On October 5,1991 , Herbert Tannenbaum, 56, Class of 1957, died of heart failure during heart surgery.
Bert Tannenbaum was born in New York City and grew up in Atlantic City, NJ. At Amherst College, he was a member of Chi Phi fraternity and graduated with a major in economics. As an undergraduate, he was active in the Harlan Fiske Stone Law Society--an early indication of his successful career as a lawyer.
After Amherst, he attended the Georgetown University College of Law and received his JD in 1960. During a subsequent stint in the U.S. Coast Guard, he met his future wife, Muriel "Micky" Golde. The Tannenbaums moved to Hollywood, FL, in 1962.
For years, Bert was a partner in Snyder Young Stern & Tannenbaum, a North Miami Beach law firm. In 1990, he formed a new practice with Stanley Israel and Jerome Stern. "He had probably the best legal mind I've ever run into," said Mr. Israel. "He was a tenacious fighter for his clients, a brilliant negotiator and the most ethical person--lawyer or otherwise--I've ever met."
Bert's son, Ross Tannenbaum, expanded with great pride on his father's contributions both as a lawyer and as a family man: "His client list reads like a Who's Who in South Florida business. In his personal life, he was really a family man. He could have been doing a $400 million transaction, but if something came up in his family life, he found time to take care of it."
Bert was a member of Beth Torah Congregation in North Dade and was active in the Juvenile Diabetes Association and former director and president of the North Dade Bar Association.
He is survived by his wife; three sons, Ross, Eric and Brett; and his mother, Regina. A grandson, Herbert Max Tannenbaum, was born after Bert died. Bert is missed by those close to him, and it is clear that his life and achievements are celebrated and carried forward with conviction and pride by his family.