Obituary: Bernard Siegel, 88

Bernard Siegel, 88, of Rittenhouse Square, a retired medical college executive, died of prostate cancer Saturday at home.

From 1979 until his retirement in 1984, Mr. Siegel was vice president of business and finance at Hahnemann University School of Medicine, now Drexel University College of Medicine.

While at Hahnemann, he was active with professional groups and served as president of the business office section of the Association of American Medical Colleges. He published several articles in medical journals.

Before that, Mr. Siegel was vice president of business and finance at Albany Medical College for 15 years and was an administrator at Montclair State University.

A native of Paterson, N.J., Mr. Siegel was a star pupil at his synagogue. By the age of 10, he was teaching Hebrew prayers to older students preparing for their bar mitzvah, and his Russian immigrant parents hoped he would become a rabbi.

Mr. Siegel earned a bachelor's degree in education from Trenton State College. During World War II, he served in the Army Medical Corps in North Africa and Italy.

After his discharge, he earned a master's in business administration from New York University.

Since 1946, Mr. Siegel had been married to Florence Finkel Siegel. They enjoyed travel, including to Mexico, Europe, Africa, Japan, Southeast Asia, Israel, and Turkey.

He and his wife had lived at the Dorchester on Rittenhouse Square for the last 29 years, and he was past president of the building's condominium association.

After retiring, Mr. Siegel was a volunteer for Manna. The nonprofit provides meals to people who are at acute nutritional risk due to life-threatening illnesses. He was also a mentor to disadvantaged teenagers in West Philadelphia, introducing them to museums, theaters, and the Philadelphia Orchestra, his family said.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Siegel is survived by a son, Andrew; daughters Margaret and Jane; and three grandchildren.

Services will be private.