Maurice Kanbar

Maurice Kanbar
Kanbar in 2007 at the San Francisco International Film Festival
Born
Moshe Shama

(1929-03-01)March 1, 1929
Mandatory Palestine
DiedAugust 20, 2022(2022-08-20) (aged 93)
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)Entrepreneur, inventor
Known forSKYY vodka

Maurice Kanbar (March 1, 1929 – August 20, 2022) was an American entrepreneur and inventor who lived in San Francisco, California. He was particularly well known for his creation of SKYY vodka and was also noted for his extensive real estate investments.

Biography

Kanbar was born as Moshe Shama on March 1, 1929, in Mandatory Palestine, one of three sons born to Meier and Hana (née Kanbar) Shama.[1][2][3][4] His family emigrated from Jerusalem to New York in 1937. His Jewish parents raised Maurice and his two brothers in Boro Park, Brooklyn.[5]

Maurice Kanbar is a 1952 alumnus of Philadelphia Textile Institute.[6][7]

Kanbar had stated he owns 50 patents on various consumer and medical products, invented the D-Fuzz-It comb for sweaters, Tangoes Puzzle Game, the Safetyglide hypodermic needle protector[8] SooFoo,[9][10] Zip Notes,[11][12] and a cryogenic cataract remover.[6][13][unreliable source?] He created New York's first multiplex cinema, the Quad Cinema, which was the first movie theater in Manhattan to have four small auditoriums in one building.[14][15]

In the beverage industry, Kanbar had a success with SKYY vodka,[16] also introduced Vermeer Dutch Chocolate Cream Liqueur[17] and more recently launched Blue Angel Premium Vodka.[16][18]

He produced the animated film Hoodwinked! which was released in January 2006[19] and grossed over $100M worldwide,[16] and a sequel Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil.[20][21][22]

Kanbar owned over 17 acres of commercial property in West Oakland, California, including the American Steel Building, home to more than 150 artists, makers and small businesses, and the historic Pacific Pipe building, both purchased by 11 West Partners in late 2016. He also owned nearly 20 commercial high-rise buildings in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma, including the Bank of America Center, the art-deco inspired Philcade Building, Pythian Building, Atlas Life Building and Adams Building and the 41-story First Place Tower.[23] His extensive investments[24] in Tulsa led to a legal dispute with his former business partner Henry Kaufman, with each suing the other.[25][26][27] At one point Kanbar's company was reported to have owned as much as one-third of all available office space in downtown Tulsa[28] although these properties were subsequently sold.[4][29] In 2017, Kanbar sold a portfolio of at least 13 Tulsa buildings to his operating partner, Stuart Price.[30]

Kanbar was a 1952 graduate of Philadelphia University (then known as Philadelphia Textile Institute), where he studied materials science. In 2005, he donated $6 million for the construction of the school's new campus center, then the largest donation in the school's history.[31] In 2012, he gave Philadelphia University another $15 million for a new interdisciplinary college, now named the Kanbar College of Design, Engineering and Commerce.[32][33] In 1997, Kanbar donated $5 million to the Tisch School of the Arts, part of New York University, which named its film school after him: The Maurice Kanbar Institute of Film and Television.[34][35] Kanbar Hall, an academic building at Bowdoin College, the alma mater of Maurice's brother, Elliott, was funded by donations from the Kanbar Charitable Trust and from Elliott.[36] Kanbar, who was Jewish, had given millions of dollars to various Israeli charities as well.[37]

Kanbar owned and lived in an eight-story residential tower in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco; he received attention for his 1999 decision to evict his tenants in order to become the sole occupant of the building.[38] He was a member of Mensa.[citation needed] He has received honorary degrees from Philadelphia University,[33] Kenyon College,[39] Bar-Ilan University,[40] and Yeshiva University.[41]

Legacy

Personal life

Kanbar never married or had children.[5] He died on August 20, 2022, at his home in San Francisco at the age of 93 and was survived by his brother Elliott.[1][5]

