Louis Emanuel, a long time resident of Great Neck, died on Jan. 13, 2003. He was the owner/operator of Ajax Lumber and Roofing Supply Co., Floral Park. He was one of the original members of Temple Israel and he and his wife Rita were very active in the temple. Louis was honored for his lifetime of service to Temple Israel in November 2002. He delivered Meals On Wheels from North Shore University Hospital, for over 20 years, until just before his death. He played saxophone in several local bands. Son of the late Yitzok Emanuel and Gitel (Rabinowitz). Husband of the late Rita. Father of Trudy Grinblatt, Paul Rubin, Linda Emanuel, and David Emanuel of Great Neck. Father-in-law of Joseph Grinblatt, Joel Rubin and Drora Emanuel. Brother of Anne Sacks of Great Neck and Adele Bayers. Grandfather of Ilene Rubin, Gregory Rubin (Nicole), Jason Emanuel and Maya Emanuel. Great-grandfather of Harrison Rubin. Arrangements were made by Riverside-Nassau North Chapels, Great Neck. Services on Jan. 16 with Rabbi Marim Charry officiating. Interment Mt. Hebron Cemetery, Flushing.

William Susman, a retired film producer of Great Neck, died on Feb. 21, 2003 in Sarasota, FL. He was 87. He was a veteran of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade and lifelong political activist. Born in New Haven in 1915 to an immigrant tailor, he went to sea after high school, worked as labor organizer and then joined the Abraham Lincoln Brigade fighting the fascists in the Spanish Civil War. He returned to recover from a wound and speak about Spain when he met Helene Shemel, who was to become his life-partner in every endeavor. He enlisted in the US Army the day after Pearl Harbor, married Helene in 1942 and went on to serve in both the European and Pacific Theaters.

During the postwar McCarthy period, Mr. Susman faced employer blacklists because of his service in Spain. Eventually, MPO Videotronics, Inc., ignored the blacklist and hired him as an assistant stage manager. He rose to become executive producer and vice president of the company, from which he retired in 1973. During that time, he also produced political documentary films.

When a coup in Chile overthrew the elected government in 1973, Mr. Susman organized the Emergency Committee to Defend Latin American Filmmakers, publicizing the names of those who had disappeared and succeeded in saving lives. The committee went into action again to save filmmakers in Argentina following the coup there that led to the disappearance of over 30,000 people. Mr. Susman prevailed on many influential individuals and organizations to speak out, including the Papal Nuncio at the UN. Later, when the US supported contras started a war against the Nicaraguan people, Mr. Susman joined other Lincoln Brigade veterans in raising money to purchase fully equipped ambulances and shipped them down.

In 1978, Mr. Susman was the driving force in founding the Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives (ALBA), a non-profit organization, to educate the public about the Spanish Civil War. Through his efforts, the ALBA collection, now based at NYU's Tamiment Library, is one of the largest Spanish Civil War archives in the world. His colleagues honored him in 1998 by creating the annual ALBA/Bill Susman lecture, co-hosted by the King Juan Carlos Center at NYU. Mr. Susman remained on the ALBA Board of Governors until his death. All remember his wonderful sense of humor, intelligence and compassion.

Besides his wife, he is survived by their daughter Susan and her husband Sekhar of NYC; their son Paul and his wife Libby of Lewisburg, PA; and four grandchildren, Janak, Rebecca, Shantha and Sasha.