Barbara Littman Greenfield

Barbara Littman Greenfield of Philadelphia Barbara Littman Greenfield, the grand dame of Philadelphia real estate, a patron of the arts and a civic leader, and wife of the late Albert M. Greenfield, Jr., died peacefully in her Philadelphia home on Sunday, April 6, 2014. She was 82 years old. Mrs. Greenfield led a storied life. Born in London, the fifth of seven children, Barbara Littman was the daughter of Evelyn Gold and Joseph A. Littman, a prominent London real estate investor and developer, who as an American soldier in World War I, decided to stay in England after the war. He not only stayed, he prospered, retaining his U.S. citizenship long enough for his children to receive dual citizenship. Dual citizenship proved to be fortuitous for the Littman family. When World War II broke out, Barbara was evacuated on a troop ship with her mother, twin brother and five siblings to escape the bombing of London. As one of the "Bundles from Britain," she remembers selling Minutemen Stamps to support the war effort. Returning to England after the war, Barbara missed the relative class-free, "can do" American attitude and optimism and was determined to return. A graduate of the Henrietta Barnett School for Girls and the London Matriculation and Higher School, 17 year old Barbara was accepted at Radcliffe College, but was told she would have to wait a year. Never one to wait, Barbara accompanied her father on a business trip to Philadelphia where she met Albert M. Greenfield, the renowned real estate magnate and business leader, and her father's business partner, who offered to sponsor and provide her with a home-away-from-home while she attended the University of Pennsylvania for a year. It was during this time that she met and fell in love with Albert Greenfield, Jr.; they were married a year later on July 27, 1950. While at Penn, Mrs. Greenfield earned top honors in History and distinguished herself on stage. As a member of the Penn Players, she received the J. Howard Reber Award for Best Actress for four consecutive years. Mrs. Greenfield had a dazzling sense of style and never was seen without a hat, which was her trademark. She was one of the leading real estate sales and listing agents of high end residential properties in Center City for decades. She began her long career, first serving as broker of record in a real estate firm founded by her late husband and later in a firm founded by her late father-in-law, which is now operated by her eldest son. During a career spanning 50 years, Mrs. Greenfield, widely known as the "Lady with the Hat" received 22 industry awards for excellence, and in both 1998 and 1999, she was given the Greater Philadelphia Association of Realtors' highest honor, the Diamond Award. But oddly enough, to Barbara Greenfield, real estate was never simply about sales and listings. She believed selling real estate was a service which gave her the opportunity to combine two of her favorite things: people and property, which she referenced as "marrying people with properties." She could never, she noted, sell a property that both she and her clients didn't love. As a result, many of her clients were repeat customers and many became life-long friends. As extraordinarily successful in real estate as Barbara Greenfield was, this is only part of her story. For she was a woman of many parts, always managing to put her flair for the dramatic and boundless creative energy to good use in advancing the causes she cared about. A Board member of the U.S. Committee for UNICEF and Chair of the Greater Philadelphia UNICEF Committee, she pioneered the UNICEF Trick or Treat program in Philadelphia, and once convinced Danny Kaye to drive around Philadelphia in her pickup truck, delivering Trick or Treat boxes to the public schools. She did a PR campaign with Gary Cooper to promote the Trick or Treat program and found the actor-to use her words-- "devilishly handsome." Mrs. Greenfield was also a founding member of the Council for International Visitors (CIV), once riding an elephant down Market Street to publicize the Ringling Brothers' Circus's sponsorship of a CIV Benefit. Her energy was legendary. She was a member of the International League of Human Rights and helped promote the rights of women and children throughout the world. In 1971, she was a member of UN inspection team that travelled to war-torn Bangladesh, and reported on the conditions and turmoil there in a series of vivid dispatches for the Philadelphia Inquirer. She was also a UNICEF Delegate to the UN CONGRESSES in Moscow and Romania. Closer to home, Mrs. Greenfield was a founding member and President of Designing Women, LTD, a venture capital group for women to invest in Philadelphia and bring new businesses to the City. Some of the Designing Women's investments included: Metropolitan Magazine, La Crepe and Le Bonne Soup Restaurants. Recognizing her performance in business and service to the community, the Philadelphia Business Journal and the National Association of Businesses honored Mrs. Greenfield with the 2004 Women of Distinction Award. She was, in fact, the City's self-appointed ambassador, and never tired of extolling its virtues. According to one of her daughters, she believed that "Philadelphia had the best of everything, the best schools, the best hospitals, the best museums, the best parks, you name it, Philadelphia had it, and it was better here than anywhere else." Mrs. Greenfield also played a major role in the City's cultural life. From 1960 to 2013, she served on the Women's Committee and was a trustee of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (PAFA)-an institution to which she was devoted. Beginning in the mid-70s, Mrs. Greenfield, lead nearly 40 Art Safaris all over America and Abroad, most notably to South East Asia and China. Mrs. Greenfield was also a Trustee of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania from 1994 to the present. Beyond her many civic and professional accomplishments, Mrs. Greenfield was most proud of her family. She and Albert, who died in 2005, were married 55 years and spent most of their married life on a large farm in Chester County. They were devoted to each other and their four children, encouraging their varied interests, supporting their professional careers and personal pursuits. Barbara Greenfield is survived by daughters, Deborah G. DeLauro, (husband Ted Lewis) of Haverford; Kathryn G. Althage, (husband Robert Althage) of Ashton, Md.; sons, Albert M. Greenfield, III, (wife Wendy Marcus Greenfield) of Villanova and Douglas L. Greenfield, (wife Elaine Quintana) of Hyattsville, Md.; 10 grandchildren, two great-grandchildren; and her twin brother, Peter Littman, of Lyon, France. A graveside service will be held at 1 p.m. on Thursday, April 10th, at the Philadelphia Memorial Park, 124 Phoenixville Pike, Frazier, (610) 644-9150. A memorial service celebrating Barbara's life will be held at 5 p.m. on Sunday, May 18th, at PAFA in the Historic Landmark Building. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, PAFA, 128 N. Broad St., Philadelphia, PA 19102 or the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 1300 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107 Arrangements are being handled by the James J. Terry Funeral Home of Downingtown. To send online condolences, visit www.jamesterryfuneralhome.com.