A Manhattan Beach man who passed away earlier this year is living on in the hearts of his neighbors — and in an award memorializing his longtime community service.
The Manhattan Beach Neighborhood Association presented the first Ed Eisenberg Community Service Award to Eisenberg’s wife, Eileen, on June 2. Eisenberg passed away March 1 at the age of 79, and the civic’s president said the award will keep the neighborhood firebrand’s memory alive.
“He was a fixture in the community and a tremendous community activist,” said Alan Ditchek, president of the association. “We thought this is one way of memorializing Ed because of the tremendous amount energy he put into community problems and trying to solve them.”
Former Councilman Lew Fidler presented the award on behalf of the civic.
“Ed left an indelible impression on us all,” Fidler said of the activist who often ruffled feathers but always spoke his mind. “And for the people he annoyed — tough on them.”
Ditchek said the neighborhood association plans to bestow the award to civic hotshots every June. The inaugural plaque went to Eileen for sharing her life with Ed, he said.
“We always think that a spouse is partner in everything the other person does,” Ditchek said.
The salute to Eisenberg came as a surprise to Eileen, who said she left the activism to her husband.
“I never realized how many lives he touched,” said the wife of nearly 50 years as she fought back tears. “I didn’t go to meetings — he was the meeting guy.”
She said Eisenberg would be remembered for his tenacity and his dedication to Manhattan Beach, where the pair lived since the mid-1960s.
“If I would ever talk about moving — fugheddaboudit,” she said. “Even after hurricane Sandy he wouldn’t budge.”
