RICHARD MITTENTHAL

MITTENTHAL--Richard, 89,

died January 23, 2016 in Sarasota, FL. Arbitrator of labor- management disputes for almost his entire 58 year career, he served as umpire in major industries, including steel, automotive, beverage and government service. Mittenthal wrote many papers on the craft of arbitration, including an oft-cited article on past practice. He served as President of the National Academy of Arbitrators (1978-79) and received a lifetime achievement award from the Michigan Bar in 2015. Raised in NYC, he graduated Cornell University and New York University law school. He was predeceased by his loving wife of 61 years, Joyce Janeway. They married in 1953 and moved to Detroit, MI where he spent the majority of his life and career. He was not only devoted to his work, but to being husband and father. He loved tennis, practiced poetry and was a fervent football fan. The rigor he displayed in his work carried to all aspects of his life. He was driven to know the "you" of you, your values, the reasoning underlying them, your deep thoughts. And his courage in sharing all those things about himself encouraged you to feel sufficiently accepted and secure to respond in kind. In his 1979 NAA presidential address, he quipped that he'd experienced a dream where he saw the headline on his own obituary. It read: "Arbitrator seeks immortality; grievance denied." He is survived by four children, Marilyn, Robert, John and Peter, and four grandchildren. Donations to American Cancer Society.