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Remembering John Marvin
Dr.
John Marvin, President of the Board of Directors of
Consumers for Affordable Health Care, passed away
on November 13, 2001. Joe Ditre, Executive Director
of Consumers for Affordable Health Care, remembers
John:
"
John fought so many important battles to represent
the underprivileged and those without a voice in Augusta,
it is truly hard to imagine moving forward without
him. He generously volunteered his time to serve as
the President of the Board of Directors of Consumers
for Affordable Health Care for the past three years.
He volunteered his time for many organizations, the
Maine State Employees Association and the Maine Council
of Senior Citizens among others. His imagination,
creativity, strategic abilities and wit will be sorely
missed at our organization. Many of us will never
forget that impish twinkle in his eye as he laid out
a campaign strategy to capture the attention of policymakers
and the media around issues like affordable health
care, workers' rights and prescription drugs. The
senior's bus trip to Canada to buy cheaper prescription
drugs (the news release said "Maine Seniors Go
On Drug Run To Canada") filmed by 60 Minutes,
his recent appearance at the Anthem-Blue Cross rate
hearing dressed in a top hat, vest, money bulging
from his pockets and a large cigar (to mimic the Monopoly
guy) to emphasize Anthem's monopoly in Maine, or the
giant-sized Jim Longley cartoon mask are a very small
sampling of John's imagination and humor to make a
point. John worked tirelessly for workers' rights
as a union activist and for equality in our health
care system as a senior activist. For all of us here
at CAHC, we will miss him for the wonderful human
being and great leader for our cause that he was."
Dr.
Marvin received his Bachelor of Arts degree in economics
from Haverford College in 1950, his Master of Arts
degree in elementary education from the University
of Denver and his doctorate in educational administration
from the Teachers College of Columbia University.
Prior to coming to Maine, he worked with the National
Education Association, in Washington, D.C., and served
briefly as an assistant professor at Penn State University,
where he conducted manpower research related to the
poverty program. From 1966 to 1984, he was executive
director of the Maine Teachers' Association, directing
the transformation of that organization that was all-inclusive,
including school superintendents, into a teachers'
union that bargained collectively for the vast majority
of teachers in Maine, including the University of
Maine branch, which he organized. He collaborated
in drafting all of the collective bargaining laws
governing public employees in Maine.
From 1985 to 1987, he was a labor representative on
the Maine Board of Arbitration and Conciliation, and
he took pride in arriving at far more agreements by
conciliation between the parties than relying upon
adjudication.
From 1986 to 1988, he was research director and director
of special projects for the Maine State Employees
Association.
From 1988 to 1994, he was senior field representative
for Northern New England Council of the Service Employees
International Union. He negotiated contracts, lobbied
the Maine Legislature and organized and conducted
campaigns in both New Hampshire and Maine.
He was employed by the National Council of Senior
Citizens, Alliance for Retired Americans, as Field
Representative. He was a member of the Maine Retired
Teachers Association and the Kennebec Retired Teachers
Association, a member of the U.S. Action Committee,
the Maine Democratic Party, Chairman of the Consumers
for Affordable Health Care, the Dirigo Alliance, a
former Chairman of Medical Care Development. He had
been associated with the Citizens Against Hand Gun
Violence, was a member of the Civil War Round Table
and was a former member of the Augusta Kiwanis Club.
Dr. Marvin received the American Lung Association
of Maine's 2001 Patient Advocate Award.
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