[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 140 (Monday, November 17, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1598-E1599]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     A TRIBUTE TO MARVIN SCHACHTER

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ADAM B. SCHIFF

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, November 17, 2014

  Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Marvin 
Schachter of Pasadena, California, upon receiving the American Civil 
Liberties Union (ACLU) of Southern California Bill of Rights Award.
   Born on May 17, 1924, Marvin grew up in Brooklyn during the Great 
Depression as the

[[Page E1599]]

youngest of four children. The hard-hitting Great Depression years had 
enormous influence in determining Marvin's life direction. At the young 
age of 15, he became involved in student activism and joined the 
national board of the American Student Union, a progressive 
organization of college students known for its protests against 
militarism. In 1943, Marvin was drafted into the Army and served in 
military intelligence until February, 1946 when he was discharged. 
Shortly after his discharge, he received his bachelor's degree at 
Brooklyn College, married Doris Donnally and began his graduate work in 
economics at Columbia University. During this time, he was actively 
involved in the civil rights movement organizing marches and 
establishing statewide student organizations against segregationist 
laws. He completed his master's degree in economics at the University 
of Colorado, and in 1951, he was admitted as a graduate student at 
Cambridge University, England.
   When Marvin returned to the United States as a trained economist, he 
wanted to pursue a career in academia, but was prevented from doing so 
due to unwarranted concern over his history of student activism. He 
became a market researcher for Hallicrafters, a company that 
specialized in constructing electronic equipment for the Air Force, but 
was let go when an executive learned of his activism in leftist 
organizations. This turn of events led Marvin to go into retail and 
merchandising.
   In 1954, tragically, his wife Doris passed away. In 1956, Marvin met 
and married Esther Adler. The Schachters moved to Los Angeles for 
Marvin to take a job offer by the Mays Department Stores Company. At 
that time, Marvin joined the American Friends Service Committee in 
Pasadena and the ACLU's board of directors. He became president of the 
ACLU of Southern California, and served on the national board for 17 
years. In the 1980s, Mr. Schachter hosted a weekly radio program on 
domestic and foreign policy issues on KPFK, and became one of the 
founders of the Pasadena Weekly, for which he continues to write an 
occasional column. Marvin left a successful retail career to establish 
a real estate business, but continued his social and political work. He 
was the Vice Chair of the Interfaith Center to Reverse the Arms Race, a 
leader in the California nuclear freeze movement, and chaired a 
steering committee that organized and united California's disabled 
communities.
   In the 1990s, Marvin expanded his volunteer service to include the 
senior community, serving as a Governor's appointee to the California 
Commission on Aging, chair of the Senior Advocacy Council of Pasadena, 
and President of the L.A. County Agency on Aging Advisory Council. 
Recently, he has worked with the International Criminal Court Alliance, 
the United Nations Association, the California Commission on Aging, and 
the Center for Healthcare Rights, among many other organizations. He is 
also documenting his life through the Pasadena Historical Society's 
Oral History Project. Marvin and Esther have two daughters, Pamela and 
Amanda, and two grandchildren, Emma and Max.
   I ask that all Members of Congress please join me in recognizing the 
extraordinary lifetime contributions of Marvin Schachter, a true 
guardian of our civil liberties.

                          ____________________