PROGRAM GUIDE 2013

comfest.com community Festival 2013 13ComFest celebrates Sandy Spater, a man worthy oftrust, a man to be relied upon. It is difficult to conceivethe difference a generation can make. When Sandyentered the field of law, the field of battle, segregation inschools and housing was rampant, women were treatedas third-class citizens, gays and lesbians were physicallysafe only in the closet. No onehad a cell phone or cable ora computer. It was the age ofcarbon paper, white men withdirty hands.The measure of a man iswhat he does. Sandy led thestruggle. He represented African-American police officers in theirquest of equal rights, womenand people of color denied theright to work in prisons, schoolteachers fired for being pregnant,for being gay, social workersfor being immigrants, womenexcluded from being factoryworkers, firefighters or police.Today Spater’s thoughts andwords are quoted in SupremeCourt opinions, taught in collegecourses, remembered well bythose who fought with him andagainst him.The measure of a man is alist of his friends and enemies.Sandy’s foes were the small ofsoul and hateful of spirit. It is a lucky person who cansay, “Sandy Spater is my friend.”Sandy has received much recognition for his work.The local and national NAACP has honored him. Otherrecognition has come from National Organization forWomen (N.O.W.), American Civil Liberties Union(ACLU), Columbus Urban League and Police Officersfor Equal Rights. And now fellow political activists whomake up Community Festival honor him.Sandy talks nonchalantly about his manyaccomplishments. When you speak to him, his coreHonored Community activistSandy Spaterbeliefs and sense of achieving justice are evident. Sandy’slegal skills have broken down barriers and brokenthrough glass ceilings for those he has represented.Sandy looks back on his legal career and the massivechange in attitude that has occurred through the years.He knows there is still a long road ahead for justice andequality as he laments that thereis still racism and sexism in theworld.Sandy Spater would neverbe accused of having theappearance of a slick attorney.His affectionately recognizeddisheveled appearance clearlymasks the sharp legal mind thatraces ahead of his shirttails.Fellow attorney TomMcGuire said he “alwaysbelieved Sandy was brilliant andgot results for his clients.” Heremembers opposing counselunderestimating Sandy’s legalprowess based on his appearance.“He beat their brains out,”McGuire recalled with a chuckle.Sandy fondly remembers theearly days of ComFest when thefestival was a smaller communitygathering, heavy on progressivePhoto by Michael Gruberpolitics. Sandy helped out asa beer volunteer in those earlyyears.The measure of a man is what he is. And Sandyis, above all, loved. He is a source of exasperation andendearment, amazing and amusing, the kind of guy whowalks into any room and everyone feels they know andlike him. Sandy is loyal. Sandy is totally without artificeor deceit: what ya sees is what ya gets. He is tenacious inthe pursuit of justice, loyal and loving as a husband andfather, faithful as a friend. No one who knows him cantell a Sandy Spater story without laughing. No one. Hebrings joy to the world.--Howard Brenner and Michael Gruber