Walter Steblez, A highly moral man of courage.

I knew Walt Steblez as a best friend and colleague with whom I spent either the entire day at work or talked with after working hours almost every day for 30 years. I could go on and on with stories about Walt’s humor, philosophical insights, and varied interests, but the one overriding thing which informed everything he did was his sense of righteousness and the courage he displayed in acting according to his beliefs. If a person was ever being treated unjustly and needed a defender to stand up for them despite any personal consequences there was no better person than Walter Steblez. I should also add that Walt was the Union Steward where we worked so he did this not only for his friends but for everybody in need that he was in a position to help and he would even go against his politics if he felt it was necessary to help people. For example, although Walt often sided with Republicans in their fiscal views, he voted for Walter Mondale over Ronald Reagan in 1984 because he told me he thought that Reagan’s policies were adversely affecting the homeless and disabled. On a personal level I think that one of the ways that he helped exemplifies how he lived his life and what he did for others. We were in a work situation where we had an unstable supervisor whose many problems I won’t go into, but the supervisor had decided that he could advance himself further if he could get rid of me and promote Walter to my position who he thought would be a loyal minion. He proposed this plot to Walter, even lamenting that because I did a good job it would be more difficult. This would have meant for Walter a promotion and a chance to do a job which may have given him more personal satisfaction and fully employed his unique bilingual abilities in Russian and English. Rather than being tempted, Walter found the person despicable, and without any authorization physically moved his office so that he would not have to look at this person. Nevertheless, the supervisor thought that Walter would still be in on the scheme and began to carry it out. He laid the groundwork by giving me a lousy performance rating although I had the best year of my career and by giving Walter a superlative performance rating. I of course was infuriated and launched a grievance about receiving too low an evaluation. Walter, who knew his game, also launched a grievance procedure, claiming that he gave him too high an evaluation by listing false accomplishments. Walter just as doggedly pursued his grievance for too high an evaluation as I did for too low of one. Not only that, but Walter went with me personally to the head of our agency to describe what was going on with the supervisor. So the result was I kept my job, the supervisor, who had harmed many others, was moved, and Walter stayed doing what he was doing and only much later was he promoted. Until Walter’s last day he maintained this blazing sense of justice and would have pursued any just cause as vehemently at whatever cost to himself. If all people, were like Walter, then the Biblical prophesy would come true of let justice roll down like waters. I am not only personally appreciative to Walt for saving my career, but live in awe of his example which I forever hold before me as a standard to which I must always try to live up to. Of course this is only one example of the type of behavior Walter exhibited his whole life from his student days through his working days, through his work as Union Steward, and through his interaction with his friends who along with myself could add greatly to this list of stories. I would have to write a book to include these stories and perhaps I will. But this is still only one dimension of Walter. He was also one of the kindest most giving people I knew. If you were ever in trouble, needed a ride, a loan, or whatever, Walter was always the person you could count on who would never say no and not be concerned about how much time he would have to spend or how late he would be helping you. He was a truly unique great person and I miss him deeply and perhaps I will write that book as his life should be an inspiration for all of us to make this a better world. I know I have not really said that much compared to what I could about Walt, so I will stop here temporarily. Richard Levine

Walter G Steblez