Shemin Sisters Go to Washington to Honor a War Hero

Three Scarsdale sisters and their extended families visited the White House and the Pentagon in early June to attend ceremonies for their grandfather who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest award for military service. The medal was a long time coming: Sargent William Shemin performed his acts of valor almost 100 years ago in 1918 in France where he is credited with repeatedly leaving his trench to run into open fire to recover wounded comrades. Shemin, who was only 19 years old at the time, was a rifleman in World War I and stationed in France where he fought in a battle on the Vesle River near Bazouches. Army notes say that after his superiors were wounded Shemin assumed command of the platoon. During his forays into the machine gun fire shrapnel hit him and a bullet pierced his helmet and lodged behind his left ear. He was hospitalized for three months and left partially deaf. Shemin is the 17th Jew in history to receive the Medal of Honor.

When Shemin returned home, he attended Syracuse University where he earned a degree in Forestry from the NYS College of Forestry and opened a greenhouse and landscaping business, Ivy, in the Bronx, which his son, Emanuel Shemin, eventually renamed Shemin Nurseries and moved to Greenwich, CT.

His military career would have been forgotten if not for the efforts of his daughter Elsie Shemin Roth (now in her 80's) who advocated for him to be awarded the Medal of Honor which may have been denied to him because he was Jewish. She learned that cases involving Jews who were denied medals in World War II were under review and pressed for the same treatment for veterans of World War I. She worked with her Congressman in Missouri who eventually sponsored the "William Shemin Jewish World War I Veterans Act" to allow the review of cases from World War I.

Seventy of Shemin's descendants were invited to Washington when he was honored in June, among them Scarsdale residents Grace Shemin Goldstein , Sara Cass, Leslie Shemin Lester – (who recently moved to Armonk from Scarsdale) and Grace's identical twin sister, Suzanne Shemin Katz of Greenwich. Three of the sisters are realtors; Grace is with Houlihan Lawrence in Scarsdale, Leslie at Sotheby's in Scarsdale, Suzanne at Sotheby's in Greenwich and Sara works for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

We spoke to the Shemin sisters and asked them to share their family story and here is what we learned:

Where did you grow up and did your know your grandfather?
The Shemin Family grew up in Rye Brook, New York in the 1960's and then moved to Greenwich, Connecticut in the early 1970's - present where our mother, Rhoda Shemin, and Grace's identical twin sister, Suzanne Shemin Katz, still live. Our father, Emanuel Shemin, built a home for his parents, William and Bertha, adjacent to our family business, Shemin Nurseries, on King Street in Greenwich. The original Shemin Nurseries (formerly called Ivy...) moved from the Bronx, New York to Greenwich, Connecticut in the late 1960's. The proximity of the home to the greenhouse of Shemin Nurseries allowed our grandfather to walk to the business every day and help out with the business. William and Bertha Shemin lived in Greenwich, Connecticut until William died in 1973. Bertha predeceased William Shemin.

What are some of your memories of him?
Our grandfather was interested in history, politics (he was a staunch Republican), athletics, and was a proud Jew. We spent summers in upstate, Chazy, New York (next to Plattsburgh) at their modest summer home that William had built on Lake Champlain. We were told our grandfather swam across the lake to Vermont and back. He was a powerful and talented athlete. He played varsity football and lacrosse at Syracuse University in the 1920's. He was also a semi-pro baseball player. He believed in discipline and hard work. We raised the American flag in the morning and lowered it in the evening. We were instructed on how to properly fold the flag and salute a member of the military. We were required to make our beds every morning with hospital corners, and then waited for inspection. For fun, we swam in the lake with our sneakers, as the lake floor was lined with sharp stones. We also enjoyed horseback riding lessons. In the fall, we attended West Point football games with our grandfather. The only indulgence was being able to purchase army clothing at the West Point canteen. We remember my grandfather wearing army pants in the 1960's and driving a Jeep when it was very cool to do so. Waste was not permitted. Bags and newspapers were saved and food was not allowed to be thrown out. Our grandfather liked purchasing day old food at reduced prices. We particularly remember apple turnovers as a treat but of course, we avoided looking at the date. He was an avid gardener so we ate fresh grown corn, rhubarb, tomatoes and other summer vegetables. Because our grandfather was crippled by the war and then later had arthritis, he walked with a cane. We were afraid of our grandfather because he was so stern. He used his cane to point and instruct. He had 14 grandchildren, so there were many of us for him to corral. He had beautiful penmanship and used to write beautiful letters to the grandchildren during the summertime. There was one bedroom for all 14 grandchildren at the summer house. When the door was closed at night, we giggled with our cousins. But rarely were all 14 grandchildren there at the same time. Eventually the Shemin sisters spent summers at sleep away camp and our trips to Lake Champlain diminished.

Did he speak about the war? What do you remember him telling you?
We remember Grandpa Shemin showing us news articles related to his activities with war veterans, including Jewish war veterans and letters from surviving war buddies. He kept up with his local Army chapter and tried to help veterans adjusting to being back home after their military experience. Today, we know of his condition as Post Traumatic Stress. Looking back at the nature and personality of our grandfather, we surmise that he suffered from this condition.

Did he discuss anti-Semitism or feel that he had not been treated justly?
We never heard him speak of anti-Semitism. He was a proud veteran, a proud Jew and only spoke positively about his memories. He was not interested in personal glory. He believed in service to one's country. He was extremely patriotic.

