Charles W. Ehrlich

EHRLICH, Charles W. of St. Petersburg, died Sunday, June 20, 2010 at home. Born Nov. 4, 1944 in Istanbul, Turkey as his mother was fleeing Nazi occupied Europe, Charles immigrated to the United States with his family in 1952 from Munich, Germany. As a child, he lived in Mays Landing, NJ where he graduated from Oakcrest High School in 1963 as the highest scholastic letterman. Charles received his Bachelor of Arts in 1967 from Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA. While at Dickinson, Charles was a member of Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity and played on the football and baseball teams, later becoming a member of the College Sports Hall of Fame. After college, Charles was one of the first Head Start teachers in New Jersey before moving to Florida to attend law school. After graduating from Stetson Law School in 1971, Charles served as an Assistant State Attorney until 1973. In 1974, Charles opened his office as a sole practitioner from which he represented clients from the Tampa Bay Area and the state of Florida for four decades in general civil law matters in state and federal courts. He was not only recognized nationally in Martindale Hubbell's register of preeminent lawyers with the highest rating given to an attorney, but also locally with the Pro Bono Award from the St. Petersburg Bar Association. Charles was an active member of the St. Petersburg community for 42 years. Among his charitable contributions during that time, Charles was a co-founder and President of the Academy Prep Foundation, Inc.; President of the Arts Center of St. Petersburg; President of the Canterbury School of Florida; member of the Board of Advisors of Dickinson College; President of the Jewish Community Center of St. Petersburg; Vice President of the Jewish Federation of Pinellas County; Legal Counsel to Mental Health of South Pinellas County; Vice President and Legal Counsel of the Pinellas Opportunity Council; Vice President of the Quarterback Club of St. Petersburg; Hearing Officer of the St. Petersburg Human Relations Board; and Legal Counsel for the Suncoast Center for Community Mental Health. Charles is survived by his mother, Jeanette Winogron; his daughter, Jessica Ehrlich; his brother, Joseph Ehrlich; his companion of fifteen years, Sandi Pearl Ehrlich; five nieces and many cousins. A Celebration of Life will be held at 2pm on July 10, 2010 in the Sunset Ballroom at the Vinoy Resort and Golf Club. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Charles W. Ehrlich Memorial Scholarship at Dickinson College, Office of College Advancement, P.O. Box 1773, Carlisle, PA 17013 or online at http://www.dickinson.edu/gift/.