Frederic R Mann

http://www.nytimes.com/1987/02/27/obituaries/fredric-r-mann-arts-pa...

FREDRIC R. MANN, ARTS PATRON By TIM PAGE February 27, 1987

Fredric R. Mann, an industrialist and patron of the arts who helped finance music centers in Philadelphia and Tel Aviv, died of cancer yesterday morning in Miami. He was 83 years old and had homes in Miami, Philadelphia and Manhattan.

Mr. Mann made his fortune while still in his early 20's, founding and directing a company that made cardboard boxes, the Seaboard Container Company, which was known later as the National Container Corporation, and still later as Mann Kraft.

But, from childhood, Mr. Mann's principal interest was classical music and he used his wealth to support artistic endeavors throughout the country. There had been musical programs at an outdoor amphitheater in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park from 1930 onward. But by 1948, the Robin Hood Dell Concerts, as they were then called, were in serious trouble, and increased expenses and a drop in attendence closed the series after five of the six scheduled weeks. Active in Philanthropy

Mr. Mann, who had been a board member of the Robin Hood Dell from 1941 until a disagreement over management policy in 1945 prompted his resignation, now took over the leadership completely. He devised a plan that called for joint support from contributors and from the city of Philadelphia, and which provided for free outdoor performances by the Philadelphia Orchestra. To date, an estimated six million free seats for Philadelphia Orchestra concerts have been provided by this system. In 1976, a new concert hall was built in Fairmount Park, largely through support by Mr. Mann; it was renamed the Mann Music Center in 1979.

He took an active interest in his philhanthropies, and helped many young artists, including the late pianist William Kapell, for whom he paid expenses, negotiated contracts and generally shepherded his career. He arranged for Zubin Mehta's first conducting appearance in the United States at Robin Hood Dell in 1960.

Speaking of Mr. Mann, Zubin Mehta, the conductor of the New York Philharmonic, said in a telephone interview yesterday from Florence, said: He was my closest friend and mentor and supporter since my first days in the United States. It was through him that I made my debut in America, and we have been very close ever since. He was a unique person in that he was a friend to most of the world's greats. He never asked us for anything. He gave and gave and gave - if not money, then advice or support. Aided Israeli Philharmonic

I didn't inherit a fortune to distribute, Mr. Mann said in 1983. This is my hard-earned money I give out. You know the Hebrew word for charity is 'tzedakah,' which really means justice. If you live opulently you have to share with the less fortunate. If I eat, somebody else has to eat.

Mr. Mann was born in Russia on Sept. 13, 1903; the family immigrated to the United States in 1905, and settled in New Haven in 1905. Mr. Mann originally planned to become a pianist, but an accident curtailed his career when he was 16 years old. He attended the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, and began his own company within weeks of his graduation.

In 1936, the violinist Bronislaw Huberman asked Mr. Mann to aid some Jewish musicians who had escaped from Nazi Germany to what was then the British protectorate of Palestine. With Mr. Mann's aid, the ensemble now known as the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra was founded. He became a strong supporter, providing much of the financing for the orchestra's new hall, which was opened in 1957 and named the Fredric R. Mann Auditorium.

In 1967, Mr. Mann was appointed the first United States Ambassador to Barbados, a position he held until 1969. In 1968, his responsibilities were expanded to include service as United States Special Representative to several Caribbean islands. He was a member of the board of the Philadelphia Orchestra Association, Carnegie Hall, the New York Philharmonic and American Ballet Theater.

Mr. Mann remained an avid amateur pianist throughout his life. His other interests included modern art and fine cigars.

He is survived by his wife of 51 years, the former Silvia Rosenberg; a brother, Yale Mann, of Philadelphia; three sisters, Liva Weber of Philadelphia, Linda Reed of New York and Esther Hammond of Salisbury, N.C.; five daughters, Gilda Ellis, Gail Denny, Gaye Norton, Nela Tutviv, and Fredrica Friedman, all of Philadelphia, and 15 grandchildren.