Harold "Hal" Martin Gross

Hal Gross was born in Manhattan Hospital in New York City in 1935. His defining labels are husband to Penny; father to David, Sabra, and Pamela; grandfather to Elizabeth and Matthew; Philatelist; and life-long Democrat (not necessarily in that order).

Hal said his “first political memory was at the age of nine, handing out leaflets and pins in support of Franklin Roosevelt’s successful run for a fourth term as President, from a street table outside P.S. 114, Queens, in 1944.”

In 1945, Hal’s parents moved them to Palo Alto, where he completed his schooling through Stanford University and School of Law. He served in the U.S. Army as a lieutenant in the military police.

Upon Law School graduation in 1961, Hal opened his own general practice law firm with a specialty in civil rights work. During this five year period, Hal became Chair of the American Civil Liberties Union, Mid-Peninsula chapter, Vice President of the Palo Alto-Stanford branch of the NAACP, and also served as President of the Mountain View California Jaycees. During this busy time, a first marriage produced a son, named after his own father, David.

In 1966, Hal sold his California law practice and moved to Oregon as the first paid staff of the Oregon ACLU. He later became a judge for the Oregon Workers’ Compensation Board, traveling around the state to hear cases mostly in the timber industry.

By 1968, caught up in the growing dissent to the Vietnam War, Hal became the State Field Coordinator to U.S. Senator Wayne Morse’s (D-OR) successful primary re-election campaign. One of the war’s most vigorous and out-spoken opponents, Morse became chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Indian Education upon the assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy (D-NY) and directed Hal to come to Washington to serve on his Senate staff. Arriving in Washington, DC, Hal reported directly to Morse’s office, where he was greeted by the receptionist, Penny Schreiner. That meeting resulted in their marriage two years later, so Hal often claimed that he married the first woman he saw when he came to Washington.

From 1969-1974, Hal’s commitment to Civil Rights and legislation for Native American Tribes served him well as Counsel to the National Congress of American Indians, the National Council on Indian Opportunity (an arm of the Office of the Vice President of the U.S.), Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA), and as the founder and Executive Director of the Indian Legal Information Development Service (I-LIDS), even ostensibly becoming the first to lobby the then-owner of the Washington Redskins football team to change the offensive name. Hal joined the staff of U.S. Senator Alan Cranston (D-CA) for the next 13 years, drafting bills and statements on energy, environmental, labor, and Native American issues.

In 1985, Hal joined the Fairfax County Democratic Committee and continued to volunteer in many capacities for FCDC for the next 30 years. He was an Emeritus Member of the Mason District Democratic Committee. He went back into private practice for a few years with the law firm Hobbs, Strauss, Dean, & Wilder before President Clinton appointed him to be a Congressional Liaison for the Department of Agriculture in 1994.

Hal and Penny (who has served Fairfax County as Mason District Supervisor for the past 28 years), celebrated 53 years of marriage on September 19, 2023. In addition to Hal’s son David, they raised two daughters: Sabra Michelle and Pamela Jan. They proudly built a vacation cottage named “Saucy Lido” on the Outer Banks, NC, where they would host friends over the years and Hal could go fishing on his boat “LegAsea”.

After retiring, Hal spent most of his time collecting stamps and enjoyed being known as an Octogenarian Philatelist, attending Springfield Stamp Club meetings weekly (or as his health allowed) for over 25 years. He joined the American Philatelic Society in 1985, and will wear his membership pin to his final resting place.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to:

Springfield Stamp Club,

P. O. Box 544

Springfield, Virginia 22150 or

the Mason District Democratic Committee -https://masondems.org/ -- click on Donate to the Mason Democrats gift box

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.demainefunerals.com for the Gross family.