LOUIS STRICK

STRICK--Louis, died peacefully on May 12th at age 87 following a brief illness. He is survived by his wife of 41 years, Elizabeth, his three children, Ivy, Wesley and Charlotte, a stepson, Simon, seven grandchildren, and two younger brothers, Walter and Stanley. He was raised in Flatbush, the son of Rosalind and Charles Strick. Growing up near Ebbets Field, Strick was an ardent fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers. In 1940, he became a member of the first class of Midwood High School. Strick went on to attend Cornell University. His college education was interrupted by World War II, and at age 19 he served as a staff sergeant in occupied Italy. After the war, Strick completed his undergraduate studies and went on to Columbia to pursue a Master's in Economics. He then wrote a weekly column on the stock market for the Journal of Commerce. Next he worked as a financial analyst for the investor Fred Stafford. In the late 1950's he purchased H.M. Storms, a manufacturer of ink ribbons; the National Cash Register Company would become his primary customer. During this period, Strick bought a radio station in St. Louis; WAMV was the first American station to play the hit song "Volare." In the early 1960's Strick co-founded a pioneering quality paperback line, Meridian Books, publishing Philip Roth among others. After selling H.M. Storms, he acquired Artone Ink, whose distinctive bottle featured the letter "a" in the form of an ink drip, an idea of Strick's that was designed by Push Pin Studios and gave rise to a popular typeface. In the late 1960's Strick began importing calligraphic art supplies that he distributed through his Pentalic Corporation. By making special nibs, pens and instruction books widely available, Strick spearheaded a revival of the calligraphic movement in America; he also established the Calligraphy Workshop, a school on lower Fifth Avenue. In the late 1970's Strick purchased the Taplinger Publishing Company, bringing out works of literary fiction and volumes on modern art, reflecting two of his passions. Strick himself was an artist who focused on collage; several of his pieces were exhibited in juried shows in Westport, Connecticut where he lived with Elizabeth for his last 32 years.