Myron Waxman, retired president of Superior Wine & Spirits Inc., has died at 95
For 62 years, he and his family introduced and distributed some of the most well-known brands of alcoholic drinks in the world.
Myron Waxman, 95, of Dresher, retired president of Superior Wine & Spirits Inc., executive director of the Pennsylvania Wine & Spirits Association, award-winning mentor, and veteran, died Wednesday, Sept. 11, of heart failure at his home.
Mr. Waxman began his career as a salesman in the family business in 1955 and spent the next seven decades helping Superior Wine & Spirits become one of Pennsylvania’s largest importers and distributors, and directing the PWSA trade association as it grappled with a volatile international marketplace. With his father, three brothers, son Steven, and other family members, he introduced and distributed some of the most well-known brands in the world — Smirnoff Vodka, Cutty Sark Scotch, Beefeater Gin — in the 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s before selling the company in 1995.
Warminster-based Superior specialized in French Burgundies and Spanish sparkling wines, and Mr. Waxman rose to sales manager, vice president, and president in 1969. He mentored other executives who went on to their own notable careers, and the company was named Outstanding Broker of the Year by StateWays magazine in 1992.
In a Facebook tribute, a colleague called Mr. Waxman a “legend in the wine and spirits industry.”
The Inquirer reported in a 1983 article that Superior handled more than 1,800 items and moved more than 750,000 cases of alcoholic beverages that year. Mr. Waxman became an expert in industry currents and told The Inquirer in 1983: “The trend right now is toward moderation and light drinks. When I started with the company in the 1950s, wine was a very small part of the business. Last year, wine sales topped spirit sales for the first time in the history of the company.”
That growth and expanding market was great for Superior, he said. But he also sympathized with the overworked bartenders he encountered. “Back in the 1950s,” he told The Inquirer, “you could be a bartender if you knew how to make a seven and seven. Now, bartenders have to have a practically encyclopedic repertoire.”
He served as treasurer and president of the Pennsylvania Wine & Spirits Association in the late 1990s before becoming executive director in 2001. He oversaw its sales agreements with the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board and addressed price-raising tariffs in the 1990s, direct shipment controversies in the 2000s, and other issues that concerned the dozens of wholesalers in the state.
In 1999, he earned the association’s Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2010, the Liquor Control Board gave the Waxmans and Superior its Lifetime Achievement Award. He was also a member of the Philadelphia and Warminster Rotary Clubs and the Temple University Alumni Association, and on boards at the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America and other groups.
Mr. Waxman was drafted into the Army in 1952. He graduated first in his class at leadership school, became a lieutenant in 1953 after Officer Candidate School, and was stationed in Germany, France, and Belgium. He was discharged in 1955 and signed up right away with Superior.
In a Facebook tribute, friends called Mr. Waxman a “wonderful man” and “a man full of such love for family, incredible discipline, and integrity.”
Myron Waxman was born March 19, 1929, in Philadelphia. He graduated from Cheltenham High School in 1948 and earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and marketing at what is now Temple’s Fox School of Business in 1952.
He met Janet Stevens on a fix-up date, and they married in 1956. They lived in Cheltenham, Mount Airy, and Wyndmoor, and had daughters Lynne and Deborah, and son Steven. They moved to Dresher in 2020.
Mr. Waxman was a meticulous bookkeeper and dapper dresser. He traced his family history, made memorable holiday toasts, and liked to say “a man’s word is his bond.”
He did push-ups and jumping jacks every morning at 6, and generally walked with purpose wherever he went for the rest of the day. He followed the Temple sports teams and the Phillies, 76ers, and Eagles.
He voted in every election, flew the flag on every holiday, and organized Cheltenham reunions for the Class of ’48. He vacationed with his family for years in Longport, N.J., and was a gardener and tinkerer at home. “My dad took pleasure in the simple things in life,” his daughter Deborah said.
He read history and mystery books. He doted on his family, and they said: “He took great pride in the legacy of four generations.” His daughter Lynne said: “He was a loving man, true to his word, steady, reliable, and devoted to his family.”
His granddaughter Mariel Koci said: “He was a man of structure but so lovely and gentle.” His son said: “He embodied dedication, loyalty, and a love that transcended time.”
He was married for 68 years, and his wife said: “He was attractive and elegant, and a superb gentleman.”
In addition to his wife and children, Mr. Waxman is survived by seven grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, and other relatives. Three brothers and a sister died earlier.
Services were held Sept. 15.
Donations in his name may be made to the Philadelphia Jewish Archives Collection at Temple University, 1900 N. 13th St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19122; and the Sonny Hill Community Involvement Program, 429 S. 50th St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19143,