Paul Borda Kurtz II, 91, executive

Paul Borda Kurtz II, 91, a former leather company president and community volunteer, died Saturday, Nov. 13, at the Oreland home of a daughter, Margot Forbes, of complications from a fall. He was a lifelong resident of Chestnut Hill.

In 1939, Mr. Kurtz joined John R. Evans & Co. in Camden as secretary to the general manager. The leather company, which had been founded in the 1850s, processed goatskins primarily for women's shoes. Mr. Kurtz eventually became general manager and then president of the firm, which at its peak processed 300 to 500 goatskins a day and had 500 employees.

The business slowed dramatically in the 1960s with the increase of shoes imported into the U.S. market.

In 1970, Mr. Kurtz oversaw the company's closing. He told The Inquirer it was a painful process. "What hurts, is that Camden is looking for employers. That's why we held out for so long."

He worked hard to find jobs for those who were still working at the plant, said a daughter, Suzanne Klorig. "He really cared, that was his essence," she said.

After leaving the leather company, Mr. Kurtz was an administrator at Hahnemann University Hospital and then a bank executive. He retired in the late 1980s as an assistant vice president at Fidelity Bank in Philadelphia.

Mr. Kurtz attended Chestnut Hill Academy and was a graduate of South Kent School in Connecticut. He attended Harvard University before going to work at John R. Evans & Co.

During World War II, he served in the Army Air Force in England as a bomb-sight specialist. After his discharge, he returned to the leather company and completed his bachelor's degree at night from the University of Pennsylvania.

A talented athlete, Mr. Kurtz golfed, played tennis, and was a squash champion at the Philadelphia Cricket Club, where he was a member for 70 years.

During his retirement, he volunteered in the development office at Chestnut Hill Academy. He also volunteered for Meals on Wheels and Town Watch in Chestnut Hill. In 2006 he and his wife, Eleanore Smith Kurtz, were recipients of an award for distinguished service from the Chestnut Hill Community Association.

In addition to his wife of 64 years and daughters, Mr. Kurtz is survived by a son, Paul III; seven grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

A memorial will be at 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 20, at the Chapel at Chestnut Hill Academy, 500 W. Willow Grove Ave.