PRESENTATION BY
IRA A. LIPMAN
CHAIRMAN AND PRESIDENT
GUARDSMARK, INC.
OF THE
NCCJ HUMANITARIAN OF THE YEAR AWARD
TO
SAM MARGOLIN
THE PEABODY
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE
JUNE 1, 1995

THANK YOU.
AS PAST NATIONAL CHAIRMAN OF NCCJ AND CURRENT HONORARY CHAIRMAN, I HAVE CRISS-CROSSED THE COUNTRY AND MADE MANY PRESENTATIONS HONORING MANY PEOPLE.
BUT THIS IS PERHAPS THE MOST DIFFICULT PRESENTATION I HAVE EVER BEEN ASKED TO MAKE.
SAM MARGOLIN HAD THE HIGHEST ESTEEM FOR NCCJ. WHEN I INFORMED HIM LAST NOVEMBER THAT NCCJ WISHED TO GIVE HIM THIS AWARD, HE WAS BOTH DELIGHTED AND HONORED TO ACCEPT IT, AND HE LOOKED FORWARD TO THIS EVENING WITH GREAT ANTICIPATION. HIS DEATH ON APRIL 22 WAS A TREMENDOUS LOSS TO HIS FAMILY, TO HIS FRIENDS, AND TO THIS ENTIRE COMMUNITY.
HE TOLD ME MANY TIMES OVER THE YEARS THAT IF HE WERE EVER HONORED, HE WANTED ME TO MAKE THE PRESENTATION. SO I APPROACH THE TASK WITH A DEEP SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY BOTH TO THE MEMORY OF SAM MARGOLIN AND TO HIS FAMILY, ALONG WITH A HOPE THAT WORDS ALONE— HOWEVER LIMITED—CAN YET CONVEY AN ABIDING SENSE OF WHAT A SPLENDID MAN WE HAVE LOST.
SAM MARGOLIN, IN THE VAST DIVERSITY OF HIS TALENTS, WAS MANY THINGS TO MANY PEOPLE, BUT HE WAS FIRST AND FOREMOST A TEACHER WHO INFLUENCED HUNDREDS, EVEN THOUSANDS OF INDIVIDUALS ON A WIDE VARIETY OF ISSUES. TO ALL WHO KNEW HIM, HE RESPONDED IN A PERSONAL WAY, AND PEOPLE TENDED TO THINK OF HIM AS THEIR PERSONAL ADVISER, OR BUSINESS ADVISER, OR UNOFFICIAL RABBI, OR SAGE, OR TZADDIK.
IT IS NOT EASY IN JUST A FEW MINUTES TO PORTRAY THE ESSENCE OF SUCH A MAN—TO DO JUSTICE TO HIS WISDOM, PATIENCE, AND UNDERSTANDING—TO PAINT WITH SIMPLE WORDS A LIVING PORTRAIT OF HIS KINDNESS, COMPASSION, AND CARING. BUT IN THINKING OF ALL THAT HE DID IN HIS 85 YEARS, ALL THAT HE ACCOMPLISHED, AND ALL THAT HE REPRESENTED, THE SINGLE CONCEPT THAT KEEPS RECURRING IS THAT SAM MARGOLIN WAS A MODEL, ONE WE CAN HOLD UP TO OUR YOUTH AND SAY, “THIS IS HOW YOU SHOULD ACT. THIS IS HOW YOU SHOULD WORK. THIS IS HOW YOU SHOULD LIVE.”
HE HAD TO DO IT THE HARD WAY, WORKING ALL DAY AND ATTENDING CLASS AT NIGHT. BUT HE DID IT. AND HE FINISHED AT THE HEAD OF HIS CLASS. FORTUNATELY, HIS DREAM DID NOT END THERE.
HE SAW THAT A GROWING MEMPHIS WOULD NEED AN OUTSTANDING LAW SCHOOL THAT MET THE HIGHEST STANDARDS OF EXCELLENCE, WITH SUPERIOR INSTRUCTION BY THE BEST PRACTICING ATTORNEYS THE CITY HAD TO OFFER, INCLUDING JOSEPH BEARMAN; HERSCHEL FEIBELMAN; SAM MYAR, JR.; AL THOMAS; JUDGE IRVING STRAUCH; JUDGE GREENFIELD POLK; AND SAM HIMSELF.
AND THIS NEW LAW SCHOOL HAD TO HOLD CLASSES AT NIGHT, SO OTHERS LIKE SAM—ENDOWED ONLY WITH THEIR NATIVE INTELLIGENCE AND A LOVE OF THE LAW—COULD REALIZE THEIR DREAMS. SO AT THE AGE OF 22—IN THE MIDST OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION—SAM MARGOLIN FOUNDED SOUTHERN LAW UNIVERSITY.
