In the last 1990s, Wally Marks was honored by Liberty Hill with its Founder’s Award. The presenter, Liberty Hill’s executive director Michele Prichard, made the following remarks at the time. They reflect the kind of remarkable man Wally was.
When I first came to Liberty Hill to head its program in 1989, the very first person I asked to join me in the task of building a progressive foundation was Wally Marks. It is extraordinary timing that we are honoring him tonight at such a dynamic moment in Liberty Hill's growth. For it is Wally Marks, along with a small handful of others, who took personal responsibility to transform Liberty Hill into what is now one of the most lively and relevant political institutions in Los Angeles.
Like many friends here, I met Wally, and his sensational wife Suzy, through their energetic leadership to win a Nuclear Arms Freeze in California in 1982. After that huge electoral victory, made possible by Wally and Suzy's tireless efforts to raise funds and get out the vote, I worked with Wally on the L. A. Jobs with Peace campaign, a local effort which sought to redirect military spending into human services, education and jobs. Two years later, we met again as Wally helped spearhead Voters to End the Arms Race, an organization dedicated to electing peace candidates to office. As they say, the third time is the charm, and by the end of the 1988 election year, I knew that Wally Marks was one of the people who would make a major impact on progressive politics in Los Angeles.
Wally always stood out from the rest. Here was a middle-aged man of wealth and privilege who would actually raise his hand and quietly wait his turn to talk in a heated political meeting. Here was a man who could call up Senators and Congressmen to give them a piece of his mind, but who would rather walk precincts and knock on doors to reach out to apathetic voters. Here was a man who gave generously of his own personal wealth to causes that—at least on the face of it—would seem to violate his own economic self-interest. And here was a man who could use his resources to avoid the mean streets of L. A, but instead used them to come face to face with refugees, homeless people, public housing residents, to understand their circumstances, their humanity.
Wally is a truth seeker. Those of you who know him can easily envision his knitted brow, the tiny notebook in his shirt pocket overflowing with bits of information, as he struggles to reconcile the complexity of contemporary politics. At Liberty Hill, we have learned that Wally's truth-seeking is driven by a great sense of fairness, ethics and conscience. He dares to ask the tough questions that often make us uncomfortable, that challenge our thinking. . . and that inevitably extend the length of our meetings! But. . . we are better off for it.
It is not commonplace at a fancy awards dinner like this one to talk about this last subject, but I am going to anyway. Because I think it is Wally's most notable characteristic, the thing that makes him tick. Many of us come to the social justice movement because of our outrage with corporate-dominated, money-driven politics. Others come for reasons of ideology or maybe even self-interest. But Wally comes for another reason altogether. And that, my friends, is Love. At the core of Wally Marks' commitment, compassion, humility and generosity is a deep and abiding love for his fellow human beings. It is a powerful impulse, and one that lights the way not only for Wally, but for those of us who are lucky enough to travel the path alongside of him.
To our beloved Wally Marks, it is my honor to present you with the Liberty Hill Foundation's Founders Award on behalf of the Board, staff, volunteers and community of activists.
