Arthur H. Kaplan, 64, lawyer, activist

Arthur H. Kaplan, 64, of Center City, a lawyer, entrepreneur and philanthropist, died of heart failure Sunday at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Kaplan was a partner with Astor, Weiss, Kaplan & Mandel. He joined the law firm on Feb. 15, 1977, his 32d birthday, said senior partner Paul Astor.

Mr. Kaplan was a brilliant lawyer and a tax expert, and he loved big enterprises, Astor said. He was generous to charities, often contributing quietly, Astor said.

For more than a decade, Mr. Kaplan and his nephew Josh Sarett had operated ALC Environmental, a lead-testing company. He also had been president of Ivyridge Investment Corp. and had served on the executive committee as a founding board member of First Executive Bank of Philadelphia. He was past chairman of Bayport Restaurant Group in Florida.

As a community activist, Mr. Kaplan chaired the Jewish National Fund, the American Friends of Haifa University, and the National Tay-Sachs and Allied Diseases Association. He served on the boards of Moss Rehabilitation Hospital and the Antidefamation League of Philadelphia.

He was active with the Urquhart Memorial Foundation, which provides financial funding for African American college students and research funds for breast cancer and diabetes. In 2002, in recognition of his support, he was the recipient of the Horatio Alger Award from Golden Slipper.

Astor described Mr. Kaplan as a Superman in a speech at the award ceremony banquet. "I said, 'It's a bird. It's a plane. It's Arthur Kaplan,' " Astor recalled.

A native of Williamsport, Pa., Mr. Kaplan earned a bachelor's degree from Franklin and Marshall College. He earned a law degree from Temple University and a master's degree in taxation from New York University Law School. He then was an associate with the law firm of Ostroff & Lawler in Philadelphia for several years.

Since 1969, Mr. Kaplan had been married to Sharon Brown Kaplan. They enjoyed golf, going to shows in New York with their two sons, and their summer home in Margate, N.J.

He loved hosting parties at the Shore, including an annual Labor Day gathering for more than 100 people, his wife said.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Kaplan is survived by sons Alex and Max, and a sister.

A funeral will be at 2:30 p.m. today at Levine & Sons Memorial Chapel, 4737 Street Rd., Trevose. Burial will be in Roosevelt Memorial Park, Trevose.

Donations may be made to the Kaplan Technology Fund, Perelman Jewish Day School, 49 Haverford Rd., Wynnewood, Pa. 19096.