Scottsdale resident wins awards, recognition for community projects

Navy man Melvin Brody served as an electrician’s mate aboard a destroyer during the Korean War. His duties called for him to fix electrical problems on the USS Richard B. Anderson for 3 1 /2 years.

Brody left the Navy after the war, but the Scottsdale resident is still fixing problems. A sampling:

• In 2001 through 2004, he led a campaign to provide 80 televisions to the Bob Stump Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Prescott.

• In 2002, he led a campaign to erect a Jewish war veterans memorial at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona in Phoenix.

• In 2003, he guided efforts to provide a vehicle to transport disabled visitors to graves at the cemetery.

• Also in 2003, he piloted a drive to convert four hospital rooms into hospice rooms at the Carl T. Hayden Veterans Administration Medical Center in Phoenix.

• In 2004 and this year, he steered a drive to refurbish 11 rooms at the Arizona State Veteran Home in Phoenix.

• This year, he was instrumental in raising money to remodel Liberty Hall, the banquet room at the home.

"I guess I may have a knack for fixing things — or at least giving people the right direction," he said.

His handiwork has gotten notice. The Unified Arizona Veterans Association inducted Brody into the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame on Oct. 20.

In May, the A&E cable TV network presented him its Lives That Make a Difference Award. Brody is just one of four people who have received the award, which was established last year, said Libby O’Connell, A&E senior vice president of corporate outreach.

The office of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., recommended Brody for the honor, she said.

"It shows what one individual can do," O’Connell said. "He’s 73 years old. He’s not that old, but he’s not a spring chicken. I don’t know where this man is getting all this energy."

Brody said he doesn’t deserve personal credit for the acclaim he has received.

"I share it with the people who allowed me to do these things, who helped come up with the money, the time and everything else," he said.

He regularly finds willing assistance from peers in the Jewish War Veterans Association and other veterans groups.

The military has been part of his life for decades.

Brody met his future wife, Maxine, through a quirk shortly before he was discharged from the Navy.

Brody’s ship was in port in San Francisco and he was interested in dating a woman he met earlier. A shipmate wanted to date the same woman, so they flipped a coin to settle the matter. Brody lost.

Brody then tagged along with another shipmate on his way to meet his girlfriend’s family. The buddy’s girlfriend had a sister, Maxine, who caught his eye.

After his discharge, he moved to Los Angeles and maintained a long-distance relationship with Maxine — at least for a while.

"This back-and-forth romance didn’t get it done," he said. Brody decided to fix that problem, too.

He invited Maxine on a date when she was in the Los Angeles area. First, he took her to the grand opening of an outdoor entertainment venue. Then he took her to a restaurant, where he proposed. She accepted. Mission accomplished.

That day was far more nerve-wracking than any of four combat campaigns aboard the Anderson, he said. "The four campaigns were a piece of cake. That was no big deal," he said.

Brody can’t recall the exact name of the restaurant, but he still remembers the name of the new outdoor venue: Disneyland.

The couple have three children, Rochelle, Alan and Paula, and two grandchildren, who all live in the San Francisco area.

They raised their family in Northern California, while Brody worked for Nutone, a building supply company. He became active with the American Legion, B’nai B’rith, the Boy Scouts and Habitat for Humanity, among other organizations.

He spotted problems in the area and began fixing them. He spearheaded an effort to build a park in a lowincome neighborhood, a senior housing project, a Jewish cemetery, a camp for children with diabetes and other efforts.

The Brodys visited Arizona often over the years, then moved to Scottsdale in 2000. He joined the local Jewish War Veterans Association right away. He is the commander of the Arizona chapter. Next year, he’ll be commander of the Southwest region, which spans 11 states.

Jewish vets are the bestkept secret in veterans’ circles, he said. They’re small in numbers, but generous in donating to veteran causes.

"One of the things that you are always taught is that you have to give back some of what you got on the way up," Brody said.

Mission accomplished.