ROBERT FRIEDLANDER

1928 - 2021

FRIEDLANDER--Robert Joel, died peacefully at home on March 27, 2021 at the age of 93. He was born to Percy and Gladys Friedlander on February 7, 1928 in Brooklyn, NY. His sister, Lucy Pearlman, predeceased him. A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Bob was a sports writer for the Daily Tar Heel, and a member of the track team and Pi Lambda Phi fraternity. He was an Eagle Scout and later, a scoutmaster who enjoyed working with young people. Bob was also a combat veteran of the Korean War. He worked on Wall Street for over 50 years, as president of Percy Friedlander & Co., and as a member of the New York Stock Exchange. His company's purchase of Westamerica Financial Securities from City Investing was responsible for the first institutional access to the NYSE. Bob retired as a Vice President of Merrill Lynch in 1995. A second career was spent as CFO of Academic Arrangements Abroad, founded by his wife in 1977. Bob was active in civic and community affairs in his earlier residences in Chappaqua, NY and Amagansett, LI, where he enjoyed working in his orchard and gardens. He is survived by his beloved wife Harriet, nee Farber, of 67 years and his adored three children, Dr. Robert Jr. (wife Jacqueline Winn), Jane (husband Jeffrey Smith), and James (wife Elizabeth Irwin). Bob cherished his four grandchildren: Jocelyn, J.B., Rob, and Will, and a great grandson, Jean-Pierre Aubry. A gentle and kind man with a dry sense of humor, Bob was said by his many friends to be the quintessential gentleman. He was a devoted member of Temple Emanu-El, Fifth Ave., New York, and will be sorely missed. Donations in memory of Robert may be made to the Harriet & Robert Friedlander Teaching with Art Endowment Fund, Mount Holyoke College Art Museum, South Hadley, MA 01351. Funeral services will be private.