Sue Freeman, the oldest of Elmer Winter’s three daughters, drove with her father and her step-mother, Hope Winter, on a reminiscence trip to Door County, where the Winter family had gone for many vacations.
During the drive, Freeman said in a telephone interview on Oct. 27, the women spoke about the idea of contentment at that point in their lives – how they had families that were doing well, had close relationships, and generally had “lots to feel blessed about.”
But Elmer from the back seat said, “Well, I’m not content.” He said he was still concerned about children who needed education, about people who had lost their jobs, about many things, Freeman said.
Indeed, reported Freeman and others, Winter, 97, kept that feeling of discontent and his sense that there was always more he could do; and he worked practically to the very end of his life on Oct. 22.
And this persisted even though he conceivably had much to feel content about. Milwaukee-native Winter was an internationally successful businessman, author of 14 books and co-founder (with his brother-in-law and law partner Aaron Scheinfeld) in 1948 of the temporary help agency Manpower, which now has 30,000 employees and 4,100 offices in 82 countries.
But along with his business ability Winter maintained a keen social conscience and an interest in social activism in the Jewish and general communities.
“My father and mother were always involved in the community when I was growing up,” said Freeman. “He always felt that what was important to him was demonstrating his Judaism by his actions, caring for people passionately in the community.”
As far back as 1938, when he was a practicing attorney (he earned his law degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1935), Winter helped found the Jewish Vocational Service, now the Milwaukee Center for Independence, to help families fleeing European oppression before World War II, according to an e-mail from Howard L. Garber, MCFI president.
Later, he learned about a study done by the American Jewish Committee about how Jewish employees often ran into a “glass ceiling” blocking their promotion in many businesses.
According to Freeman and Harriet Schachter McKinney, executive director of the Milwaukee Area Jewish Committee, formerly the AJC’s Milwaukee chapter, that inspired Winter to become involved in that organization. Ultimately, he served as its national president from 1973 to 1977.
And he maintained interest in the organization thereafter. In a telephone interview, McKinney said that to help the Milwaukee AJC celebrate Israel’s 50th anniversary in 1998, Winter wrote and published at his own expense a pamphlet on “The Miracle that is Israel’s Economy.”
That topic embodied another cause dear to him. He was the founder of the Committee for the Economic Growth of Israel in 1976, which also was the year he retired as president of Manpower.
As The Chronicle reported on that organization’s 25th anniversary (July 27, 2001 issue), he came up with the idea at a meeting he and other U.S. businesspeople had with then-Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
“He was one of the founding fathers of the development of commercial relations between the U.S. and Israel,” said Michael Schmitt, executive director of the America-Israel Chamber of Commerce Chicago, in a telephone interview Oct. 27. “I think he was looked up to nationally and in Israel” for that work.
Jerry Benjamin, co-founder with Bruce Arbit of AB Data, recalled how Winter encouraged them to open a branch in Israel.
“His mantra was, ‘You’ll never be able to write a [charity] check that will come close to what you can accomplish by having a business that actually employs people,’” Benjamin said in a telephone interview on Oct. 26.
But for all his accomplishments, everyone interviewed for this article mentioned that Winter was “always collegial,” “always approachable” in his dealings with others.
“It didn’t matter that he was the smartest guy in the room,” said Benjamin, who also serves as president of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation.
“I’ve worked with many people, elder statesmen of sorts” and “it was very unusual to be in a dialogue” with someone like Winter who did not “use his age and experience” as “proof of sagacity or insight.”
“He was the person I could always go to for advice, counsel, good thinking and direction on any issues,” said McKinney.
And Freeman added that Winter “wasn’t just a serious businessman.” He had a playful side. He was an amateur picture painter and sculptor, could entertain his children and grandchildren with magic tricks. “We had a lot of fun together as a family,” she said.
A memorial service was held on Sunday, Oct. 25, at Congregation Sinai.
His first wife, Nannete Winter (nee Rosenberg), died in 1990. He is survived by his second wife, Hope Melamed Winter; daughters Sue Freeman, Lynn Winter Gross and Martha (Robert Tracy) Winter Gross; eight grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; two step-children and four step-grandchildren.
The family suggests memorial contributions to the Elmer Winter Memorial Fund, Children’s Outing Association, 909 E. North Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53212.
In 1987, Elmer Winter (left) was the first American to receive Israel’s Outstanding Exporter Award from President Chaim Herzog, while Ariel Sharon (second from right), then Minister of Trade and Industry, looks on.
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