Alex Rosenthal, 102, longtime accountant
ALEX ROSENTHAL, a certified public accountant and active civic leader who specialized in helping the elderly with tax and other financial problems, died Jan. 30 of pneumonia.
ALEX ROSENTHAL, a certified public accountant and active civic leader who specialized in helping the elderly with tax and other financial problems, died Jan. 30 of pneumonia.
He was 102 and lived in Elkins Park.
He was a retired partner of Goldenberg Ros-enthal, LLP, and former managing partner of Rosenthal Malloy.
"The culture of integrity that he created continues to permeate throughout Goldenberg Rosenthal," said Jay Weinstein, managing partner of the firm.
The company initiated the Alex Rosenthal Award in his honor in 1999. It is presented annually to a member of the firm who "best exemplifies the outstanding qualities exhibited by Alex during a lifetime of achievement and client service."
Alex was the oldest practicing accountant in Pennsylvania for many years, having actively worked with clients until his 96th birthday.
He was regarded as a "gentleman's gentleman."
He was born in Philadelphia to Alfred Rosenthal and the former Fannie Magaziner.
He graduated from Central High School and enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania.
He married Edythe Pincus in 1927.
She died in 1990.
Alex started his own accounting firm, Rosenthal Malloy, in 1929 after graduating from Penn.
His brother, S. Henry Rosen-thal, had founded the firm of Goldenberg Rosenthal 10 years before.
As each business grew, the brothers merged with yet another firm in 1968.
Goldenberg Rosenthal is now one of the largest local certified public-accounting firms in the Delaware Valley.
Alex served on the finance and budget committees of Keneseth Israel Reform Congregation in Elkins Park.
He also was a board member of Third Federal Savings Bank.
He was active in the Allied Jewish Appeal and was a dedicated supporter of the Retired Senior Volunteer Program of Montgomery County (RSVP).
He served on the board and chaired its finance committee.
One of his former partners remembers Alex driving a truck for AARP to do tax returns for house-bound senior citizens.
Also, he served as a trustee for several trusts after his retirement.
His 100th birthday turned out to be an occasion for dozens of friends, family and business associates to honor him.
He was presented with a proclamation from RSVP thanking him for his years of volunteer service assisting low-income elders with tax preparation and for providing the organization with wise counsel.
He also was honored by the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants for his many years of service to his profession.
He is survived by a son, Robert Alexander Rosenthal, and grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Besides his wife, he was predeceased by a son, Bernard Pories, a child Holocaust survivor; a daughter, Doris Rosenthal Hagenbuch; a sister, Etta Kustin, and two brothers, S. Henry and Willard Rosenthal.
Services: Memorial service 1 p.m. Sunday, March 23, in the chapel of Keneseth Israel Reform Congregation, 8339 Old York Road, Elkins Park.
In lieu of flowers, donations maybe be made to Richard Stockton College of New Jersey Holocaust Resource Center, Box 195, Pomona, NJ 08240. *