Were you surprised when your aunt's efforts to grant him a medal of honor came to fruition?
Yes, we were absolutely shocked! Every few months our Aunt Elsie would spread the word of her progress and say that she was close to accomplishing the goal. This took place over the past 12 years! When it finally happened, we weren't sure everyone would believe it. We were thrilled that Obama allowed such a large number of family to attend, especially our spouses and children! We were beyond thrilled that we could share this with our immediate families.

Does your extended family of 70 people stay in touch? Had you met all of them before the trip to the White House? William Shemin's children: Emanuel, Ina and Elsie—were and are still close as well as all their children—the cousins. However, there were other relatives from California, Arkansas and Pennsylvania-that most of us never met. It was wonderful to meet and know that our family is so large!

What were your impressions of the ceremony at the White House and the Pentagon?
The Army held a cocktail reception/light dinner the night we arrived in Crystal City, Virginia, next to the Pentagon. We had the opportunity to meet many decorated members of the Army including 3 and 4 star Generals. An Army choral group sang traditional songs. We were treated like dignitaries.

The next morning, before leaving our hotel for the White House, we went through several levels of security. We had already received clearance weeks earlier so they were being extremely careful about our visit. We were picked up in buses and lead by a military police escort from our Crystal City, VA hotel to the White House and returned on buses. The 9 am traffic was required to part, allowing us swift passage through the rush hour traffic. This experience was very poignant as we thought of our deceased father (Emanuel Shemin, son of William) and our grandfather, William himself, wishing they could have witnessed this honor. The ceremony was full of White House tradition and color. Obama spoke wonderfully and was able to communicate as if he knew our family and the heroic story of our grandfather. He was warm, personal and courteous to our two aunts who were the only members of our family to meet with the President personally. Before the ceremony, our aunts, Ina Bass and Elsie Shemin Roth, had a private meeting in the Oval Office with the President. It was there that he signed the Medal of Honor certificate. Two grandchildren shook Obama's hand when he was leaving the ceremony: Sam Cass and Abigail Goldstein.

After the White House Ceremony in the East Room, we were treated to an elegant lunch served buffet style in the White House Dining Room. We were able to walk into the Red, Yellow, and Blue Rooms of the East Room. A military pianist played music for us in the large East Wing foyer filled with Early American antiques, including the grand piano with legs beautifully carved of gold eagles. Portraits of former presidents and first ladies paneled walls. It was thrilling to be a guest in the White House! Some of the grandchildren proudly saved their paper cocktail napkins and the powder room hand towels containing the White House seal as souvenirs. The formal gardens outside the White House were stunning. We even saw one of the President's Portuguese Water dog, Bo.

The Pentagon experience was full of awe. The purpose of the ceremony was to include our grandfather's name into the Hall of Hero's Memorial. A pictorial and written display was designed explaining our grandfather's story. Our Aunt Elsie contributed many of the photographs, some of which we had never seen before. Afterwards, a few of the Shemin family members were invited to a private tour of the Pentagon and lunch with the Assistant to the Secretary of State and other Defense Department officers. Unfortunately, the Secretary of State was in India on an important state matter.

Have any of your grandfather's descendants served in the armed forces?
My father, Emanuel Shemin, now deceased, joined the National Guard at age 16 years. After college he was commissioned, serving in the United States Air Force during the Korean War, attaining the rank of Major. My cousin, William Roth, served four years in the United States Marine Corps. William's younger brother and my other cousin, Joseph Roth, a Commander in the United States Navy, recently retired after 20 years, including service in Afghanistan.
Also, my father, Emanuel Shemin, helped to spearhead and fund Syracuse University's Institute for Veterans and Military Families--The IVMF- which is the first and only national institute in higher education that focuses on the social, economic and education policy issues that impact today's veterans and their families. This is one of the most important initiatives at Syracuse University.

The IVMF started with the EBV (Entrepreneurship Boot camp for Veterans with Disabilities) 8 years ago. The EBV is a program that supports disabled veterans who want to start their own business. It does this through classroom training and funding. My father, Emanuel, was one of the first supporters of the EBV and there is still an endowment in his name that provides micro-grants to disabled veterans who need money for attending seminars, advertising, marketing, legal fees, laptops, etc. It has been such a successful program that 60 Minutes featured it two years ago.

By the way, my grandfather, William Shemin is the first and only Syracuse alum to receive the Medal of Honor so the University is taking this very seriously with much planned publicity.

How is it that you all ended up in Scarsdale? What's the story behind your move here?
In 1991 Leslie Shemin Lester moved from New York City to Edgemont and then in 1996 she moved to Fox Meadow and lived there for over 18 years. She recently moved to Armonk. Soon to follow, in 1997, Sara Shemin Cass, the eldest sister, moved from the city to Greenacres where she still lives. In 2002, another sister, Grace Shemin Goldstein, moved from Manhattan to Scarsdale too. She ended up living 9 houses away from her younger sister, Leslie, in Fox Meadow. All three sisters in Scarsdale wanted to have an easy commute to the city and loved the idea of being close to each other. They see their fourth sister (Grace's identical twin), Suzanne Shemin Katz, who moved to Greenwich in 1992 where their mother, Rhoda Shemin, lives, often so she never feels left out from the close proximity of the others.

Between the three sisters that live in Scarsdale, they have had 5 children who have graduated from Scarsdale High School. William Cass graduated in 2004, Rebecca Lester and Sam Cass in 2009, Aaron Lester in 2012, and Jonathan Goldstein in 2013. Abigail Goldstein will be a senior at Scarsdale High School this next school year. Hannah Lester, Leslie's youngest, just graduated from The Solomon Schechter School of Westchester this past June.

Do you have a Scarsdale family story to share? Send it to scarsdalecomments@gmail.com.