LEONARD LIEBERMAN

LIEBERMAN--Leonard.

Former chairman and chief executive officer of Supermarkets General Corporation (SGC), owner of the Pathmark supermarket chain, died at home in Hoboken on January 3, 2015 at the age of 85. His wife, Arlene Lieberman, said the cause was heart failure. Following his departure from Supermarkets General, Len became an influential advocate for cities, and one of New Jersey's most prominent civic leaders. While at the helm, Pathmark countered the trend of supermarkets closing. In 1977 Pathmark opened a new supermarket in a poor section of Brooklyn in partnership with the Bedford Stuyvesant Corporation and laid the foundations for partnerships which led to new stores in Manhattan and Newark. Len was born in 1929 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, to Bessie and Joseph Lieberman, who immigrated to the United States from Ukraine in 1913. The family lived on very modest means. His father worked as an egg candler. He attended public schools and was a star. He went to Yale University, majored in history, graduating in 1950. In 1953, he earned a law degree from Columbia Law School. (He also completed a three-month advanced management program at the Harvard Business School in 1970. He was a strong civic leader who championed many political campaigns and stood up for important social issues. Len considered the development of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center a critical venture to help revive Newark, which, in his mind, was integral to the survival of the state. He leaves his wife Arlene Lieberman of 27 years and three daughters from a previous marriage; Betsy Lieberman and husband Richard Groomer; Nancy Lieberman and daughter Isabel Lieberman Hale; and Anne Lieberman and sons Ethan and Jonah Lieberman Flint. He also leaves two step children, Elyse Layton and husband Tom Lee, and Mitchell Layton and wife Michelle and daughters Erin and Kelly Layton. A memorial service honoring Len will be held at 11am, January 24, 2015 in the Victoria Theater at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. Contributions in his honor may be sent to the Newark Museum or the New Jersey Performing Arts Center.