Marty Glickman and Sammy Stoller
I was blessed to attend multiple colleges on a track & field scholarship to eventually earn a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration after several interruptions to participate in the civil rights movement. I heard an interview of Marty Glickman on NPR radio. Marty Glickman was a Jewish American Olympic track athlete who was unexpectedly dropped from the 1936 United States Olympic relay team. The interview was held in the Berlin stadium of the 1936 Olympic Games 50 years later with Mr. Glickman sharing his inner past and present thoughts.
My eyes fluttered with tears and I contacted Mr. Glickman in August 2000. We developed an instant rapport. The Long Beach Central Area Association was co-sponsor, with the City of Long Beach, of the annual Long Beach Martin Luther King Jr. Parade & Celebration. As President of LBCAA, we invited Mr. Glickman to be honored during the 2001 Parade & Celebration. Mr. Glickman was 83 year of age and reluctant to travel cross country but he accepted the invitation. We scheduled a screening of the documentary Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport. as a fundraiser to offset Mr. Glickman’s expenses.
Local media publicized inviting Mr. Glickman to Long Beach as a gesture to unify the African American and Jewish communities. On December 12, 2000, the former sprinter underwent heart surgery in New York City and died January 3, 2001. The Long Beach Dr. King Parade & Celebration was scheduled January 13, 2001.