WHILE THE ENTIRE NATION WAS IN THE THROES OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION, WHEN SKILLED AND TALENTED PEOPLE WERE SELLING PENCILS ON STREET CORNERS AND DESPAIR CHOKED THE HOPES OF MILLIONS, SAM MARGOLIN BEGAN AN ENTERPRISE THAT WOULD NOT ONLY SURVIVE, BUT THRIVE. BECAUSE IN ADDITION TO A BELIEF IN HARD WORK, PERSEVERANCE AND DETERMINATION, HE HAD WHAT MANY OTHERS LACKED—A VISION.
BUT HOWEVER MUCH HE LOVED THE LAW AND TEACHING, SAM MARGOLIN COULD NOT PASS UP THE ENORMOUS BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES THAT AROSE AFTER WORLD WAR II. THIS SUCCESSFUL LAWYER AND LAW SCHOOL FOUNDER BEGAN ANOTHER CAREER WITH HIS BROTHERS IN BUILDING SUPPLIES, CONSTRUCTION, REAL ESTATE, REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT, AND FINALLY MORTGAGE BANKING.
HE WOULD LIVE TO SEE THE NATIONAL MORTGAGE COMPANY—NOW PART OF BOATMEN’S BANCSHARES—BECOME THE TWENTY-F1FTH LARGEST MORTGAGE SERVICING FIRM IN THE ENTIRE NATION, ORIGINATING $1.1 BILLION IN LOANS LAST YEAR WITH REVENUES OF SOME $65 MILLION.
SAM MARGOLIN EXEMPLIFIED ALL THE QUALITIES NEEDED TO ACHIEVE GREAT SUCCESS IN ANY WALK OF LIFE. HE HAD UNSTINTING OPTIMISM. WHO ELSE WOULD START A LAW SCHOOL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION? HE WAS WILLING TO TAKE RISKS. HOW ELSE COULD HE GIVE UP ONE SUCCESSFUL CAREER TO BEGIN ANOTHER? HE HAD THE KEEN ABILITY TO BOTH SEE AND SEIZE OPPORTUNITIES, THE FLEXIBILITY TO CHANGE FOCUS AS THE MARKET CHANGED, AND THE STEADINESS OF PURPOSE TO BUILD A START- UP COMPANY INTO A PREMIER PERFORMER IN ITS INDUSTRY.
HE FOUNDED SOUTHERN LAW UNIVERSITY TO RAISE THE STANDARDS OF LEGAL EDUCATION IN MEMPHIS, AND THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT HE DID. IN THREE DECADES, SOUTHERN LAW UNIVERSITY WROTE A LARGE CHAPTER IN THE LEGAL HISTORY OF MEMPHIS, GRADUATING MORE THAN 750 MEN AND WOMEN WHO WOULD GO ON TO BECOME THE LEADING LIGHTS OF THE MEMPHIS BAR AND JUDICIARY. A SURVEY IN THE EARLY 1960’S SHOWED THAT FAR MORE MEMPHIS ATTORNEYS ATTENDED SOUTHERN LAW UNIVERSITY THAN ANY OTHER LAW SCHOOL. IN 1964 SAM MARGOLIN MERGED HIS SCHOOL INTO WHAT IS NOW THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS LAW SCHOOL, ENSURING A CONTINUING IMPRINT ON THE LEGAL HISTORY OF OUR COMMUNITY.
THE SAME INSISTENCE ON EXCELLENCE PROPELLED A SMALL BUILDING SUPPLY COMPANY INTO EVER BROADER AREAS OF THE HOUSING INDUSTRY, UNTIL THE MARGOLIN NAME BECAME SYNONYMOUS WITH THE HIGHEST STANDARDS OF INTEGRITY, SERVICE, AND PROFESSIONALISM.
BUT HOWEVER GREAT SAM MARGOLIN’S WORLDLY SUCCESS—HOWEVER NOTABLE HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS—HE KNEW THAT BENEATH, WITHIN, AND THROUGHOUT THE LIFE OF THE WORLD THERE IS AN INVISIBLE FORCE THAT GUIDES, A DIVINE LIGHT THAT LEADS, AN ETERNAL PURPOSE WITH MEANING BEYOND OUR COMPREHENSION. SAM MARGOLIN WAS A MODEL OF THE RIGHTEOUS MAN.
