Jack Rudin
With great sadness, the Rudin family announces the passing of Jack Rudin, husband, father, stepfather, grandfather, uncle, great-uncle, and great great-uncle. Jack was Chairman of Rudin Management Company and one of New York City’s leading real estate builders and owners. He was also a most dedicated and generous philanthropist. Jack loved New York and along with his late brother, Lewis, carried on a family tradition in business and public service initiated 91 years ago by their father, Samuel, and mother, May. Jack was born in the Bronx on June 28, 1924, and passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by family, on December 4, 2016.
Jack was born in the Throgs Neck section of the Bronx. When he was still young, his family moved to Manhattan where he attended P.S. 166, followed by DeWitt Clinton High School, and, briefly, City College. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1942 and served with distinction as a Staff Sergeant under General George S. Patton. Jack was a member of a famous American combat unit The Rolling W (the 89th Infantry Division), and was among the soldiers who liberated Nazi concentration camps. He later received the Bronze Star for heroic and meritorious service in combat. Jack’s military service left an indelible mark on his character and greatly influenced his perspective as a business leader.
As President of Rudin Management, Jack oversaw the design and construction of many commercial and residential buildings, including 345 Park Avenue, 1 Battery Park Place, 3 Times Square, 215 East 68th Street, and 211 East 70th Street, and the expansion of Rudin Management into a world-class company with more than 800 employees. He was also a staunch supporter and partner of the New York City trade unions throughout his career. His intelligence, hard work and dedication were great assets to the family business and to the City of New York.
Jack’s generous philanthropic contributions are exemplified by his support of many programs throughout New York City. Jack and Lewis provided the initial sponsorship for the Five-Borough New York City Marathon, with the request that the trophy be named in memory of their father, Samuel, who had been a long-distance runner. To this day, the Rudin family is one of the major sponsors of the marathon and, in recent years, the Samuel Rudin Trophy has been awarded to the winners by Jack’s grandsons.
Jack served with distinction on the boards of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the American Museum of Natural History, and Congregation Shearith Israel (the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue). He was also a Trustee Emeritus of Iona College and the George C. Marshall Foundation.
Jack was awarded the prestigious Chevalier of the French Legion of Honor in 2003 and, in 2008, was granted the Benemerenti Award Medal by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI. In addition, Jack held awards for his support from many organizations including The Greater New York Councils Boy Scouts of America, the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, the Jewish Foundation of Christian Rescuers/ADL, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York, The Battery Conservancy, Calvary Hospital, the Congregation of Christian Brothers, Cooper Union, the Citizens Committee, Wildlife Conservation Society, the New York Building Trades Employers’ Association, the New York Building Congress, Hebrew University and many others. His contributions to Women in Need, Central Park Conservancy, Lincoln Center, Incarnation Children’s Center and the Metropolitan Museum of Art have improved the quality of life for many New Yorkers.
Honorary degrees were bestowed on Jack Rudin by Iona College (‘86), The City College, The City University of New York (‘93), the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (‘93) and Yeshiva University (‘95).
Jack is survived by his loving and devoted wife, Susan; his children, Eric and his wife Fiona, his daughter Madeleine Rudin Johnson and her partner Bruce Barnet; daughter Katherine Rudin; his grandchildren, Grant Johnson, Samuel and Nicholas Rudin; as well as his stepdaughters, Inda Schaenen and her husband Michael Dee and their children Stella, Oliver and Nathan; and Eve Schaenen and her husband Frank Hentschkerand their children, Claire and Leo; his nephew William Rudin and his wife, Ophelia and their family; his niece Beth Rudin DeWoody and her husband, Firooz Zahedi and their family; his sister in law Rachel Rudin.
Jack was predeceased by his first wife, Roberta, who died in 1983, and his brother, Lewis, who died in 2001.
Funeral services will be held Tuesday, December 6, at 11 a.m. at Central Synagogue on 55th Street and Lexington Avenue.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in Jack's memory may be made to the following not-for-profits, which he so committedly supported in his lifetime: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, the American Museum of Natural History and Jazz at Lincoln Center.
