Westside : One Man’s Dream Makes a Difference

It took him almost 40 years, but Saul Epstein, multimillionaire inventor and philanthropist, is fulfilling his lifelong dream.

Teaching.

At 85, an age when most affluent retirees are basking in the good life, the Pacific Palisades man continues to volunteer one day a week as a teaching assistant at Will Rogers Elementary School in Santa Monica. It is a job he began 15 years ago and one that recently brought him the PTA’s highest honor for individuals helping schools.

Epstein has helped Will Rogers--where 55% of the students come from families below the poverty line--purchase new photocopiers, replace the cafeteria tables and buy a violin for its student orchestra. Recently, he donated $50,000 to convert the library into a media center equipped with 10 computers linked to the Internet. Last month, his contributions led the statewide association of PTAs to give him its Golden Oak Service Award.

After graduating from UCLA with a teaching certificate, Epstein wanted a job teaching shop but could not find one.

So several jobs later, he opened a two-man sheet metal shop in 1943 and manufactured bomb containers until the demand for war supplies lessened. When it did, he and his partner began inventing products for the heating and plumbing industries. Epstein’s first invention--a vent for gas heaters--is now in in millions of U.S. homes. And Epstein went on to accumulate more than 30 patents, turning the company into a multimillion-dollar business.

Soon after his retirement in 1977, Epstein thought again about teaching. A friend suggested Will Rogers, where he began volunteering in 1980.

“I always figured I could make a difference,” Epstein said. “I believe in loving my fellow man. I believe in sharing. My mother taught me that.”