Emanuel Spector (1897-1952), a Pittsburgh businessman, was known primarily for his leadership in philanthropic causes within the Jewish community. He was sent to the United States in 1914, at the age of sixteen, for medical studies but preferred to go into business instead, beginning as a peddler and ending his life as t he owner of a clothing firm, E. Spector & Company. He served as president of the Pittsburgh Wholesale Credit Association. Spector worked tirelessly as a fundraiser, officer, and motivator for many organizations, including the United Jewish Fund (of which he was president from 1948-1950), the United Jewish Appeal, the Community Chest, Montefiore Hospital, Jewish Family and Children's Service, the Zionist Organization of America, the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies, the American Red Cross, the Jewish Theological Seminary, and the American Joint Distribution Committee, earning the nickname, "Pittsburgh's spark plug". He also served on the boards of the Hebrew Institute, the Hebrew Free Loan Association, and the Young Men's and Women's Hebrew Association. The Israeli Foreign Minister honored him at the Israel Bonds Dinner in 1951 for his contributions to the young state of Israel. At the death of Emanuel Spector, his friends, business associates and fellow philanthropists honored his memory by establishing a fund for the annual Emanuel Spector Award, recognizing individuals for their civic and philanthropic work in the community. The Spector Award has been given away every year since 1953, when it was presented to Leon Falk, Jr. Marjorie Spector (ca. 1925-2002) maintained a close relationship with her father collecting memorabilia about his community activities. She was confirmed at Rodef Shalom Congregation and graduated from Taylor Allderdice High School and the University of Pittsburgh. She had a lifelong interest in music and musical theater and was an active volunteer at Mercy and Magee-Womens hospitals.
From the description of Spector Family Photographs Photographs ca. 1900-2001 (Historical Society of W Pennsylvania). WorldCat record id: 70860885
