Marvin L Holen
August 2, 1929 - October 21, 2021
Marvin Holen passed away peacefully at home in Los Angeles with family at his side at the age of 92. He will be lovingly remembered by his nephews and nieces, Dr. Jeffrey and Lisa Brown, Dr. Celia Brown, Todd and Regina Brown, by his grand nieces and nephews Dr. Natasha Brown, Dr. Josiah Brown, Allison Brown, Zoe Brown and many others. Marvin was predeceased by his older sister Pearl Brown and Marta his loving wife of 61 years.
Marvin was born in Burbank and tragically orphaned when he was six years old. He was cared for by his determined sister Pearl in their own home and then in foster homes in Los Angeles. After graduating college at UCLA in 1952 he joined the Marines and served as a combat officer in Korea. After returning from the war with the rank of Captain he attended and received his law degree from UCLA.
As a young attorney Marvin was instrumental in drafting groundbreaking legislation in California. In 1958 he read that the California Supreme Court had upheld a refusal to admit a young Black girl to the Hollywood Professional School on the basis of her race. Very disturbed by this and inherently feeling it was both morally and ethically wrong, he informed his friend Jesse Unruh, a rising star in the California state assembly and Chairman of the Ways and Means committee for which Marvin was now serving as Special Counsel. Marvin wrote and Unruh introduced the first civil rights bill in California. Overcoming opposition in the assembly and state senate, the Unruh Civil Rights Act became law in 1959 empowering millions of people in seeking housing and employment without discrimination. This bill was the forerunner to the Federal Civil Rights Act of 1968 which afforded similar rights to the rest of the country. Marvin was instrumental in creating the laws that guarantee our civil rights today.
Marvin was a Board member at United Pacific Bank for 18 years and served as Chairman of the Board since 2010. He previously served as a member and Chairman of the Board of the California Museum Foundation which included the Museum of Science and Industry and as President of the board of directors of the Southern California Rapid Transit district. He was a major force in pushing forward construction of the Los Angeles subway and in obtaining the type of buses that allowed disabled people to use them. He also championed the need for public transportation on a national level as a Board member of the American Public Transit Association. Marvin also served as board member of 99 Cents Only stores.
Marvin enjoyed traveling the world. He explored isolated regions of the Himalayan range, he was a member of the exclusive New York Explorers club and he possessed an extensive book collection of writings on early explorations of Tibet and the Himalayas. He was a proud UCLA alumnus and a devoted fan of Bruins athletics.
Marvin will be remembered by many as a kind and humble man of wise counsel and wide ranging knowledge of history and the world, a voracious reader and a man who added positive energy to any room he entered. Marvin’s burial will be held on December 9, 2021, at Riverside National Cemetery at 1:30 pm.