Remembering Larry Cutler: When competition gave way to communism

Long-time Progressive Labor Party (PLP) member Larry Cutler died on January 6, 2022 at the age of 89. He was a welfare worker who joined PLP inspired by his experiences in the 1967 New York City welfare workers strike. He helped build multiracial unity between welfare workers and welfare recipients at the Bushwick welfare office.  
He understood that only communism could bring workers together worldwide to build an egalitarian world without racism or sexism. To that end he invited many workers to PLP activities and distributed CHALLENGE to many more.
A terrific baseball player
Larry was a terrific baseball player. He excelled at Taft High School in the Bronx and later at City College. After graduating from college, Larry played professionally for the Chicago White Sox and Pittsburgh Pirate minor league teams. In sports he was extremely competitive. An all-star in the minors, he was enshrined in the City College of New York sports hall of fame. He continued playing ball until he was in his early 40s. He was the second baseman for our office softball team. He was an all-star in the welfare workers’ league. When Larry retired years later, a player from another office spoke at the retirement party saying in part he had never seen anyone turn a double play like Larry.
A terrific communist organizer
Larry brought his same fire and energy to his activities in PLP. When the Party asked all of us to sell more copies of CHALLENGE, Larry was among those who sold the most. When we were asked to produce “shop” papers, he had one ready almost every week. He did this by having a daily plan of where and when he would sell the paper and how to get the shop paper done.
Larry brought scores of workers to Party events—May Day Marches, Workers Action Movement and International Committee Against Racism meetings and other gatherings. He believed in building a mass party and that meant inviting many workers to participate in a variety of Party activities. After he retired, Larry placed our Party newspaper, CHALLENGE, on newsstands, in bodegas, laundromats etc, all around NYC. He carried out these plans to the best of his ability.
He is survived by his wife Darlene, sons Davey and Tony, his grandchildren and ex-wife Gloria. He is remembered by countless coworkers, friends, and comrades.
Larry had both the strengths and weaknesses we all have. He had the desire to do what was needed to build the Progressive Labor Party. We say that it’s what you do that counts; on that score, Larry did a lot.