HIS RABBIS WOULD TELL YOU THAT HE WAS AMONG THE MOST REVERENTIAL OF MEN, WHO WAS AWED BY AND COMMITTED HIMSELF DAILY TO HASHEM, THE LORD OUR GOD.
BUT HIS SENSE OF OBLIGATION AND RESPONSIBILITY WENT FAR BEYOND THE DEMANDS OF THE DAY. HE KNEW THAT OUR LIVES ARE ONLY MOMENTS IN ETERNITY, BUT IN THAT FLOW OF TIME WE HAVE THE POWER AND THE DUTY TO NOT ONLY PROTECT THE PRESENT, BUT ALSO PRESERVE THE FUTURE.
SAM MARGOLIN’S LOVE OF THE LAW, EDUCATION, TRADITION, AND ORTHODOX JUDAISM LED HIM TO FOUND A SECOND SCHOOL, ONE NOT DEDICATED TO FULFILLING THE DREAMS OF INDIVIDUAL MEN AND WOMEN FOR A CAREER, BUT RATHER THE HOPES AND CLAIMS OF AN ENTIRE PEOPLE FOR A FUTURE.
THE MARGOLIN HEBREW ACADEMY IS A LIVING MONUMENT TO SAM MARGOLIN’S PROFOUND BELIEF THAT WE DO NOT LIVE FOR OURSELVES ALONE.
DEEPLY COMMITTED TO HIS RELIGION, SAM MARGOLIN WAS ALSO A MODEL FAMILY MAN WHO DEDICATED HIMSELF TO HIS WONDERFUL WIFE, ROSE— WHOM HE ALWAYS CALLED “SKIP” AND WHO WAS NEVER FAR FROM HIS THOUGHTS—THEIR FOUR DAUGHTERS, 17 GRANDCHILDREN AND 30 GREAT- GRANDCHILDREN. NO PATRIARCH EVER TOOK GREATER PLEASURE AND PRIDE IN HIS FAMILY, AND NO FAMILY EVER RETURNED MORE LOVE AND RESPECT.
SAM MARGOLIN WAS A TEACHER, A LAWYER, A BUILDER, A FINANCIER, A FOUNDER OF SCHOOLS—A MAN WHOSE FOUNDATION WAS FIRMLY EMBEDDED IN RELIGION AND FAMILY—A MAN WHOSE DEEP UNDERSTANDING OF THE IMPORTANCE OF TRADITION FORMED HIS VISION OF THE FUTURE. WHO COULD ASK MORE OF ANY MAN OR WOMAN?
IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO TRACE THROUGH A LIFETIME THE IMPRINT OF ALL THAT WE DO. ONLY IN OUR MEMORIES ARE OUR ACTIONS ISOLATED MOMENTS, CUT OFF FROM THE STREAM OF TIME. IN FACT, EVERYTHING WE DO RIPPLES OUTWARD, AFFECTING OTHERS IN WAYS WE CAN NEVER HOPE TO KNOW.
NO ONE CAN EVER CALCULATE THE GOOD THAT SAM MARGOLIN DID IN HIS LIFETIME OR THE EFFECTS THAT WILL RIPPLE ON FOREVER, ENHANCING INDIVIDUAL LIVES AND ENRICHING OUR COMMUNITY.
HE FOUNDED A LAW SCHOOL SO THAT OTHER YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN LIKE HIMSELF—PEOPLE WITH LITTLE MEANS BUT BIG HOPES—COULD SEE THEIR DREAMS FULFILLED. HOW MANY ATTORNEYS IN OUR COMMUNITY TODAY AND HOW MANY OF THEIR CHILDREN, GRANDCHILDREN, AND EVEN GREAT- GRANDCHILDREN OWE A DEBT OF GRATITUDE TO SAM MARGOLIN AND HIS INSISTENCE THAT OTHERS BE GIVEN THE SAME OPPORTUNITY HE RECEIVED?
HOW MANY PEOPLE OVER ALL THE YEARS HAVE SAM MARGOLIN TO THANK FOR BUILDING OR FINANCING THEIR HOMES, AND FOR PROVIDING COMMUNITIES AND NEIGHBORHOODS IN WHICH THEY CAN RAISE THEIR CHILDREN AND PASS ON THEIR VALUES?
HOW MANY THOUSANDS OF EMPLOYEES OWE HONOR AND RESPECT TO SAM MARGOLIN FOR ENABLING THEM TO SUPPORT THEIR FAMILIES, AFFORD HEALTH CARE, PROVIDE EDUCATIONS, AND ENJOY LIFE TO THE FULLEST?
