Submitted by Brother Schechter

Ambassador Arthur L. Schechter, Lambda Chapter of Phi Sigma Delta (University of Texas-Austin) 1962, has received a Lifetime Achievement Award and Distinguished Alumni Award from the Friar Society of University of Texas. This award is highly coveted.

In 1964, Brother Schechter received the Phil Goodman Award as the Outstanding Phi Sigma Delta in the nation. This acknowledged the work that Brother Schechter had done while at the University of Texas, where he received both a B.A. degree, an LL.B./JD degree. He was an active leader in the chapter and received many awards and honors.

He served as U.S. Ambassador under President Bill Clinton. Since then, he has been a recognized community leader, serving as National Chairman of the National Jewish Democratic Committee; served as President of the Jewish Federation of Houston, Texas, and as a National Finance Chair for the United Jewish Campaign of the major donor group, leading two trips to Israel in that capacity; as President of Congregation Beth Israel in Houston; President of the American Jewish Committee in Houston; Chairman of the Advisory Board of the William A. Lawson Foundation and school in Houston. The Rev. Lawson is a recognized African American Leader in Houston, and the school that he founded now provides educational service, food provisions where needed and uniforms in a school building, which now contains over 300 students, mainly from underprivileged homes and provides a pre-college education.

Brother Schechter has also served on the board of Interfaith Ministries in Houston, which services the elderly in the Meals on Wheels program with food delivery a daily basis. This is the only outside contact that many of the people receive. This organization also provides food for their pets when requested.  Arthur was a founding member, some 40 years ago, of SEARCH, which is an institution which provides help and assistance for the homeless, including housing, educational and job opportunities, and schooling (pre-K through third grade) for the children of these needy, but hopeful, families. Brother Schechter has served on the board of Career and Recovery Resources, which is an organization set up to provide assistance and jobs, schooling, and veterans for physically and mentally impaired people (and others) in the community.

Through the years, Brother Schechter has developed a major law practice in Houston, Texas. His personal specialty has been in the handling of maritime and admiralty cases, which has allowed him to represent various major unions all over the world, and to handle cases, not only in the United States, where he has tried and successfully prevailed in cases in fifteen states in the United States, but also those arising in England, Scotland, Spain and even in Pakistan. Brother Schechter continues to work actively in the community and has served the administrations as Chairman of many municipals for five mayors of the City of Houston, which have revised term limits for municipal officers, including the mayor, who is now limited to two terms; and, in changing, working with U.S. Customs and other agencies, the way foreign refugees and others coming into the country from Muslim and other communities.

Brother Schechter attributes much of his success to his involvement with his brothers from Phi Sigma Delta and Zeta Beta Tau.