PR Giant Howard Rubenstein Passes Away, Age 88
Howard J. Rubenstein, founder of the Rubenstein public relations agency, died Dec. 29 at his home in Manhattan. The influential publicist, who also co-founded the Association for a Better New York, was 88.
Brooklyn-born Rubenstein launched the firm as Rubenstein Associates in 1954. Its client list grew to include the New York Yankees and the pre-politics Donald Trump along with many of the city’s leading real estate owners and developers.
“Clients counted on Rubenstein to make the impossible happen,” Steve Cuozzo wrote in the New York Post. “He helped forge the alliance of politicians, Wall Street moguls and labor union leaders that famously saved the city from bankruptcy in the 1970s. He was even instrumental in creating the ‘new’ Times Square.”
In a statement posted to the Rubenstein website, company president Steven Rubenstein says, “My father loved his family, his work, this agency, our city, and of course, the New York Yankees. While I loved so much about him, what made him truly special was how he embraced the world with vigor, confidence, and optimism for what lay ahead.
“No matter how challenging the circumstances, his commitment to his family, the people he worked with, the tumult of the job, being part of a big story, and being part of helping our city were always on full display.”
He is survived by his wife Amy Forman, sons Steven and Richard, and daughter Roni, along with seven grandchildren. Donations in Rubenstein’s memory may be made to The UJA Federation of NY (earmarked for food insecurity), Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry Campaign, and the Inner City Scholarship Fund.
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- ◦People