School Chief’s Description of Asians Stirs Complaint : Race relations: Las Virgenes superintendent made the ‘slant-eyed’ remark at an Optimist Club meeting while showing slides from his trip to China.

A Japanese-American attorney has complained that the superintendent of the Las Virgenes school district referred to “slant-eyed” Asians in an appearance before a civic group, and then refused her demand for an apology.

Lyn K. Philipps of Calabasas, the attorney, said Supt. Albert Marley made the reference while showing vacation slides to the Optimist Club of Calabasas.

Philipps said she also was offended by a motion passed by the club’s board, which disassociated the group from a letter of protest she sent to Marley.

Marley does not deny using the term, but said it was not meant to be derogatory.

The Japanese-American Citizens League is investigating the complaint that Marley used the term during a presentation of slides he took on a trip to China. During the March 21 presentation to the Optimist Club, Marley--a guest speaker--described his 58th birthday celebration in a hotel restaurant and the curiosity it triggered among locals, contrasting his party of “round-eyed” tourists with the rest of the dining room’s “slant-eyed” patrons.

Phil Shigekuni, legislative chairman for the San Fernando Valley chapter of the Japanese-American Citizens League, said this week that he was writing to Marley and the Calabasas Optimists in response to the protest by Philipps, who was at the show because she was considering joining the club.

Philipps’ complaint was discussed last week at the chapter’s board meeting and referred to the group’s regional headquarters in Los Angeles.

“A point has to be made, otherwise there are never going to be any changes,” said Shigekuni. He noted that the offensive term strikes a raw nerve among Asian-Americans because it was widely used during World War II as an epithet against the Japanese and used again during the Vietnam War.

Marley said Tuesday that he never meant to offend anyone and added that since receiving Philipps’ letter, he has avoided the terms when showing his China slides.

“In no way did I mean to be derogatory or disparaging, but rather to emphasize the distinct differences, and that they do exist whether people acknowledge them or not,” Marley said.

He also defended his reply to Philipps, calling it “appropriate.” In a March 30 reply to Philipps’ letter, Marley wrote:

“I accept your criticism; and with regard to any reference to being a conspicuous minority among one of the largest majority populations in the world on the occasion of my birthday, I accept your counsel.”

The letter offers no apology or explanation for the choice of words.

“I really expected him to say, ‘I didn’t mean it the way you took it and sorry I offended you, it was not my intent to do that,’ ” Philipps said. “But he didn’t and that’s what really bothers me.”

Optimist officials present for the slide show confirmed Philipps’ account of Marley’s remarks, but agreed with Marley that the remarks were not intended to be insulting.

“It was not meant as a racial slur, he was just trying to describe the situation,” said Laura Marcinik, a school principal in the Las Virgenes district who is a vice president of the Calabasas Optimist Club.

But Shigekuni said the league was dissatisfied with Marley’s response to Philipps and felt it signified a lack of appreciation for the term’s connotation and history.

Philipps said she was not only disturbed by Marley’s remark and response but by the Optimist Club’s failure to recognize the term as deeply offensive.

Philipps said she was chastised by one board member for writing the letter, a strongly worded note she began by expressing her “extreme disgust and anger.” She also said she withdrew her application for membership after learning that the club’s board adopted a motion stating that her letter “in no way reflects the actions or sentiments of the Optimist Club of Calabasas.”

“After the motion was passed by the Optimist Club I couldn’t see myself attending with people who had that sentiment,” said Philipps.

Donna Cole, president of the Calabasas Optimists, called the incident “unfortunate” and said she was surprised to hear of Philipps withdrawing her application. She said Philipps’ membership application was unanimously accepted by the board last month.