Hirschowitz left a lasting imprint on Oran, Scott County

ORAN, Mo. -- The Hirschowitz family has been a fixture in Oran for almost 100 years. The family patriarch, Max Hirschowitz, moved to the small town in 1909, and quickly went about building up diversified businesses with a reputation for straight-dealing. Within a short time, the family was one of the most respected in the small town.

Soon the name Hirschowitz will no longer be a part of Oran life. The last male Hirschowitz living in Oran, former mayor and county commissioner Louie Hirschowitz, died last month from a pulmonary embolism. Now the only Hirschowitz left in Oran is his widow, 87-year-old Audrey Hirschowitz, who might also be the only Jewish person left in Oran.

Despite Louie Hirschowitz's death, he and his family have left an indelible mark on Oran and Scott County. About 300 people attended a April 29 memorial service in Louie's honor at the Guardian Angel Catholic Church in Oran. The Oran Ministerial Alliance organized the service, showing that even though Hirschowitz was a Jewish man surrounded by people of a different faith, the disparity didn't stand between them.

"I don't know if it was something people looked at when they saw him," said the Rev. John Harth, pastor of Guardian Angel. "You just saw Louie."

By the time Louie died, the family name was as much a part of Oran's history as the railroad tracks that run through the city. Hirschowitz's father, Max, was an immigrant from Lithuania who came to the United States seeking opportunity. He eventually found it in Oran.

Starting with a $500 loan from his future wife, Mary Ellman, Max got his start in St. Louis, buying a wagon and horses to haul bones, which he would sell to glue factories, and rubber. Max Hirschowitz soon made his way to Commerce, Mo., on a cattle boat and settled in Oran -- a place where the non-English-speaking Hirschowitz could communicate with the area's German families and where two Jewish families, Banks and Winter, had already settled.

Several businesses

Over the decades the Hirschowitz family would build a diverse business, operating a confectionary, a hardware and general store, a dry goods store. The family also owned a cleaners, which was operated by others, farmed and hauled livestock. In later years Louie and his older brother Abram would also be partners in a beer distribution business.

Fred Neal, one of Louie's close friends, said the family's business reputation was defined by the way they dealt with people -- always honest and fair. Louie would carry that ethic over into his political life. Neal said Louie didn't seek renown or glory in politics -- which he achieved on the local and state level -- but wanted to help his community.

"That's the kind of individual he was," Neal said. "He wanted to make things better and improve things for other people, and he did."

Hirschowitz got his start as the Oran mayor, serving two terms before making the jump to Scott County politics in 1970. Hirschowitz served on the county commission for 16 years, 12 of them as presiding commissioner. During that time he became the second person from Southeast Missouri to serve as president of the Missouri Association of Counties.

'No Cares'

Hirschowitz's political style was never stuffy -- he once campaigned as Louie "No Cares" Hirschowitz. He idolized President Harry Truman, and it showed. Hirschowitz once hosted a "beaver cookout" at the Scott County Courthouse, showing county residents how they could take care of beavers clogging up ditches and alleviate hunger at the same time. Hirschowitz entertained himself by going to flea markets (most of the things he bought were junk, Audrey said) and by having verbal sparring matches with friends like Neal.

One of his biggest causes was to keep the title of "county judge." In 1983, the state legislature changed the title from county judge to county commissioner. The change went into effect in 1985.

But Hirschowitz was a fan of tradition, and wanted to keep the title. "Frankly I don't care what those dudes in Jefferson City think," Hirschowitz told a newspaper reporter from Jefferson City in 1985. "I'm a presiding judge and I'll prove it in court."

Current Scott County 1st District Commissioner Dennis Ziegenhorn was one of those legislators in the Missouri House. Ziegenhorn's father Eldon was on the county commission with Hirschowitz at the time. Dennis Ziegenhorn already knew Hirschowitz through his father, but during the debate on the name change he saw a lot of the presiding commissioner in Jefferson City as he lobbied against the change.

A stint in the Army

"I'll never forget as long as I live," Ziegenhorn said. "He lobbied me and lobbied me."

Audrey Hirschowitz said that when she met Louie in the early 1940s, he didn't show the signs of someone wanting to be a career politician. Audrey lived in St. Charles, where Louie met her in the course of business dealings in the area with his father. The two were married in 1944, when Louie was an anti-aircraft gunner in the Army. After he returned from occupied Japan, the two settled in Oran among Louie's family. The couple would drive to St. Louis to observe Jewish holidays and practice their faith quietly at home, except for a stretch of time when a synagogue was in Cape Girardeau next to Old St. Vincent's Church.

Louie's interest in politics developed in the 1970s, when he served first as an Oran alderman, then as mayor. His desire to help others wasn't isolated to his political life, say those who knew Louie Hirschowitz. He and Audrey had a habit of visiting local nursing homes, giving comfort to those who had no family to visit them. Louie Hirschowitz was known as a man of the people. He commonly drove around Oran, stopping to talk to people who were out in their yards, throwing candy out his window to children.

Quiet philanthropist

"In some ways I guess he patrolled Oran in his retirement," Harth said.

Louie also gave food and clothing to local people in need, but did so quietly, never seeking attention or praise for his actions.

"A lot of folks didn't know the things he did behind the scenes," Harth said.

Neal spoke to those qualities during an address he gave at Hirschowitz's April 29 memorial service. "He was a generous person -- always wanting to do something for someone else. He had a deep desire to help his fellow man. He was good at it, and did it a lot."

The people of Oran showed their thanks at the memorial -- a display Audrey called "awesome." She was so overwhelmed she couldn't even turn around to look at the size of the crowd, Audrey said.

Most, if not all of them, probably shared Neal's sentiments.

"He was a fine man -- honest, sincere -- all the qualities we should all have," Neal said.

msanders@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182