obituaries

Entrepreneurial Spirit

Ronelle Grier

Contributing Writer

I

n his 102 years, Albert Dubin
experienced the gamut of life, from
a frightened child in a Russian
pogrom to the chief executive of a suc-
cessful company and the patriarch of a
large and loving family. Mr. Dubin, who
lived with his wife, Pauline, in Boca
Raton, Fla., and Bloomfield Hills, died
Aug. 9, 2015.
Albert embodied the old-fashioned
entrepreneurial spirit, arriving in
America as a young boy with no English
or vocational skills to become an instru-
mental part of the national enterprise
now known as Vlasic Foods.
Just before World War I, Albert's father
left his infant son and wife in the village
of Ignatanka near Kiev while he went to
America to create a better life and then
send for the family. When the war broke
out, Albert and his mother were strand-
ed. In the turmoil of war and pogroms,
Albert was separated from his mother
for two years. After foraging for food
and shelter and working odd jobs, Albert
was reunited with his mother in 1923
and together they came to Detroit to join
Albert's father.
Despite his lack of English skills,
Albert quickly caught up to his school-
mates while taking on a variety of jobs to
help the family. At Central High School,
he was an excellent student as well as a
varsity track and field athlete. During
his high school years, Albert met Joseph
"Joe" Vlasic, another hard-working and
determined immigrant, who offered
Albert a job in his drugstore.
While Albert worked in the drugstore
and studied accounting at night, Joe
began a creamery that later became the

state's largest distribu-
torship for the Borden
Company.
Eventually, the
Vlasic company added
other products such as
hams, horseradish and
pickles, using glass
jars to store the pickles
when cucumber sup-
plies dwindled during
World War II.
Albert contributed
his accounting skills
and his natural busi-
ness acumen to the
business as it con-
tinued to grow. He
Albert Dubin
became the company's
chief financial officer
and later its president, working alongside
the Vlasic family for 50 years until Vlasic
Foods was sold to the Campbell Soup
Company in 1978.
Albert and his wife, Evelyn, were hap-
pily married for 35 years, until her death
in 1971. They raised a family and created
a nurturing home despite Albert's long
workdays that often began at five in the
morning and lasted until 10 at night.
Albert taught his children to ride
bicycles and took them ice skating on
the pond in Palmer Park. He relished
the concept of shalom bayit, peace in the
home, and was always in a good mood,
refusing to complain regardless of the
situation.
Life began anew for Albert when he
met Pauline, a beautiful widow, who
shared his life for the past 40 years. They
did everything together: playing golf,
traveling the world and enjoying a won-
derful group of friends in Boca Raton.
He and Pauline had a secret hand sig-

nal. She squeezed his
hand to say "I love
you:' and he would
squeeze back to say
"I love you more a
practice they contin-
ued on his deathbed.
Despite Albert's
extraordinary suc-
cess in the business
world, his fam-
ily was his greatest
achievement. He
enjoyed taking trips
with his children
and grandchildren,
and remembered
everyone's birthdays
and special events,
including the great-
grandchildren's. He remained humble
throughout his life, never forgetting his
modest beginnings or the importance of
family.
He held lively conversations with the
younger generations about the business
world, passing on his belief that hard
work was more important than how
much money one made.
Albert's commitment to the com-
munity is exemplified by the Albert and
Pauline Dubin Oral History Archives
endowment, which was presented by
the family in honor of Albert's 100th
birthday. The archives, at the Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, con-
tain audio and video interviews of more
than 100 Jewish Detroit leaders and will
allow other important life stories to be
told and preserved for generations to
come.
Staying in shape was important to
Albert. He did calisthenics every morn-
ing, jogged, swam and played golf well

into his old age. At 85, he shot his age on
the golf course. His routine also included
moderate amounts of scotch and cigars.
His philosophy is best summed up by
the words Albert wrote on the occasion
of his 100th birthday celebration, read by
Rabbi Paul Yedwab of Temple Israel in
West Bloomfield at the family graveside
service held Aug. 13:
"You can do anything any other person
can do. You are capable of anything you
dream of doing. All you have to do is
work for it. The greater the odds against
success, the harder a man with a dream
will strive and take calculated risks."
Albert Dubin is survived by his
beloved wife, Pauline Dubin; daughters,
Sandra Frankel and Roslyn Silverman;
son, Howard (Jean) Dubin; grandchil-
dren, Bradley and Amy Dubin, Benjamin
and Elizabeth Gottlieb, Robyn Frankel,
Wendy and Brian Rubin, Paul and Jill
Frankel, Marc and Patti Silverman,
Faith and Jeffrey Gleiberman, Heidi
Prosserman, Adam and Ora Silverman,
Phil and Andrea Bershad, Jay Slatkin,
Julie Felderstein, Mathew and Angela
Reinstein, and Chelsea Sporn; and many
great-grandchildren. He is also survived
by Pauline's children, Brina Reinstein,
Donna and Robert Slatkin; and Pauline's
daughter-in-law, Allison Sporn.
He was the dear husband of the late
Evelyn Dubin; brother of the late Jules
Dubin and the late Minna Dubin; grand-
father of the late Jennifer Stern; and step-
father of the late Neil Sporn.
Contributions may be made to Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit,
Albert and Pauline Dubin Oral Archives,
6735 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills,
MI 48301, (248) 642-4260, www.
jewishdetroit.org. Arrangements were by
the Ira Kaufman Chapel.

❑

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Obituaries

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