Henry Auerbach

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.