MLKing Honoree Revealed

Harold Wolfson is Summit, Hispanic Resource Activist

by Judy Silberstein

(December 21, 2005) Harold Wolfson, a long-term community activist, will be the honoree at the 19th Annual program in memory of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., confirmed Robin Nichinsky, chair of the Mamaroneck-Larchmont Human Rights Commission on Thursday, December 22. The award ceremony, at the Emelin on January 11 at 7:30 pm, is open to the entire community and will feature a keynote address from Dionne Warwick, the famous singer who has also championed humanitarian causes. (See: King Celebration)

Members of the Local Summit had already heard the news on Tuesday morning when Town of Mamaroneck Councilman Ernie Odierna "spilled the beans" at their monthly meeting, surprising everyone, including Mr. Wolfson who was there, as usual. In fact, among the reasons for the honor is Mr. Wolfson's work with the Local Summit and with the Hispanic Resource Center that he and others from the Summit helped get started.

"The issues he's been involved with are near and dear to our members," said Ms. Nichinsky. In particular, she mentioned "work on behalf of the Hispanic Resource Center to help integrate our Latino residents into the community and help them to succeed. He's also worked closely with the Day Laborer Task Force which is part of the Human Rights Committee of the Summit." (Click for the list of past honorees.)

Mr. Wolfson, who with a partner started up the public relation firm of Rubenstein, Wolfson and Co., Inc., is used to "tooting his clients' horn" but is more modest about his own accomplishments. Asked to comment on his honor, he was at a loss to guess why he was selected. "I’m an ordinary person with a few skills doing the things he can do – and over time making a difference. It’s something many in the community can do and do do," he ventured.

What he's done, with regularity in support of the Local Summit and Hispanic Resource Center, is to use his public relations skills to help get out the word on the goals and activities of both organizations. Gazette readers will recognize his byline on reports from both groups. (See for example, Mayor & Local Summit Discuss Day Laborer Situation.)

Mr. Wolfson started on a career in writing after graduating from Yale University and landing a job as a journalist in 1954 with the New York Journal American, "a Hearst paper that was the largest evening newspaper in the country at the time. It was a wonderful postgraduate course in life," he recounted. His job brought him and his family to Larchmont (because it was "a beautiful town on the water, and a good commute"), but when the increasing popularity of television led him to worry about the future of newspapers, he switched gears to public relations. By the time he retired from the field in 1989, his firm had grown to 30 people and his list of clients, mostly from the financial service world, included many major names, such as Morgan Stanley, Ernst and Young, and Barclays Bank.

One of his few regrets from his working years is "I didn't get more involved in community or general charitable work." But since retiring, Mr. Wolfson has made up for lost time. He joined up with the Local Summit during its first year and has remained active, particulalry with their communications and strategic planning. When Marta Lopez and Olga Ochoa, (both Local Summit members and recipients in 2000 of the Martin Luther King, Jr. award) began organizing the Hispanic Resource Center, Mr. Wolfson became an early member and helped write the mission statement.

"I'm a son of an immigrant," said Mr. Wolfson, explaining his particular affinity for helping Hispanic immigrants through the Resource Center. "My father came from Austria and he told me stories of coming here in what were not great times." With little English and less money, the elder Mr. Wolfson at first struggled to sell table scarves, a commodity with little demand during a time of economic downturn.

Mr. Wolfson's father tried to get his parents out of Vienna during the Holocaust, but there was a quota and they couldn't qualify. "I know if my father could have gotten them here through Canada or Mexico, he would have done it. But he couldn't and they died," said Mr. Wolfson.

On Wednesday, January 11, the community will learn more about Mr. Wolfson and the ways in which the Human Rights Commission considered his work to exemplify "the principles and dedication of Martin Luther King, Jr." For more information on the ceremony, click here.

Honorees From 1990 - 2004

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