REMARKS TO THE CONFERENCE OF CHRISTIANS AND JEWS
GREATER NEW ORLEANS REGION
36TH ANNUAL WEISS BROTHERHOOD AWARDS DINNER
HONORING IAN ARNOF
PRESENTED BY IRA A. LIPMAN
NATIONAL CHAIRMAN
N.C.C.J.
CHAIRMAN AND PRESIDENT
GUARDSMARK, INC.
NAPOLEON BALLROOM
NEW ORLEANS HILTON
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA

NOVEMBER 9, 1989

IT IS A PLEASURE FOR ME TO BE HERE TONIGHT BOTH AS NATIONAL CHAIRMAN OF NCCJ AND AS SOMEONE WHO HAS KNOWN IAN ARNOF FOR ALMOST 25 YEARS. IT IS A PRIVILEGE TO BE A PART OF THE PRESENTATION OF THESE AWARDS IN NEW ORLEANS.
I AM HONORED TO PRESENT THIS HUMANITARIAN AWARD TO IAN ARNOF, A MAN WHO EXEMPLIFIES WHAT NCCJ REPRESENTS: A DEEP AND ABIDING CONCERN FOR OTHERS, A DEDICATION TO FAIRNESS AND JUSTICE, AND A LIFELONG BELIEF IN THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNITY.
IAN ARNOF WAS BORN IN ARKANSAS AND RECEIVED A BACHELOR’S DEGREE FROM VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY AND AN M.B.A. FROM HARVARD UNIVERSITY. HE SPENT 14 YEARS AT FIRST TENNESSEE BANK BEFORE MOVING HERE IN 1978.
IAN ARNOF. IT SAYS NOTHING OF HIS DEDICATION, SENSITIVITY, COMPASSION, AND ABILITY TO MOTIVATE OTHERS. IT DOES NOT CONVEY HIS FINE SENSE OF HUMOR. IT TELLS US NOTHING ABOUT HIS CHARACTER.
IAN IS MORE THAN A SOLID CITIZEN, MORE THAN A FINE BUSINESSMAN, MORE THAN A RESPECTED COMMUNITY LEADER. BEFORE THE PUBLIC MAN THERE’S THE PRIVATE MAN-A MAN OF HONOR, WARMTH, INTENSITY, AND LOYALTY.
THERE ARE UNDOUBTEDLY MANY STORIES THAT ILLUSTRATE THE QUALITY OF IAN ARNOF’S CHARACTER. ONE, THOUGH, COMES FROM DEEP IN THE FAMILY ARCHIVES, AND IAN MAY NOT EVEN REMEMBER IT. BUT HIS LOVING SISTER ANN DOES AND RECALLS IT VERY CLEARLY, EVEN THOUGH SHE WAS ONLY TWO YEARS OLD AT THE TIME. IAN WAS FIVE.
ANN BECAME CAUGHT IN A STICKER BUSH. AS TWO-YEAR-OLDS ARE INCLINED TO DO, AND BEING VERY INTELLIGENT, ANN SCREAMED FOR HELP.
PROBLEM. HE DID NOT TELL ANN THAT HE WAS BUSY, THAT HE HAD HIS OWN CONCERNS, THAT SHE SHOULD SOLVE HER OWN PROBLEMS.
HE SAW THE RIGHT THING TO DO, AND HE DID IT.
THAT’S THE KIND OF BOY HE WAS. AND THAT’S THE KIND OF MAN HE IS.
HE SEES THE RIGHT THING TO DO, AND HE DOES IT.
WITHOUT FANFARE. WITHOUT SELF-APPLAUSE. WITHOUT SEEKING HIS OWN ENDS.
IAN’S DEDICATION TO FAIRNESS AND JUSTICE PROCEEDS FROM HIS OWN INTEGRITY, HIS OWN CODE OF BUSINESS, PROFESSIONAL, AND PERSONAL BEHAVIOR THAT MAKES HIM SEEK THE FAIR AND JUST PATH IN EVERYTHING HE DOES.
GROUPS OR LARGE, IN HIS BUSINESS, IN HIS CITY, AND IN HIS STATE. HE IS A LEADER, BUT HE HAS NEVER LOST THE COMMON TOUCH. IAN HAS THE ABILITY TO MAKE EVERYONE FEEL IMPORTANT-AS INDIVIDUALS, AS PERSONS, AND AS MEMBERS OF A COMMUNITY.
IAN’S COMMITMENT TO NEW ORLEANS AND HIS EFFORTS TO ENHANCE LIFE IN THE CITY ARE WELL-KNOWN. HE IS SOUGHT OUT AS A COMMUNITY LEADER NOT ONLY BECAUSE OF HIS PROFESSIONAL STANDING, BUT ALSO BECAUSE OF HIS INTEGRITY, HIS INSIGHT, HIS ABILITY TO SEE THROUGH TO THE HEART OF A PROBLEM QUICKLY, AND BECAUSE WHERE IAN LEADS, OTHERS WILL FOLLOW.
IAN ARNOF RICHLY DESERVES THIS AWARD IN RECOGNITION OF WHAT HE HAS DONE AND OF WHAT HE IS. ESPOUSING AND LIVING THE PRINCIPLES OF NCCJ, IAN IS A MODEL TO OUR YOUTH; AN EXAMPLE TO ALL WHO STRIVE FOR A TOLERANT, JUST, AND FAIR SOCIETY; AND A REBUKE TO THE BIGOTS WHO WOULD DIVIDE US.
IN THE LAST SENTENCE OF HIS WILL, IAN’S FATHER, I.N. ARNOF, WROTE: IN THIS DOCUMENT I CAN ONLY GIVE YOU THINGS, BUT IF I HAD A CHOICE TO GIVE WORLDLY GOODS OR CHARACTER, I WOULD GIVE CHARACTER. TO ME CHARACTER MEANS LOYALTY, INTEGRITY, NOBILITY, SPORTSMANSHIP, AND A SENSE OF HUMOR.
IF IAN’S FATHER WERE HERE, HE WOULD BE JUSTLY PROUD OF WHAT HIS SON HAS ACCOMPLISHED.
TONIGHT WE HONOR YOU, IAN, WITH OUR HUMANITARIAN AWARD-FOR YOU ARE TRULY A MAN OF CHARACTER.