80R7511 CBE-D

By: McCall H.C.R. No. 123

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The passing of Martin Donald on February 10, 2007, at the age of 86, drew to a close the life of a truly remarkable man who narrowly escaped the Holocaust and went on to become a respected businessman in America and to help establish the Dallas Holocaust Museum; and

WHEREAS, Born Martin Dorffmann on May 2, 1920, in Berlin, Germany, he was raised in an Orthodox Jewish family, the eldest child of Robert and Freida Dorffmann; as a youth, he had to quit school to help support his family after Adolf Hitler's rise to power; although governmental policies became increasingly severe, Martin's father, a decorated World War I veteran, was reluctant to leave his homeland, believing the Nazi regime would soon come to an end; Martin Dorffmann spent several years working under a mentor in the fur trade before his family applied for immigration documents; in January 1939, he and his cousin, Leo, the only ones to obtain papers, were forced to leave their family behind and escape to England, correctly fearing they would never see them again; at the age of 19, he had to begin a new life in a strange land; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Dorffmann endured more prejudice in his adopted home when he and other refugees were shipped to Canada as part of Britain's anti-German scare; two months later, he was returned to England with an apology and went on to enlist in the British Army, becoming a warrant officer in intelligence due to his fluency in both German and English; it was during this time that, acting on advice from the army, he changed his last name from Dorffmann to Donald to avoid further persecution if he were to be captured by the Germans; and

WHEREAS, Sent to Germany with his military unit, Mr. Donald was devastated by the atrocities he witnessed, including two concentration camps; after the war, he traveled to Berlin in search of his family, only to find that his parents and sister, as well as many other relatives, had perished in the camps; all told, he lost more than 40 family members to the Holocaust; and

WHEREAS, During the Allied occupation, Mr. Donald was assigned to Hamburg, where he was instrumental in locating and detaining many former Nazi officers, including Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop; he was asked to reenlist when his term ended but instead followed the advice of his good friend, Ann Spiesman, a fellow German refugee whom he had met in England, and he subsequently returned to civilian life; drawing on the training he received as a youth, he started a fur company in London, and on June 15, 1947, he and Ms. Spiesman were married; and

WHEREAS, Later that same year, Mr. and Mrs. Donald immigrated with her parents to the United States aboard the Queen Mary; in Brooklyn, he worked for his uncle's fur business before cofounding his own company; after many years of driving throughout the country selling furs, he followed the demand to Dallas, where he and his family relocated in 1960; there, he owned and operated the Elegant Furs Company and cofounded a costume jewelry business; he later went on to develop Dallas Woodcraft, a picture frame manufacturing company that grew to employ some 500 people, and he sold it to Home Interiors & Gifts before retiring in the early 1980s; and

WHEREAS, In 1984, Mr. Donald cofounded the Dallas Holocaust Museum, Center for Education and Tolerance, which held great meaning for him; in retirement, he also shared his time as a volunteer with SCORE, giving business advice to young entrepreneurs in the community; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Donald and his wife enjoyed nearly 60 years together, and they were blessed with a close-knit family, including two children, Senator Florence Shapiro and Mark Donald, six grandchildren, Lisa, Todd, Staci, Adam, Max, and Lillie, and six great-grandchildren, Joshua, Noa, Ari, Ella, Sam, and Zachary, as well as Howard, Brian, Paul, Esther, and Jori; and

WHEREAS, Affectionately known as "Pappa" by his loved ones, he was sought after by his children and grandchildren alike for his keen insights and advice; when his grandchildren were young, he delighted them with his stories, jokes, and playful nature, and he remained a steady and supportive presence in their lives as they grew to adulthood; his bear hugs were famous as was his oft-heard declaration that one looked "sharp as a matzoh ball"; he went out of his way to keep in touch with distant relatives all over the world and did not hesitate to assist those that relocated to the U.S.; and

WHEREAS, Martin Donald lived with passion and zest; distinctly proud of his heritage, he took great pleasure in hosting family and friends for celebrations of the Jewish holidays, and he also enjoyed numerous other pastimes, including tennis, gambling, horse racing, and swimming; he and his wife took several memorable trips to places such as Israel, China, and Russia, and not long before his passing, he treated his family to a vacation in the Bahamas, where he thrilled a crowd with his success at the gaming table; and

WHEREAS, Martin Donald persevered through unimaginable circumstances to carry on his family's legacy and nurture his own family with courage, joy, and wisdom; although he will be deeply missed, he leaves behind a legacy of accomplishment that will continue to resonate not only in the lives of his loved ones, but also in the lives of countless visitors to the Dallas Holocaust Museum, who will emerge from the experience both moved and determined never to forget the lessons learned from the past; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the 80th Legislature of the State of Texas hereby pay tribute to the life of Martin Donald and extend sincere sympathy to the members of his family: to his wife, Ann Donald; to his daughter, Senator Florence Shapiro and her husband, Howard; to his son, Mark Donald, and his wife, Esther; to his grandchildren, Lisa Strauss and her husband, Brian, Todd Shapiro and his wife, Jori, Staci Rubin and her husband, Paul, and Adam, Max, and Lillie Donald; to his great-grandchildren, Joshua, Noa, and Ari Strauss, Ella and Zachary Shapiro, and Sam Rubin; and to his other relatives and many friends; and, be it further

RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for the members of his family and that when the Texas House of Representatives and Senate adjourn this day, they do so in memory of Martin Donald.