Burton M Fendelman

Burton M Fendelman died February 16th with his wife Helaine Fendelman and their dog Marty by his side. Born in 1937 in St. Louis, Missouri, Burt grew up a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals and White Castle Hamburgers. Burt was a man of action and never one to sit idle or let obstacles stand in his way. He lived by his fellow Missourian, Harry Truman's motto: "There is some risk involved in action, there always is. But there is far more risk in failure to act."



Burt attended Washington University and its School of Law in St. Louis. He also graduated from New York University's tax law program. He began his career working at the New York Stock Exchange, then joined Drexel Burnham Lambert as Senior Vice President, Associate General Counsel and Corporate Secretary. Throughout his career, Burt enjoyed teaching and mentoring others. He worked with the Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, where they named him volunteer of the year. He mentored pre-law school students at Baruch College in NY City and Washington University. Burt founded, along with several others, the Antiques Dealers Association and continued to serve as legal counsel for that organization and the Center for Painted Wall Preservation until his death. Burt served as President of the Board for the Center for Art Law. In addition to his volunteer work, Burt was an arbitrator with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and provided mediation and arbitration services for the New York City Lawyers Association.



Burt and Helaine became known as the Fendelpersons and spent a lifetime collecting art and antiques, attending antiques and art shows, and traveling the world learning about arts and antiques. In their early years, the young couple frequently attended shows buying and selling antiques and supporting the American Folk Art Museum from the 1960s to the present while developing an important American Folk Art collection. Their sons, Barton and Jonathon, and their two dogs Holly and Gwendelman Fendelman, always traveled to the antiques and art events with them.



Burt committed countless hours helping his sons in their various sporting activities. From building pine wood derby cars to coaching sports, Burt actively participated in Barton and Jonathon's lives. He would rush home from work, often late, and run out the door to lead or attend one of their after-school activities. Additionally, he organized community efforts ranging from an oil purchasing organization to learning to tap dance for PTA annual play and serving as a board member lawyer for the Morgan 3/4 Club based in Connecticut. When Burt and Helaine moved to New York City in the late 1990's, Burt again became active in his new home community by volunteering for the Board of his building. He was a 'fixture' in the building and his Gramercy Park community bringing well needed improvements to the operation of his new home as well as simply bringing a smile to his neighbors' faces.



Burt led an active life. One of his proudest achievements occurred at the age of 70 when he rode his bicycle in an AIDS charity 550 ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles, all downhill. For his 71st birthday, Burt hiked the mountains of Peru to reach Machu Picchu. He continued to bike the streets of New York City until he was 84.



Burton is survived by Helaine his wife of 60 years, their sons, Barton and Jonathon and their families.



Donations in Burt's name may be made to the American Folk Art Museum, the Center for Art Law, or the Glioblastoma Foundation.



A celebration of Burt's life will be at The National Arts Club,

15 Gramercy Park South, New York City Friday June 21, 2024, 12:30 - 3:30 pm.