[Editor’s note: I regret not having met Henry Clifford, one of AMEU’s most reliable and generous supporters, and am grateful to my predecessor, John Mahoney, for sharing his appreciation. — NG]
In July 2011, posters sprung up at train stations in Connecticut and New York depicting Israel’s confiscation of Palestinian land from 1946 to 2010. It didn’t take long for the posters to go viral worldwide. As expected, they triggered criticism from pro-Israel supporters; surprisingly, however, they produced over 1,500 emails in support of the ads.
The publisher of those ads was Henry Clifford, a man I had never heard of. I contacted him and invited him to write an article on the posters for The Link, which he did for our January-March, 2013 issue. Two years later, we invited him to join our Board of Directors. In 2018, with his health failing, he transitioned to our National Council. Born in 1928, Henry received a B.S. degree in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania, after which he enlisted in the Marine Corps Officer Training Program. He was deployed as a 2nd Lieutenant to Korea in 1953, where he was wounded and captured, then repatriated in a POW exchange at the end of the Korean War.
Following his honorable discharge from the Marines he joined the investment banking firm White Weld & Co. Henry also served as Mayor of Harding Township (N.J.) and Chairman of the East Hampton (N.Y.) Town Planning Board. He was also an accomplished hockey and tennis player. Following his retirement, he devoted much of his attention to the study of history, with a particular focus on the Palestine-Israeli question. He was a major supporter of our efforts here at A.M.E.U. Henry is survived by his two sons, Henry and Peter.
Over the past 10 years, Henry and I became friends. I will miss him.
John Mahoney, Executive Director Emeritus