Fraydun "Fred" Manocherian (born 1932) is an American real estate developer, author, founder of the National Road Safety Foundation,National Road Safety Foundation: "Our Founder"
retrieved March 31, 2017 and founder of the New York Health & Racquet Club chain.

Biography

Manocherian, raised Baha’i, was born in 1932 to a family of

Persian Jewish Iranian Jews, (; ) also Persian Jews ( ) or Parsim, constitute one of the oldest communities of the Jewish diaspora. Dating back to the biblical era, they originate from the Jews who relocated to Iran (historically known as Persia) during th ...

descent, the son of Yahya Manocherian and his wife Touba (née Lalezari). He has one sister, Touran Manocherian Yaghoubzadeh; and three brothers: Amir Houshang, Eskandar, and Manouchehr.New York Times: "Deaths – Manocherian, Eskandar"
January 15, 1999 He and his brothers founded Manocherian Brothers and Pan Am Equities, which focused on the redevelopment of

Upper East Side The Upper East Side, sometimes abbreviated UES, is a neighborhood in the boroughs of New York City, borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded approximately by 96th Street (Manhattan), 96th Street to the north, the East River to the e ...

tenement blocks. In 1973, Manocherian, a fitness enthusiast, founded the New York Health & Racquet Club chain which eventually became the largest fitness chain in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

.Crain's New York: "Health club pioneer returns to the gym - Kim Manocherian takes on challenges at New York Health & Racquet Club" by Adrianne Pasquarelli
October 20, 2013 He also founded the New York Stress & Research Center.New York Magazine: "Warning: It has been Determined that a Stress Test can be harmful to your Health" by Martha Hume
February 29, 29175 In 1955, he became an advocate for federal funding of public education in traffic safety after two of his high school friends were killed by a drunk driver. In 1962, he founded the National Road Safety Foundation. In 1970, he wrote ''Flesh, Metal & Glass'', a book about auto safety which included his Manocherian Chart. He and attorney Leonard J. Robbins founded The Manocherian-Robbins Foundation tasked with reducing the death rate on the nation's roadways through public-service advertising and legislative lobbying. In 2011, he wrote the fiction novel, ''My Father's Will: A Novel''.

Awards

Manocherian has received several awards due to his advocacy of automotive safety including the "Man of the Year" award from the New York Council for Civic Affairs, the "Man of the Year" award from the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association, an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from St. John's University, a Master of Arts degree from the International University of Communications in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, the 1997 Distinguished Service to Safety Award from the

National Safety Council The National Safety Council (NSC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, public service organization promoting health and safety in the United States. Headquartered in Itasca, Illinois, NSC is a member organization, founded in 1913 and granted a congress ...

and the 2005 Public Service Award from the

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA ) is an agency of the U.S. federal government, part of the Department of Transportation, focused on automobile safety regulations. NHTSA is charged with writing and enforcing Feder ...

Personal life

In 1959, he married Jennifer Ann Robbins,New York Times: "Deaths – Robbins, Ann Roe"
June 27, 2000 daughter of cookbook author Ann Roe Robbins. They had five children: Kim (born 1960), John (born 1962), Jed (born 1966), Greg (born 1967) and Cara (born 1974). His brother, Eskander Manocherian (died 1999) was married to Bernice Manocherian, former president of

AIPAC The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC ) is a pro-Israel lobbying group that advocates its policies to the legislative and executive branches of the United States. It is one of several pro-Israel lobbying organizations in the ...

.The Real Deal: "Manocherian Brothers"
retrieved March 30, 2017 In 1985, his daughter Kimberly Diana Manocherian married Jerome John Strelov in a Unitarian ceremony in Manhattan. Kim is the president of the New York Health & Racquet Club. His niece, Ellen (daughter of Manouchehr Manocherian), is married to real estate investor and landlord Kamran Hakim.Bloomberg News: "Iran-Born Billionaire Hakim Emerges With NYC Properties" by Caleb Melby
September 29, 2014 His son Greg, was an executive producer for the 1989 film ''

That's Adequate ''That's Adequate'' is a 1990 mockumentary documenting a fictional Hollywood studio, Adequate Film Studios. Narrated and hosted by Tony Randall, the film features an all-star cast including James Coco (in his final film role), Robert Downey Jr., ...

''; and co-produced and co-wrote the script for the 1997 independent film '' Hudson River Blues'' with his mother. His son John was an executive producer for the 2005 film ''

Dave Chappelle's Block Party ''Dave Chappelle's Block Party'' (also known as ''Block Party'') is a 2005 American documentary-concert film starring comedian Dave Chappelle at the height of his early mainstream success and cultural influence. Directed by Academy Award-winning f ...

''.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Manocherian, Fraydun 20th-century American Jews Living people 1932 births American businesspeople in real estate Manocherian family 21st-century American Jews