George Maskin - A Pillar Of Detroit Sports

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Whether wielding a referee's whistle or a reporter's notebook, George Maskin was a legendary figure in Detroit athletics for more than six decades.

"There wasn't a part of the local sports scene that George wasn't involved in," said Rabbi David Castiglione of Temple Beth El in Bloomfield Township, who spoke at the funeral. Mr. Maskin, 90, of Novi, died April 6, 2007.

George officiated at sporting events in eight decades — the 1930s-2000s — at every level including middle school, high school and college and in several sports including football, basketball, baseball, softball and volleyball.

His lifetime's work won him a place in the Michigan High School Sports Hall of Fame and the Catholic League Sports Hall of Fame. In 2003, he was inducted into the Michigan Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

As a reporter, he was elected to the Baseball Writers of America Association in 1948 and, as its oldest living local member, voted for every member of the Hall of Fame since 1948.

As a publicist, he was for many years the voice of the Detroit Pistons and local racetracks.

George was born in Hamtramck on March 14, 1917. A graduate of Northern High School, he worked on the school newspaper and interned at the Hearst-owned Detroit Times.

He attended what is now Michigan State University, where he earned a scholarship by submitting a story he had written. He became the sports editor of the Michigan State Journal, where he worked with the late Hal Schram. It was at Michigan State where he began his sports officiating career.

Directly out of college George Maskin in 1939, George went to work for the Times and began by covering high school and college sports. He was the first journalist in the state to establish ratings for high school and college football and basketball, a practice that is still being used today.

He joined the Army in 1940 and became a sports writer for Stars and Stripes newspaper. He also umpired baseball and softball games for the Armed Forces in England, Ireland and Scotland. After the war, he returned to the Times, writing about college and high school sports.

As well as school officiating, George umpired collegiate baseball games for the University of Michigan, Michigan State and the University of Detroit. He also umpired the sandlot leagues of Detroit, where many future stars went on to become major league ballplayers, including Willie Horton and Bill Freehan. He continued to officiate baseball, softball and volleyball until 2003. He was selected to umpire in the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. 

Annually, he took local baseball players to New York City to play in the Hearst All-Star Game; among those were players such as Bill Freehan.

While covering the Detroit Pistons for the Times in the 1950s, the commissioner of the NBA asked him to referee a game when the regular official became ill. He refereed and then wrote the story for the newspaper afterwards.

Public Relations

George served as the public relations director and assistant executive manager of the Detroit Pistons from 1960-1974. His job included scheduling games and travel, game announcing and attending league functions.

He also wrote stories for the Detroit Free Press and the Detroit News after each game. He worked in the sports department for the Free Press and became the sports editor. He covered all high school sports for the Observer-Eccentric newspapers during the 1960s and 1970s.

He was the public relations director for the Michigan Stags World Hockey Association team in 1974 and public relations director for the Hazel Park and Detroit racetracks from 1974-1984.

A longtime member of Temple Beth El, George traveled the world, including a trip to Israel to celebrate his grandson's bar mitzvah in 1993. He and his wife, Elaine, recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary.

"I always marveled at his gentle humility and his love for his family," said Rabbi Castiglione.

George Maskin is survived by his wife, Elaine; sons and daughters-in-law, Richard and Dorothy Maskin of Royal Oak, Douglas and Marie Maskin of Bloomfield Hills; daughter and son-in-law, Julie and David Rollins of Farmington Hills; grandchildren, Tricia Maskin and Dale Kortes, Bridget and Matthew Genette, Genevieve and Claudio Caffeli, Colleen and Todd Preheim, Robert Maskin, Joshua Rollins, Sarah Rollins; great-grand-children, Thomas, Aiden and Sydney Genette, Alyssa Kortes, Derek and Katherine Preheim; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Robert and Sonny Barnett, Dr. Benjamin and Jeanette Reder.

He was the beloved son of the late Louis and the late Jennie Maskin and the dear brother of the late Rosalyn Reder, the late Philip Maskin and the late Dr. Meyer Maskin.

Interment was at Beth El Memorial Park. Contributions may be made to Michigan Jewish Sports Foundation, George Maskin Memorial Fund, 2000 Oakley Park Road, Suite 104, Walled Lake, MI 48390. Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel. Li

Obituaries on page 75

April 12 • 2007