List of honorees
Louis Rose Society
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Honoree
Henry Auerbach
1914-1991
Honored by Lawrence Gorfine. San Diego,
California, July 12, 2005
Born in Austria in 1914, Henry fought against
injustice his entire life. From the 1970s to the time of his death in
1991, Henry was the chief benefactor of the San Diego County Democratic
Committee and personally refused to seat Nazi racist Tom Metzger who had won a
seat on the Committee by virtue of winning a Democratic primary
election (Metzger was never seated). Henry's friendship and
influence with major national Democratic officeholders was instrumental
in bringing high profile elected officials to San Diego for special events.
Besides his wife and the Democrats, Henry's biggest joy in life was
the Del Mar thoroughbred racing season where he had long-standing
box seats. Upon his death, the San Diego County Democratic
Committee established a memorial award in his honor. Today, this
prestigious award is simply called the Henry Auerbach Leadership Award.
His famous paraphrase was a quote from President John F. Kennedy:
"Ask not what the Democratic Committee can do for you but what you can do
for the Democratic Committee". He is survived by his beloved wife
Thelma who currently resides in San Marcos.
—Lawrence Gorfine, July 14,
2005.
About
Henry Auerbach