Alan Buder

Alan H. Buder 1955 - 2012 Alan passed away at home after a long illness at the age of 56. A memorial service and celebration of his life will be held on Sunday, January 8, 2012, at 2:00 PM at Congregation Beth-El, Berkeley. He is survived by his beloved wife Barbara, his daughters Alicen and Katy of whom he was so extremely proud, his brothers Don and Wayne, and his mother Alyne of Cloverdale, CA. Alan was born in Trenton, New Jersey. He graduated from Colgate University where he studied theater arts and literature. His studies included a semester in the directors program at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. Alan received a Masters in Business Administration from Yale University's Graduate School of Management where he met Barbara. Between Colgate and Yale he founded an experimental theater company in Washington, D.C. Alan began his 28 year career in the film and entertainment industry as the 5th employee at a brand new film company called Tri-Star Pictures in New York. After he moved to the Bay Area, Alan became the CFO of Colossal Pictures, a film and animation company based in San Francisco. He was an enthusiastic entrepreneur starting numerous businesses primarily in computer animation. In recent years he ran the animation studio Alligator Planet with his business partners Ralph Guggenheim and Eli Noyes, two celebrated animation artists. Alan was a committed environmentalist, who co-founded Climate Cartoons to educate the next generation about the implications of climate change. He was also a founding member of E2, Environmental Entrepreneurs, business advocates affiliated with the NRDC. Alan was actively involved in the leadership of Congregation Beth-El, and was instrumental in the construction of its beautiful new temple in Berkeley. Alan had a brilliant mind, a quirky sense of humor, and a genuine interest in others that resulted in deep and lasting friendships. He will be remembered as a loving husband, a deeply devoted father, a dedicated son, a loyal brother, and an unfailingly gracious friend. His smile and laughter filled the room and will be sorely missed. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Natural Resources Defense Council (40 W. 20th Street, New York, NY 10011) or Congregation Beth-El (1301 Oxford Street, Berkeley, CA 94709).