Nohum Bernard Bunin - "Shorty the Jew"
The current generation should know about the people of great character and compassion, that made this county special.
Formally in Coggin Park, now at the 36th Division Memorial Park, is a memorial to the military causalities of WWII from Brown County who made the supreme sacrifice. The man who silently donated the funds for the memorial was a WWI Veteran and Brownwood businessman Nohum Bernard Bunin or as he was affectionately known as "Shorty the Jew" who owned and operated The Leader clothing store on the south side of the courthouse square for 37 years.
Nohum
Bernard Bunin was born in Gomel, Russia July 2, 1889. He and his
mother arrived in America in 1899 to join Isaac Bunin, the husband
and father, who had previously moved to Stevens Point, Wisc. Young
Bunin received a BA Degree from the University of Wisconsin in
1912.
N B Bunin lived at Stevens Point until coming to south
Texas. He entered Army service at Port Arthur and served overseas 15
months in World War I with the 144th Infantry of Texas' 36th
Division. His duty on battlefronts included service as an Army
interpreter. He could speak seven or eight languages. After the war
he moved to Brownwood and established the business that he operated
until the announcement, that because of ill health, he sold The
Leader to Levine's.
As one person who knew him said; “A great man, loved by all who knew him. A number of people in the community were nicknamed "Shorty" so it helped that he was called "Shorty the Jew", which simply helped to identify him from others with the same nickname. No one actually thought of him as Jewish or any other ethnic group. He was just their friend. He served our country and his fellow man, providing whatever was necessary in a quiet, unassuming way.
Nohum
Bernard Bunin
Birth: Jul. 2, 1889, Russian Federation
Death:
Feb. 3, 1956 Brownwood
Brown
County
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OBITUARY
N.
B. BUNIN, MERCHANT HERE FOR 37 YEARS DIES; FUNERAL IN MILWAUKEE.
N.
B. (Shorty) Bunin, 66, who owned and operated The Leader clothing
store on the south side of the courthouse square the past 37 years
died of a heart ailment at 5 pm Friday in a local hospital. ((Known
to all his friends and customers as "Shorty the Jew"))
The
body left Davis-Morris funeral home Saturday night for Milwaukee,
Wisc., where funeral services will be conducted 10:30 Tuesday by
Rabbi Harold Baumrind in the Goodman-Bensman Funeral Home chapel.
Burial will be at the Bunin family plot in Milwaukee's New Home
Cemetery.
N
B Bunin lived at Stevens Point until coming to South Texas. He
entered Army service at Port Arthur and served overseas 15 months in
World War I with the 144th Infantry of Texas' 36th Division. After
the war he moved to Brownwood and established the business that he
operated until announcement of the past week that because of ill
health, he had sold The Leader to Levine's.
On the day of his
death, a news item appeared in The Bulletin announcing the sale of
The Leader to Levine's, along with the statement that Myron Rissman
would be in charge of collection of accounts for The Leader "at
the old stand." Mr. Bunin never married and made his home here
with Mr. and Mrs. Rissman.
The news item concerning the sale of
The Leader quoted Mr. Bunin as stating that it was "with great
reluctance" that he was forced to terminate his business.
Expressing appreciation for the "generosity and goodwill of the
public during the past 37 years of patronage," Mr. Bunin
concluded with "I trust Providence will bless this beautiful
country with moisture; also good health and happiness to all our
people, Thank you."
Mr. Bunin contributed liberally to
numerous local projects and to the unfortunate. Friends declare there
is no way of ever knowing the full extent of his generosity in
charitable activities.
He was the donor of the marble memorial in
Coggin Park (shown below) which carries the names of all Brown County
men who lost their lives while serving with U. S. armed services
during World War II.
Mr.
Bunin suffered a heart attack last Oct. 22. After returning to his
home, 106 Pecan, he had shown some improvement in recent weeks. His
condition became worse a few days ago and he was taken to the
hospital Thursday morning. On the day of his death, a news item
appeared in The Bulletin announcing the sale of The Leader to
Levine's, along with the statement that Myron Rissman would be in
charge of collection of accounts for The Leader "at the old
stand."
The
news item concerning the sale of The Leader quoted Mr. Bunin as
stating that it was "with great reluctance" that he was
forced to terminate his business. Expressing appreciation for the
"generosity and goodwill of the public during the past 37 years
of patronage," Mr. Bunin concluded with "I trust Providence
will bless this beautiful country with moisture; also good health and
happiness to all our people, Thank you."
Modest,
quiet and sincere in his dealings with thousands during his long
business activity here, "Shorty" Bunin became a remarkable
"one-man Brownwood institution." In addition to making a
success of his own store in a unique and individual manner of
merchandising,
Mr. Bunin contributed liberally to numerous local
projects and to the unfortunate. Friends declare there is no way of
ever knowing the full extent of his generosity in charitable
activities.
He was the donor of the marble memorial in Coggin Park
(shown here) that carries the names of all Brown County men who lost
their lives while serving with U. S. armed services during World War
II.
Survivors include three sisters, Mrs. Rose B Krom and Mrs. M.
L. Mayer, both of Milwaukee, and Mrs. Myron Rissman of Brownwood. Mr.
Bunin never married and made his home here with Mr. and Mrs. Rissman.
His father, Isaac Bunin, died in Brownwood in 1948. A brother, Sam
Bunin, former Brownwood resident, died in the Veterans Hospital at
Temple Jan. 31, 1954.
Mr. Bunin was a member of the American
Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars.
The family requests no
flowers.
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As a note; Myron
Rissman was Shorty's brother-in-law and the primary founder of the
Levine’s Department Store chain, which opened in the 1920s..
This is an example of the honest, patriotic and hard-working individuals that have honored Brown County with their presence. Future generations need to know about this man; just one of the “Greatest Generation.”
Note. The T-Patch insignia for the 36th division design was a light blue arrowhead containing a letter “T.” The arrowhead symbolized the Indian Territory in Oklahoma while the “T” symbolized Texas. -CR
Source: Historical and biographical information from the files of the Brownwood Public Library, Genealogy & Local History Branch., Feb. 5, 1956 Brownwood Bulletin, pgs. 1 and 8.
Photos: Brownwood Public Library – Genealogy & Local History Branch. Clay Riley’s personal photos.
This and many other stories are available at the Brownwood Public Library – Genealogy & Local History Branch at 213 S. Broadway. Volunteers from the Pecan Valley Genealogical Society are there to assist you in your family or local history research.