Stanley R. Gumberg (May 30, 1927 – February 16, 2009) was an American businessman, investor, philanthropist, and sailor. He was chairman of J.J. Gumberg Co.Pittsburgh Post Gazette: "Obituary: Stanley R. Gumberg / Real estate developer, philanthropist (May 30, 1927 - Feb. 16, 2009)" by Elwin Green
February 9, 2009
February 18, 2009

Biography

Gumberg was born to a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

family in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

on May 30, 1927, the son of Lillian (née Zimmer) and Joseph J. Gumberg.Pittsburgh Tribune: "People skills spelled success for developer" by Jerry Vondas
February 18, 2009 His father operated a real estate brokerage, J.J. Gumberg Company, which he founded in 1923. His wife owned and operated bookstores in the Pittsburgh neighborhoods of

Squirrel Hill Squirrel Hill is a residential neighborhood in the East End of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The city officially divides it into two neighborhoods, Squirrel Hill North and Squirrel Hill South, but it is almost universally treated ...

(where Gumberg was raised) and Shadyside. After graduating from

Taylor Allderdice High School Taylor Allderdice High School is a public high school in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The school was established in 1927 and is part of the Pittsburgh Public Schools district. It was named for industrialist and S ...

, he joined the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

where he served as a medical assistant. Using the

G.I. Bill The G.I. Bill, formally the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was a law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as G.I. (military), G.I.s). The original G.I. Bill expired in ...

, he graduated with a B.A. from

Duquesne University Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit ( ; also known as Duquesne University or Duquesne) is a Private university, private Catholic higher education, Catholic research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded by members of ...

in 1950 and then went to work for his father's firm. In 1964, after building the Quaker Village shopping center in Leetsdale, the focus of the company shifted to development. Thereafter, he presided over the development of some of the region's first shopping malls and expanded out of the state via a relationship with

Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores in the United States and 23 other ...

. At the time of his death, Gumberg controlled over 15 million square feet of retail properties in six states including the malls at Pittsburgh's Waterworks, Clearview Mall in Butler, and North Hills Village. Buncher belonged to the older generation of Pittsburgh real estate developers––such as Edward J. Lewis,

Joseph Soffer Joseph Soffer (1913 – June 13, 2006) was an American businessman, investor, and philanthropist. Early life and education Soffer was one of four children born to a American Jews, Jewish family in 1913 in Duquesne, Pennsylvania, the son of Lena ...

, Jack Buncher, and

Leonard Rudolph Leonard or ''Leo'' is a common English masculine given name and a surname. The given name and surname originate from the Old High German '' Leonhard'' containing the prefix ''levon'' ("lion") from the Greek Λέων ("lion") through the Latin '' ...

––who conducted business with a handshake.

Philanthropy

Gumberg was active in donating to educational and Jewish causes. Gumberg served on the board of

—where the Gumberg Library is named in his honor—for over twenty years. He served as chairman of the board of Montefiore Hospital and presided over its sale in 1990 to form the Jewish Healthcare Foundation. He also served on the boards of

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The institution was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools. In 1912, it became the Carnegie Institu ...

(where he utilized his construction aptitude to oversee over $100 million in new projects); Seton Hill University; Westminster University, and the

Urban League The National Urban League (NUL), formerly known as the National League on Urban Conditions Among Negroes, is a nonpartisan historic civil rights organization based in New York City that advocates on behalf of economic and social justice for Afri ...

Horse racing

For over 40 years, Gumberg owned and operated the

thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

racing stable, Skara Glen Stables in

Greensburg, Pennsylvania Greensburg is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. The population was 14,976 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located southeast of Pittsburgh, Greensburg is a part of the Greater Pittsbu ...

. Famous progeny include Cinnomon Sugar, Weekend Madness, Red Roses Story, Jazil and

Rags to Riches Rags to riches (also rags-to-riches) refers to any situation in which a person rises from poverty to wealth, and in some cases from absolute obscurity to heights of fame, fortune and celebrity—sometimes instantly. This is a common archetype i ...

, along with the hunter, Corsani, and show jumper, Chinita.

Personal life

He married Marcia Morgan soon after graduating high school; they had three sons: Ira, Lawrence, and Andrew.The Jewish Chronicle: "Stanley R. Gumberg"
retrieved April 16, 2017 , ''"devoted father of Ira (Anita) Gumberg and Lawrence (Ina) Gumberg, of Pittsburgh and Andrew (Christy) Gumberg of Ft. Lauderdale, FL"'' Gumberg and his wife were avid collectors of art and his wife chaired the board of the

Carnegie Museum of Art The Carnegie Museum of Art is an art museum in the Oakland (Pittsburgh), Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The museum was originally known as the Department of Fine Arts, Carnegie Institute and was formerly located ...

. The couple were members of Rodef Shalom Congregation in Shadyside, Pittsburgh. He died of

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

on February 16, 2009, at his home in

. His son Ira J. Gumberg, purchased the family interest in J.J. Gumberg Co. from his two brothers and serves as its chairman and CEO; he is married to Anita Courcoulas. Gumberg's son, Lawrence, is president of Pittsburgh-based LG Realty Advisors Inc; he is married to Ina Gumberg.The Jewish Chronicle: "Friendship Circle celebrates seven years of ‘friendship’ in the Burgh"
2013 Gumberg's son, Andrew, is president and CEO of Fort Lauderdale-based Gumberg Asset Management Corp; he is divorced from Lorraine Abruzzo and since remarried to Christine "Christy" Ann McMullian.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gumberg, Stanley 1927 births 2009 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American Jews 20th-century American philanthropists American chief executives American investors American racehorse owners and breeders American businesspeople in real estate Businesspeople from Pennsylvania Businesspeople from Pittsburgh Philanthropists from Pittsburgh Deaths from lung cancer in Pennsylvania United States Navy sailors