Friedlander, Paul Singerman

1912 - 1994  (81 years)

• Name	Friedlander, Paul Singerman  [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]
  Born	9 Jul 1912	Seattle, King, Washington, USA   [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10]
  Gender	Male
  Residence	1935	Seattle, King, Washington, USA   [4]
  Residence	1 Apr 1940	Seattle, King, Washington, USA   [4]
  	Age: 27; Marital Status: Married; Relation to Head of House: Head
  Died	30 Jun 1994	Seattle, King, Washington, USA   [1, 2, 7, 11]
  Person ID	I19210	Our Family
  Last Modified	16 Jan 2024

  
  

  Family	Strauss, Margery Joan,   b. 16 Aug 1919, Chicago, Cook, Illinois, USA ,   d. 7 Apr 2004, Seattle, King, Washington, USA  (Age 84 years)
  Married	28 May 1938	Chicago, Cook, Illinois, USA   [12, 13]
  Children	+ 1. Friedlander, John Louis   2. Friedlander, Paul S. Jr.
  Last Modified	16 Jan 2024
  Family ID	F7303	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  Parents: Louis & Belle Singerman Seattle Times, The (WA) - Saturday, July 2, 1994 Deceased Name: FRIEDLANDER'S 'PAUL BEARERS' RECALL ARTS PATRON AS PLAYFUL PRANKSTER Seattle will always remember Paul Friedlander as one of the city's great civic leaders. Mr. Friedlander, 81, died Thursday (June 30) after a two-week bout with pneumonia. Although the family name is still associated with the highly successful chain of Washington jewelry stores, Mr. Friedlander was also a champion of charities and founder of Poncho, the Patrons of Northwest Civic, Cultural and Charitable Organizations. But for all the dollars he raised, the prominent people he knew and his public image, Mr. Friedlander was to his friends a deeply loyal man with a sense of the ridiculous. Charles Wohostetter, GTE vice chairman, met Mr. Friedlander in 1953 at a racquetball club in Palm Springs, Calif., and was one of the first "Paul Bearers." Paul Bearers? "There were about six or eight of us in the beginning, mostly Paul's close friends," Wohostetter said. "Every month we would get a gift in the mail . . . something totally ridiculous. One month I got a block of wood with slots for knives, but no knives." Another year, a silly watch. "If there was mischief to be done, he was a part of it," Wohostetter said. The list of Paul Bearers grew to include Seattle attorney Gary Gayton. Mr. Friedlander befriended Gayton while he was still an athlete in college, then followed his career through politics and finally brought Gayton to Poncho's board of directors, where he still serves. "I remember getting sterling silver polish in the mail with 'Paul Bearers' on it," Gayton said. "There were a lot of people on that list. When we met, I was just a young black attorney, and he knew a lot of prominent people." But that's not unusual, said Faye Sarkowsky, the first woman president of Poncho in 1985. She said Friedlander decided there had been enough male presidents and encouraged her to run for the job. "He loved to bring in young people into the community and help them get started," she said. "He was the last of the good old boys." Mr. Friedlander's most well-known charity event is Poncho. When Mr. Friedlander returned after seing a charity auction for the Portland zoo three decades ago, he recruited several influential people to help him organize a charity auction for Seattle. Kayla Skinner, a co-founder of Poncho, remembers what he said. "He gathered us together and said, 'You know, honest to God, if Portland can raise that much money for animals, we can raise it for people.' " Poncho was up and running in short order and has grown to be a national model for cultural galas that raise large amounts of money from the wealthy for supporting the arts. Mr. Friedlander was the organization's first president. Mr. Friedlander was involved in many reaches of public service - from the World's Fair to the Seattle Port Commission - for more than 50 years. But the charities, arts and civic organizations around Seattle are among the most grateful for Mr. Friedlander's work. "Paul and his wife have been the most loyal, dedicated board members of Poncho I have ever seen," said Poncho's executive director, Judith Whetzel. "He had tremendous pride in this organization and all the arts he helped support for the city." Besides his two sons, John and Paul Jr., Mr. Friedlander is survived by his wife, Margery, and three grandchildren. A noon memorial service will be held Wednesday at Temple de Hirsch Sinai. The family suggests remembrances to the Seattle Symphony or the Virginia Mason Research Center.

  
  

• Sources

  [S907] Washington Death Index, 1940-1996, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc;). [S545] U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-Current, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc;), Number: 535-01-1760; Issue State: Washington; Issue Date: Before 1951. [S2335] Washington Births, 1907-1919, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc;). [S195] 1940 United States Federal Census, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.;), Year: 1940; Census Place: Seattle, King, Washington; Roll: T627_4382; Page: 61B; Enumeration District: 40-290. 1940 United States Federal Census [S1426] Washington, Births, 1883-1935, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc;), Washington State Archives; Olympia, Washington; Washington Births, 1891-1919; Film Info: Various county birth registers. Microfilm. Washington, Births, 1883-1935 [S15] Obituary, for Alfred. [S22] U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.;). [S1428] Washington Birth Index. [S509] SSDI. [S293] Social Security Death Index, Ancestry.com, (Name: Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2007;). [S841] Washington Death Index, ancestry.com. [S79] Wedding Announcement. [S79] Wedding Announcement, The Day, New London CT. 25 Aug 71.