42 CHALDEAN NEWS
42 CHALDEAN NEWS OCTOBER 2007
a powerful platform Years after retiring from elected office, Wadie Deddeh still makes a difference BY VANESSA DENHA-GARMO After spending nearly 30 years as an elected official, former State Senator Wadie P. Deddeh of California still stands on a solid platform — sticking to the same beliefs he had as a young politician. “Never compromise your morals,” said the 87-year-old Democrat during a recent phone interview. It has been 15 years since Deddeh served as an elected official but, “as I have told my students when I taught high school and college, this whole country and constitution was based on compromise and without compromise, we would not have had a great, blessed country. But you do not compromise moral beliefs.” One issue he refused to bend on regardless of pressure in the Democratic Party was abortion. “You can compromise political issues but you don’t compromise on the right of the unborn. You are either pro-life or not. I am very strong pro-life,” he said. “There are a lot of Democrats who are pro-life but they will not talk about it. I give speeches about it.” Even though standing on the pro-life platform is not popular among Democrats, Deddeh refused to compromise his belief system for a vote. “Either they vote for me as I am,” he said, “or they don’t.” It was even suggested that he change his Middle Eastern name to something more American but, “I said they vote for me as Wadie Patrous Deddeh or they don’t vote for me.” Deddeh spent 27 years as a Democratic representative of the South Bay area in the California Legislature before retiring in 1993. He has worked since then as a state lobbyist, educator and consultant. Deddeh landed on American soil for the first time in 1947 at the age of 27 dreamy eyed, hopeful about the future and armed with an English Literature degree from the University of Baghdad. “I wondered if I would make it here or not but I had faith in God and I knew I would be okay,” he said. Like many Chaldeans who searched for a better life and opportunity in the U.S., Deddeh landed a job at a grocery store but his heart was aching for a different career path — American government and politics. But first, he spent time in Monterey, California, teaching Arabic in the Army. He eventually went back to Detroit and received a master’s degree in Political Science from the University of Detroit Mercy. Deddeh ultimately made a home for his family (wife Mary Lynn and son Peter) in California. In 1959 he taught high school seniors about American government. It would be several years before he put his name on the ballot. When Deddeh first decided to run for office in 1966, very few Chaldeans lived in California. He sought out support from the Detroit community — going to who he endearingly refers to as the founding fathers of the Chaldean-American community: “Joe Acho, Jack Najor and Yaldo Sarokie among others,” he said. “With God’s help and inspiration I decided to run for office, he said. “My wife was my biggest backer. She made phone calls, wrote letters, went door to door and recruited the help from wonderful volunteers.” It was the Detroit Chaldean community that financially supported Deddeh’s campaign. He walked into the then National Cash Register in Detroit for coffee, tea and cake with 30 Chaldeans willing to offer support. “I needed help,” he said. “I was so grateful to Salim and Margarett Sarafa, now both in heaven, for rallying the troops. I left from that meeting with ,000 in my pocket. If it had not been for that meeting, I would not be a former senator today.” The support didn’t come without concern. “They worried about me running,” he said. “They worried about my safety.” Members of the community feared that as an Iraqi, Deddeh would be a target for attack but instead he was DEDDEH Continued on page 44 SPECIAL REPORT C A L I F O R N I A Senator Wadie Deddeh (right) and family at the April 2006 dedication of a government office building named in his honor. Below: Exterior and interior images of the dedicated building OCTOBER 2007 CHALDEAN NEWS 43