HOW MANY STUDENTS OF THE MARGOLIN HEBREW ACADEMY OWE THEIR KNOWLEDGE, THEIR COMMITMENT, AND THEIR LOVE OF GOD TO SAM MARGOLIN AND HIS UNDERSTANDING THAT WE DO NOT LIVE FOR OURSELVES ALONE?
IN HIS LIFE, SAM MARGOLIN EXEMPLIFIED ALL THE QUALITIES THAT WE AS A SOCIETY HONOR SO GREATLY: THE OPTIMISM THAT LIES AT THE CENTER OF OUR POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC SYSTEM; THE ABILITY TO OVERCOME THE BARRIERS THAT CONFRONT US; THE WILLINGNESS TO TAKE RISKS; CONCERN FOR OTHERS, DEVOTION TO FAMILY, BELIEF IN THE FUTURE, AND FAITH IN GOD.
THIS COMPLICATED AND MULTI-TALENTED MAN, WHO WAS SO HUMBLE HE ONCE CLAIMED, “MOST OF THE THINGS THAT HAPPENED TO ME WERE ACCIDENTAL. THEY WERE UNPLANNED AND SIMPLY HAPPENED” —
THIS ENORMOUSLY SUCCESSFUL FINANCIER, WHO IN THE SIMPLICITY OF HIS WISDOM ONCE SAID, “MONEY IS IMPORTANT IF YOU DON’T HAVE IT. THERE ARE OTHER THINGS THAT ARE IMPORTANT” —
THIS GOOD, KIND, GENEROUS, CONSIDERATE, AND MARVELOUS MAN IS NO LONGER WITH US. BUT HIS MEMORY LIVES ON IN OUR HEARTS, AND HIS EXAMPLE OF HOW TO ACT, HOW TO WORK, AND HOW TO LIVE WILL UPLIFT AND INSPIRE US ALL THE DAYS OF OUR LIVES.
THE WORLD IS A MUCH BETTER PLACE BECAUSE OF SAM MARGOLIN- BECAUSE OF HIS COURAGE, HIS VISION, HIS UNDERSTANDING, HIS INTEGRITY, HIS STRENGTH, AND HIS LOVE. HE ACCEPTED WHAT WAS GIVEN TO HIM AND ADDED TO IT MANY TIMES OVER, AND WHAT HE GAVE THE WORLD WAS MUCH GREATER THAN WHAT HE RECEIVED. HE ADDED IMMEASURABLY TO THE LIFE OF THIS COMMUNITY.
MAYBE IT WAS OUT OF THE WELLSPRINGS OF TRADITION—OUT OF A DEEP AND ABIDING RESPECT FOR MEMORY, FOR JUSTICE, AND FOR HISTORY—THAT SAM’S LAW SCHOOL WAS LOCATED IN THE SAME HOME ON ADAMS STREET WHERE HIS MOTHER FIRST GAVE HIM THE DREAM OF BECOMING A LAWYER.
WE HONOR THE LATE SAM MARGOLIN TONIGHT FOR HIS TREMENDOUS ACCOMPLISHMENTS, FOR THE MODEL HE OFFERS OUR CHILDREN, FOR ALL THE GOOD HE ACHIEVED, AND FOR HIS LIFELONG DEDICATION TO PRESERVING AND STRENGTHENING ALL THE TRADITIONS WE HOLD MOST DEAR.
TO THE FAMILY, WE CAN ONLY SAY THAT WE SHARE YOUR LOSS; WE SHARE YOUR GRIEF; AND WE SHARE THE HONOR, LOVE, AND RESPECT DUE TO THIS GOOD AND WONDERFUL MAN.
THE MEMPHIS CHAPTER OF NCCJ HAS NEVER BEFORE GIVEN A POSTHUMOUS AWARD, AND IT IS IMPORTANT TO REALIZE THAT SAM MARGOLIN WAS AWARE HE WOULD BE HONORED ALONG WITH OUR OTHER RECIPIENTS. HE WAS DEEPLY MOVED, AND I CAN STILL RECALL THE TWINKLE IN HIS EYE WHEN I TOLD HIM LAST NOVEMBER.
IT IS UNFORTUNATE THAT THIS AWARD DID NOT COME SOONER. SAM MARGOLIN WOULD HAVE DEARLY LOVED TO BE HERE TONIGHT.
BUT I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT HE IS PROUD OF NCCJ, PROUD OF MEMPHIS, PROUD OF HIS FAMILY, AND PROUD THAT HIS LOVING WIFE WILL ACCEPT THE NCCJ AWARD ON HIS BEHALF.