References

  1. ^ a b "Maurice Kanbar dies at age 93".
  2. ^ "Search Request: Author = Kanbar, Maurice". Copyright Catalog (1978 to present). Library of Congress. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  3. ^ Maurice Kanbar
  4. ^ a b Robert Evatt, "Downtown Tulsa investor a man of many passions", Tulsa World, December 3, 2010.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Pine, Dan (August 24, 2022). "Maurice Kanbar, S.F. philanthropist and eclectic inventor, dies at 93". J. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  6. ^ a b c d "About Maurice Kanbar". Thomas Jefferson University. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  7. ^ Snyder, Susan (July 27, 2014). "Philadelphia University's biggest giver is a father of invention". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  8. ^ Evatt, Robert. "Downtown energized by out-of-towners". Tulsa World. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  9. ^ "Maurice Kanbar launches SooFoo--Natural Food Product "Super Good Food"". WebWire. Retrieved September 14, 2022. ...nine ingredients that comprise SooFoo over time. They include: California-grown long-grain brown rice; brown lentils; wheat berries; oats; barley; black lentils; rye berries; green lentils and buckwheat.
  10. ^ Guthrie, Julian (September 2, 2012). "Inventor Maurice Kanbar's life of ideas". SFGATE. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  11. ^ "Recipe: Hearty Vegetable SooFoo Soup from Maurice Kanbar". ABC7 Los Angeles. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  12. ^ "Contributing to Humanity". The Forward. December 24, 2009. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  13. ^ "Zip Notes Sticky notes on a roll" Archived July 23, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, OPI.net (Office Products International), October 18, 2007 (accessed March 2, 2010).
  14. ^ Edward Lewine, "New Yorkers & Co.; The War of the Film Worlds", New York Times, December 7, 1997.
  15. ^ Morell, Katie (January 4, 2012). "Confessions of a Startup-aholic". American Express. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  16. ^ a b c Bruce Bellingham, "Maurice Kanbar is back in the vodka business – this time it’s Blue Angel", Northside San Francisco, March 2009.
  17. ^ Mark Athitakis, "Crushed", SF Weekly, April 11, 2001.
  18. ^ "The Skyy's not the limit". The New Fillmore. January 11, 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  19. ^ Dennis King, "Review: 'Hoodwinked' ", Tulsa World, January 13, 2006.
  20. ^ "Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil (2011): Hood vs. Weinstein". Bomb Report. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  21. ^ Anchor Bay Entertainment, Inc; Entertainment (Firm), Kanbar; Company, Weinstein; Carey, Joan Collins; Close, Glenn; Disa, Mike; Edwards, Cory; Edwards, Todd; Kanbar, Maurice; Leech, Tony; Panettiere, Hayden; Poehler, Amy; Stiers, David Ogden; Warburton, Patrick; Weinstein, Bob; Weinstein, Harvey. "Hoodwinked too! : hood vs. evil - Austin Public Library". link.library.austintexas.gov. Retrieved September 14, 2022. {{cite web}}: |first1= has generic name (help)
  22. ^ Webster, Andy (April 29, 2011). "Red Riding Hood, the Spy Caper". The New York Times. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  23. ^ Kanbar Properties main page (accessed May 9, 2012).
  24. ^ Morgan, Jim Myers. "Q&A: Maurice Kanbar". TulsaPeople Magazine. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  25. ^ Robert Evatt, "Kanbar sues former business partner", Tulsa World, August 16, 2007.
  26. ^ Robert Evatt, "Kaufman countersues ex-pal Kanbar", Tulsa World, May 16, 2009.
  27. ^ 9th Circuit Court of Appeals oral argument in Kaufman v. Kanbar 2/11/2010
  28. ^ Robert Evatt, "Building a portfolio", Tulsa World, June 14, 2006.
  29. ^ Robert Evatt, "Kanbar selling assets to push development", Tulsa World, March 2, 2010.
  30. ^ Rhett Morgan, "Tulsa developer Stuart Price acquires downtown Kanbar properties", Tulsa World, February 5, 2017.
  31. ^ "Philadelphia University to Dedicate The Kanbar Campus Center on Saturday, September 30", Philadelphia University press release, September 27, 2006 (accessed March 2, 2010).
  32. ^ Peter Key, "Skyy Vodka creator gives Phila. U. its biggest gift", Philadelphia Business Journal, May 9, 2012.
  33. ^ a b "College of Design, Engineering and Commerce Named for Maurice Kanbar ’52, H’03", Philadelphia University press release, May 9, 2012.
  34. ^ Monica Roman, "Kanbar gives $5 mil to NYU film school", Variety, April 10, 1997.
  35. ^ Maurice Kanbar Institute of Film and Television undergraduate main page (accessed May 9, 2012).
  36. ^ "Kanbar Hall Wins 'Outstanding Building' Award", Bowdoin College Campus News, March 31, 2006.
  37. ^ Driven by ideas: inventor-philanthropist Maurice Kanbar honored by AFMDA
  38. ^ Emily Gurnon, "Eviction Shock in Pacific Heights", San Francisco Examiner, July 27, 1999.
  39. ^ "Celebrating Accomplishments" Archived August 5, 2012, at archive.today, Kenyon College news release, April 2006.
  40. ^ Edon Ophir, "The Inventor Who Makes Movies", Jerusalem Post, May 6, 2008 (also availablehere).
  41. ^ Maurice Kanbar, Doctor of Humane Letters Archived November 1, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, Yeshiva University website (retrieved March 2, 2010).

Bibliography