Fred Schutzman

Fred Schutzman, a mechanical engineer who became Director of Manufacturing for Litton Industries in College Park, Md. and recipient of the Federal Government's Health and Human Services Distinguished Services Award, the Department's highest award for his work as Director of the Office of Child Support Enforcement, has died from heart failure at age 92 on June 27, 2020 at his daughter's home after residing at Edenwald Retirement Community, Towson, Md.

Mr. Schutzman was predeceased by his wife, the former Barbara Roffenbinder, a school teacher from New York who passed away in 1985. He is survived by his wife Janet Friedberg Schutzman (nee Hechter), son Howard Schutzman (Ava) of Nashua NH and Boynton Beach, Fla, daughter Ellen Levin (Nelson) of Columbia, Md, stepsons Paul Friedberg (Dr. Madeline Krauss) of Newton, MA and John Friedberg (Beth) of Robbinsville, NJ. His stepdaughter, Julie Friedberg died in 1991. Grandchildren are Michelle Pacifico (David), Stacy Tharp (Benjamin), Matthew Levin (Georgette Eva) and Jessica, Nicole, Douglas and Spencer Friedberg. Great Grandchildren are Leah and Amy Pacifico and Harvey and Dexter Tharp.

The youngest of four children, Mr. Schutzman was born in Brooklyn, New York. He was a graduate of Brooklyn Technical High School and Cooper Union College, which was free to all who passed twelve hours of exams over a four-day period. While in college he and his brother Arthur worked at their jobs all day as machinist and design engineer and attended school four nights a week for six years, sometimes staying up all night to do school assignments. He was graduated with a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree and inducted Into Pi Tau Sigma Honorary Mechanical Engineering Society.

Mr. Schutzman received a Masters degree at Columbia University in Industrial Engineering and Management. His advisor wanted him to continue for a doctorate, but by then he had a wife and two children and chose to focus on his job career. After graduation he became a tool designer and then program manager for Emerson Radio and Phonograph, Instructor of Engineering at New York City Community College, and Director of Manufacturing for Litton Industries in College Park, Md.

Mr. Schutzman switched careers when a friend recruited him to work for the Federal Government in the Senior Executive Service as Director of Quality Control for the Health Care Finance Administration (HCFA). Other positions he held were Deputy Associate Commissioner of Social Security Administration (SSA); Director of Child Support Enforcement, (HHS); Director of Office of Financial Management,(SSA); and Director of Social Services for Resettlement of 174,000 Vietnamese Refugees.

His government work entailed making presentations in forty-nine states, addressing agency directors and staff of various programs, giving radio and newspaper interviews and testifying before Congress.

Honors include HHS Executive Management Citation, 1988, HHS Inspector General's Integrity Award, 1989; SSA Commissioner's Citation, 1975; President's Management Award, 1975, Administrator's Citation,1975, and Special Achievement Award, 1974. In 1985 Mr. Schutzman received the HHS Distinguished Services Award, the Department's highest honor by the Secretary to individuals whose service and achievements deserve the highest recognition that can be conferred by HHS. He received it for his exceptional initiative, perseverance, leadership, innovative management techniques, and enhancing cost effectiveness and efficiency of the Child Support Enforcement Program. In order to learn about in-depth issues he attended child support court hearings around the country to witness what decisions judges made vis-a-vis child support for the first family verses the second. He found judges often ignored children from the first marriage, necessitating the need for many first families' dependency on welfare. Mr. Schutzman's work resulted in a major breakthrough to solve a critical national problem and spurred the passage of the Child Support Laws of 1984. The Distinguished Services Award consists of a gold medal and honorarium of $5000.

After retirement Mr. Schutzman became Director of the Fred Schutzman Company, a financial service company for health care providers. Mr. Schutzman always spoke fondly of his work during his teenage years, expressing pride in helping his father on jobs as roofer and tinsmith and being surprised by expertise required for some of the intricate work involved in tin smithing. He also transported men's clothing from one workshop to another on the New York City subway and at 17 became manager of the largest Good Humor Ice Cream Company stand on Coney Island entailing his supervision of men who were husbands and fathers. He gave his earnings to his parents. He also took pride in helping his mother with cooking and cleaning chores and crushing grapes for the family's Passover wine.

Community Service includes Democratic Precinct Treasurer of Montgomery County in 1966, Treasurer and Vice President of PTA at Bethesda Chevy Chase High, Foreign Policy Coordinator on Washington DC Public Radio, Founder and Investment Advisor of the Israeli Investment Club and advisor of other investment clubs, Co-Treasurer of Har Sinai Congregation, Co-founder and Treasurer of Group for Independent Learning Disabled Adults (GILD), Co-treasurer of Montessori Society of Greater Maryland, Member of Advisory Committee of the Commission on Disabilities of Baltimore County, and member of Advisory and Hospitality Committees of Johns Hopkins Osher Life-long Learning program.

Hobbies were racquetball, tennis, bridge and travel. Mr. Schutzman was a member of Beth El Synagogue in Bethesda for 23 years and of Har Sinai Congregation in Balto. and Owings Mills for 34 years.

Please omit flowers. Donations may be sent to GILD, Janice Silverman, PO Box 322, Brooklandville, Md. 21022 or Har Sinai-Oheb Shalom Congregation, 8310 Park Heights Ave, Balto. Md. 21215. Graveside services will be private.