[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 123 (Thursday, July 27, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1521-E1522]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                       TRIBUTE TO DR. EVA SHAPIRO

                                 ______


                           HON. MARCY KAPTUR

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 26, 1995

  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a truly noble citizen 
from my district, Dr. Eva Shapiro.
  Dr. Shapiro died this year at the age of 100. She was born in Toledo, 
OH on November, 1894, the daughter of Russian immigrants. She grew up 
in a downtown neighborhood, as part of Toledo's Jewish community. Her 
grandfather, by the way, was Toledo's first Orthodox rabbi. Her father 
owned a small grocery store, and eventually started the first auto 
parts company in Toledo.
  Eva Shapiro initially wanted to be a physician, but couldn't afford 6 
years of medical 

[[Page E 1522]]
school. Instead, she applied for, and won, a generous scholarship from 
the local B'nai B'rith. They paid for 4 years of dental school at 
Western Reserve in Cleveland, where she earned her degree in 1918. She 
returned to Toledo and started her own practice.
  In those days, women dentists were not common, and she struggled at 
first--even the people from her own neighborhood were unwilling to let 
a woman take care of their teeth. But word spread that she did 
excellent work, and her practice grew. She was eventually able to pay 
back every nickle of that scholarship, so someone else could receive 
it.
  Dr. Shapiro was one of the founders of the Toledo Dental Dispensary 
(today the Dental Center of Northwest Ohio), a nonprofit clinic for 
needy children and adults. She served on the Board of Trustees of the 
Dispensary from 1923 to 1960. In her own words,

       * * * we knew we had to have a dental dispensary, and a 
     free one, because there were many people in Toledo that just 
     could not afford to go to the dentist. * * * I even gave as 
     much money as I could, and so did the other [dentists], and 
     they started a dental dispensary. * * * we have dentists 
     there that are very fine dentists, and they do beautiful, 
     beautiful work.

  Even with her practice and the time she spent as an active board 
member, Dr. Shapiro found time to be active in the Jewish Women's 
Council, Temple B'nai Israel, and the Toledo Museum of Art. She also 
gave energy and money to countless local charities.
  In an interview 10 years ago, Dr. Shapiro said,

       Yes, I have no complaints. I think I had the best life that 
     anybody could have. I had everything that I needed--the 
     education. In those days what girl got a college education?

  Dr. Eva Shapiro's energy, her unhesitating willingness to help those 
in need, and her love of life should be an example to us all. Toledoans 
are privileged to have known her and have been inspired by her 
pioneering life. We will cherish her memory.


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