OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Greater Kansas City AZA #2 proudly announces the second class of inductees into the Mnookin Memorial AZA #2 Hall of Fame. The 2026 honorees are: the late Dr. Henry Brown and Jacob “Jack” Brown, along with Arnold Caviar.

Established in 2025, the Hall of Fame is named in memory of Kansas City chemist Nathan Mnookin, one of the founders of the AZA movement and the first adviser to BBYO’s first two chapters.

The 2026 class will be formally inducted on May 9, 2026, during Two’s AZA’s Fourth Annual Marty Awards at the Jewish Community Center in Overland Park, Kansas. The Marty Awards is the chapter’s annual Oscars-style awards show, celebrating the achievements of current Kansas City BBYO members while honoring the legacy of past leaders. This year’s program will also commemorate the chapter’s 102nd anniversary.

Awards will be presented in categories including Aleph of the Year, BBG of the Year, Mensch of the Year, Underclassman of the Year, Senior of the Year, Program of the Year, and Mentor of the Year. The evening will also feature the crowning of the chapter Sweetheart.

For more information, to purchase tickets, or to make a donation, visit:
https://www.twosaza.com/martyawards

2026 Hall of Fame Inductees:

Dr. Henry Brown was a charter member of AZA #2 and a pioneering chemist whose innovations helped shape modern industrial plating. According to The New York Times, he “helped make the American Dream a gleaming reality by finding new ways of keeping chromium plate bright and shiny.”

Dr. Brown earned a Rockefeller Teaching Fellowship to the University of Michigan, where he received his Ph.D. in physical chemistry in 1933 while serving as an assistant professor. That same year, he joined Udylite Chemical Corp. in Detroit, launching a distinguished career that led to hundreds of patents in the United States and abroad. His work in chrome and bright nickel plating became standard across major automobile manufacturers in the United States and Europe.

During World War II, Dr. Brown contributed to the Manhattan Project at Columbia University. He also developed a plating process that served as both camouflage and corrosion protection for aircraft parts, saving the U.S. government hundreds of millions of dollars—compensation he declined. In 1963, he was recognized as one of Michigan’s foremost inventors.

Jacob “Jack” Brown was a former AZA #2 president and served as Grand Aleph Mazkir in 1929. A distinguished attorney and civic leader, Brown played a central role in shaping the Kansas City Jewish community.

Born in New York City in 1910, Brown moved with his family to Kansas City, where he attended Karnes School and Manual High School. He went on to found the prominent law firm Brown & Koralchik.

Brown was a leader in the Zionist movement locally and helped found both the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City and the Jewish Community Foundation. He served on numerous civic and communal boards, including Congregation Beth Shalom, and was president of Oakwood Country Club.

In 1927, Brown and Joseph Rosenzweig of AZA #2 lost in the finals of the National Debate Contest to the Mother Chapter #1; in 1929, he won the District Oratory Contest.

In 1940, he married Frances Becker; their marriage spanned 65 years until his passing in 2005.

Arnold Caviar is a Kansas City-based businessman and philanthropist best known as the longtime owner and CEO of Liberty Fruit Company, a family-founded wholesale produce business established in 1965.

The son of founders Issie and Mary Caviar, Arnold joined the company full-time in 1971 after working as a teacher and basketball coach. In 1982, he and his wife, Carol, purchased the business. Under his leadership, Liberty Fruit expanded into a major regional distributor serving grocery, wholesale, and foodservice customers across the Midwest.

Caviar is widely recognized for his philanthropic leadership, supporting numerous Kansas City charities and community organizations. He also served as president of Kehilath Israel Synagogue. He joined AZA #2 in 1957.

About Kansas City AZA #2

Kansas City AZA #2 (“Two’s”) is the second-oldest chapter in the Grand Order of the Aleph Zadik Aleph, BBYO’s Jewish teen leadership organization. Founded in 1923 and officially chartered on May 10, 1924, the chapter traces its origins to Omaha’s “Mother Chapter,” with Nathan Mnookin serving as its first adviser.

Originally sponsored by B’nai B’rith Lodge 184, AZA was adopted by B’nai B’rith as its official youth program in 1925. Today, Two’s continues its legacy of excellence, earning recognition as one of just 10 chapters worldwide to receive the 2026 Henry Monsky Chapter Excellence Award.