| Harold
A. Gottesman |
| NO.
17373 • 7 Sept 1926 – 21 Nov 2001 |
Died
in Old Lyme, CT
Interred in West Point Cemetery, West Point, NY |
Harold Aaron Gottesman, born in Newark, NJ, was the oldest of Sadie
and Joseph Gottesman’s four children. Known as "Hal,"
he skipped a grade in elementary school and was an A student. Throughout
his academic, military, and business ventures, Harold’s mental
agility would leave others admiring his ability to concentrate and
to bring all of his knowledge to bear on a challenge. Studying and
solving problems and helping others find the answers, too was Harold's
passion, and his mind was every bit as wonderful as the machines
and concepts he spent a lifetime mastering.
Harold graduated from Hillside High School in 1943 and, already
interested in engineering, enrolled at the Carnegie Institute of
Technology in Pittsburgh. Studying through the summers, passing
two classes that met simultaneously, and taking a late night job
as an elevator operator so he could study while working, Harold
earned both a bachelor's and master's degree in mechanical engineering
in just three years.
Harold knew the role the military played in American life and, especially,
in his preferred scientific fields of study. He wanted to continue
his schooling with the best and brightest, and that meant West Point.
A member of Company E-2, Harold quickly gained a reputation as one
of the top academic performers. As much as Harold enjoyed learning,
he also enjoyed helping others learn. One of his roommates, Andrew
Rutherford, remembered Harold was often his savior when it came
to math and science courses. Jerome Waldor, another classmate and
a lifelong friend, said Harold was always generous with his academic
skills even if it cost him time or effort. He tutored and was always
available to help cadets who needed it. Harold earned the Veterans
of Foreign Wars prize in physics, finishing at the top of the class
in that subject. He also participated in the French Club, Radio
Club, Pointer, Jewish Chapel Choir, and Ski Club.
Harold left West Point with a fierce appreciation for American freedoms
and the costs of protecting them. Later in life, he would become
deeply involved with the West Point Jewish Chapel and the U.S.S.
Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum in New York City.
Harold met Barbara Freid of Brooklyn, NY, shortly before his First
Class year, when he and classmate Ben Lewis visited Ben’s
sister at the summer camp in Maine where she and Barbara were counselors.
Harold and Barbara married after graduation.
Harold entered the Air Force and completed primary flight training
at Connelly Air Force Base, Waco, TX. He did a stint in Enid, OK,
for advanced flight training before being assigned to Mather Field
in Sacramento, CA, where he flew training missions. His last post
was Kelly Field in San Antonio, TX, where he oversaw a unit ferrying
airplane engines around the country.
Harold left the military in early 1954 to begin a business career
in New Jersey. After jobs with his father’s handkerchief company
and the Cooper Alloy Corporation, a great opportunity arose when
his father purchased an old industrial building on Edison Place
in Newark. Because the site was near the railroad station, Joseph
decided to demolish the structure and construct a parking lot. He
suggested that Harold and brother Jerry (USNA '52) operate the lot.
The business opened in February 1956.
"We were working like crazy," recalls Jerry. "Dad
saw us going from $11 to $40 to $80 to $ 100. What else could he
be but happy? He got pleasure out of seeing us working hard together."
Edison Park Fast expanded quickly, and the Gottesman brothers became
well known around the New York metropolitan area for their expertise,
hard work, and first class operations. By the early 1970s, they
owned or managed more than 150 locations and consulted for others
who needed help building or running parking facilities.
The Gottesmans expanded into the ministorage business in the 1970s,
opening Manhattan Mini Storage for New Yorkers who needed space
to store their extra belongings. In 1978, they purchased the Hippodrome,
a 650,000 square foot office building in midtown Manhattan.
The real estate business suited Harold's fondness for both math
and science. He had a mind for numbers and a specialty for coming
up with solutions to the unique challenges that arose with each
property. He loved to figure out what made a ticket spitter work
or where to put an elevator, how to negotiate leases or when to
change prices.
All his life, Harold credited the discipline, excellence, and leadership
skills West Point espoused for much of his success in business.
Employees and associates alike recall Harold as fair and eager to
help others find the answers they needed. He enjoyed grinding out
the details of any problem as much as top level meetings, and he
took pride in the successes of the people around him.
Harold and Barbara had two daughters while living in Union, NJ:
Ellen in 1954 and Robin in 1956. After moving to West Orange, NJ,
they had a son, Andrew, in 1970. His children were the beneficiaries
of his intelligence and experience, with help always available for
everything from homework to home buying. Robin simply called him
"The Answer." He and Barbara separated in 1987.
Harold sold much of the business to his brother in 1998 and retired
to Old Lyme, CT, with his companion, Madelaine Goldish. There he
was able to enjoy all of the tinkering and work a new home requires.
Harold never stopped learning or teaching. He was excited about
helping his son succeed in business and treasured a phone call from
one of his grandchildren looking for help with a math assignment.
All who knew him are poorer for the passing of a mentor but also
well prepared to solve the problems they face. That is his legacy.
|
USMA 1950