SANTA MONICA : School Volunteer Takes His Pay in Hugs

Saul Epstein works cheap.

For a simple hug, the 85-year-old philanthropist has volunteered one day a week for the last 15 years as an aide at Will Rogers Elementary School.

Along the way, he has helped the public school--where 55% of the student body falls below the poverty line--buy photocopiers, replace the cafeteria tables and buy a violin for its student orchestra. Most recently, he gave the school $50,000 to convert its library into a media center with 10 computers linked to the Internet.

“My pay is hugs,” said Epstein, known as Mr. Saul to the elementary school children who swarm around him each time he enters a room.

The Pacific Palisades man has become so popular that one school principal--he has outlasted three--asked him to come with her when she accepted a new position as principal of a middle school. And schoolchildren have come to loathe the idea of missing the day Epstein volunteers, said Juli Di Chiro, principal at Will Rogers.

Epstein said his work at Will Rogers fulfills a lifelong dream that fell by the wayside during the Depression. After graduating from UCLA in 1931 with a teaching certificate, he intended to become a shop teacher but couldn’t find a job.

After a short stint at a car wrecking business, Epstein opened a liquor store. He ran it for 14 years before deciding he wanted to “get his hands greasy” again.

In 1943, he opened a two-man sheet-metal shop that manufactured bomb containers. When demand for war supplies lessened, he and his partner began inventing products for the heating and plumbing industries.

Epstein’s first invention--a vent for gas heaters--is used in millions of homes nationwide.

As soon as he retired in 1977, Epstein began thinking about teaching again. A friend suggested Will Rogers. He has been volunteering there since 1980, except for several stretches when he was hospitalized.

“I love the kids,” he said. “And they’ve got to join the world. You have to go along and change with the times.”