David ‘Duff’ Dretzin

David ‘Duff’ Dretzin

David “Duff” Dretzin had a big heart, a social conscience and a keen sense of humor. He will be missed.

Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky
Pocket
Email

David “Duff” Dretzin, who served for more than a decade as The Nation‘s labor lawyer, died a few weeks ago after a stroke-caused accident while driving to New York City from the country community he helped found in Hillsdale, New York, in the early 1970s. Duff had a big heart, a social conscience and a keen sense of humor. He produced the anti-Vietnam War play MacBird. He was, for the past thirteen years, the pro bono counsel for Billy Kuenzel, an inhabitant of Alabama’s death row, on whose innocence he insisted. And he loved to tell the story of how he survived a McCarthy era military investigation into his loyalty where one of the charges against him was that he had “a close and continuing association” with his mother. We miss you, Duff.

Become a Sustaining Donor This September

Between the reemergence of right-wing red-baiting and Donald Trump’s use of the chilling National Security Presidential Memorandum–7 to criminalize left political organizing, we’re seeing McCarthyism reborn before our eyes.

This assault on democracy cannot be ignored or wished away. Resisting it requires bravery in the face of threats and repression, a steadfast commitment to the truth, and the unwavering belief that we can—and will—overcome this darkness.

We must have an independent media that sets the record straight, unearths corruption and abuses of power, and advances a politics of justice and dignity for all if we’re to win this fight.

That’s why I’m writing to you today. This September, The Nation needs to add 100 monthly donors to sustain our progressive journalism. Your contribution makes the next investigative report, the next truth-speaking column, and the next pathbreaking essay all possible. 

I hope you’ll support our work with a recurring donation today. If you donate $10 or more a month, we’ll send you a brand new “Hands Off the Free Press!” sticker to recognise your commitment to our cause. Please, donate today. 

Onward,

Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editor and Publisher, The Nation

Ad Policy
x