A Life in the Balance: The Memoirs of Stanley J. Winkelman

Stanley J. Winkelman (1922-1999) was a powerful and influential man in the Detroit business community. After graduating from the University of Michigan and becoming a research chemist, Winkelman later joined the family retail business started by this father and uncle in the early part of the century. Although Winkelman is credited with transforming the retail industry through shrewd business deals with overseas markets, his dedication to religious, civic, and community affairs influenced much of Detroit’s social history. A Life in the Balance is the memoir of this great Detroit business leader.

Stanley J. Winkelman, World War II veteran and native Michiganian, revolutionized the retail industry by bringing reasonably priced European career fashions to women. He was a lifetime member of the local chapter of the NAACP, active in the Jewish Community Council, lifetime member of the Temple Beth El, and during the 1967 Detroit riot took an active role in keeping city businesses from leaving city limits and improving race relations. Winkelman was also an active member of New Detroit—an organization formed after the 1967 riots dedicated to increasing communication with the African American community—along with such leaders as Henry Ford II and Walter P. Reuther.

A Life in the Balance is not only the personal memoir of a Detroit business leader but also a record of Detroit’s social history through the life of one of its most prominent citizens. Readers interested in Detroit history will find Stanley Winkelman’s story an inspiring read.