HERBERT AXELROD

AXELROD--Dr. Herbert R.

Whose pet-publishing empire fueled his philanthropy for classical music, the arts, and science education, died on May 15, 2017 in Zurich, Switzerland, where he had retired with his wife of 62 years, Evelyn. He was three weeks shy of 90. Axelrod has been described as an ichthyologist, philanthropist, explorer, inventor, publisher, author, stringed instrument collector, cigar aficionado, sportsman, war vet and amateur violinist. He was a man of many passions who will be remembered for his "unimagined stroke-of-lightning generosity," as described by Smithsonian Institute curator emeritus, Gary Sturm, who says "his contributions to the museum's study of music and fishes exceeded all others." Among Axelrod's donations to the Smithsonian is the Axelrod Quartet, a matched set of decorated Stradivarius instruments that he collected and reunited. He also donated an Amati quartet as well as 17th-century pianos by Graf and Erard. Axelrod was the Smithsonian's Donor of the Year in 1999. Axelrod's passion for tropical fish and his natural business acumen led to his building of one of the pet industry's most influential companies, T.F.H. Publications, which he started in 1952 in Jersey City. The company was named for its flagship publication Tropical Fish Hobbyist Magazine. Like Axelrod himself, the magazine was the most colorful in the industry, far outselling its competitors. Beginning with a series of 35-cent how-to manuals on pet keeping, the company grew to publish thousands of books, over one hundred of which were authored and designed by Axelrod himself. His first book, "Tropical Fish as a Hobby," was published by McGraw-Hill in 1952. Its runaway success made Axelrod one of the leading experts in the field. His "Handbook of Tropical Aquarium Fishes" became a staple, as have "Dr. Axelrod's Atlas of Freshwater Aquarium Fishes" and his "Encyclopedia of Tropical Fishes." More than two dozen species of fish have been named after him, and Cheirodon axelrodi, the cardinal tetra, became one of the world's most popular hobbyist fish. Herbert Richard Axelrod was born in Bayonne, NJ, on June 7, 1927, to Russian immigrants. His father Aaron was a math teacher at Bayonne High School, and his mother Edith worked for the Navy. After graduation from high school, Axelrod joined the Army and served during the Korean War. He received Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from New York University, and then went on to acquire doctorate degrees in both education and philosophy. A natural linguist, Axelrod was near- fluent in six languages. He ran T.F.H. Publications, first in Jersey City and then in Neptune City, NJ, for nearly 50 years, finally selling it in 1997 to a California-based corporation. During Axelrod's tenure, T.F.H. became the world's largest pet-book publisher and influenced the trends in the trade more than any other company, promoting popular and unusual pets, from new dog breeds to gerbils, koi and pot-bellied pigs. Axelrod also owned the Nylabone Company. Dr. Axelrod was an intrepid explorer whose larger-than-life adventures took him to the far reaches of the planet, including scientific expeditions to Brazil, Africa, Australia, the Fijis, Indonesia, Thailand, India and the Malay Archipelago. His favorite place on the planet was Cuba, where he fished and studied the reefs and learned how to grow (and smoke) tobacco. As quoted in a Sports Illustrated article from 1965: "I'd be happy to be a pauper, if I could play the fiddle as well as Jascha Heifetz." An amateur violinist and a passionate lover of classical music, Herbert was able to amass a very significant collection of antique string instruments by Stradivari, Amati and Guarneri. He loaned violins to many young promising artists, including Joshua Bell and Leila Josefowicz, to jumpstart their careers. Axelrod supported the Curtis Institute of Music of Philadelphia, establishing a chair in violin studies, currently filled by Pamela Frank. Axelrod's list of favorite charities is too long for inclusion, including arts and education institutions such as the NJ Symphony Orchestra, the Garden State Orchestra, the Metropolitan Opera, the Zurich Opera, the Museum of the Violin in Cremona and the Axelrod Cancer Research Fund at Jersey Shore University Medical Center. His unprecedented donation of his fish fossil collection to the University of Guelph in Canada led to the naming of the Axelrod Institute of Ichthyology. He received honorary doctorates from Curtis, Monmouth University and Guelph. Beyond support of various institutions, the Axelrods' generosity extended privately to hundreds of individuals including Russian refuseniks whom they sponsored and supported. He and his wife, Evelyn, lived in Deal, NJ, for many years. Their generous contributions to the local Jewish Community Center led to the building of the award-winning Axelrod Performing Arts Center, currently one of the up-and-coming regional theaters in the state. In 1997, Axelrod rented Carnegie Hall to celebrate his 70th birthday: many renowned musicians played on his fabulous fiddles, including Vladimir Spivakov. He is survived by his beloved wife, Evelyn, his nephews and nieces, and his daughter-in-law Leslie. His son, Todd, predeceased him. A memorial concert is being planned at the Axelrod PAC in the coming months. Contributions in Herbert's memory can be made to the Axelrod PAC, 100 Grant Ave, Deal Park, NJ 07723 and to the Axelrod Cancer Research Fund at JSUMC in Neptune, NJ. Now of blessed memory, Axelrod was laid to rest in Switzerland, the country he so adored.