Allen Irwin Bildner ’47

Allen Irwin Bildner ’47 of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, and West Orange, New Jersey, died on February 5, 2015. He was born in Maspeth, New York, on August 26, 1926, grew up in Summit, New Jersey and attended Summit High School. He was assigned to Dartmouth in the naval V-12 unit and served in the NROTC from 1944 to 1946. In college he was a member of Casque & Gauntlet and Green Key, played basketball and was captain of the soccer team. He graduated from Tuck School in 1948. He served as a class agent, was chairman of the 10th reunion and was elected to two terms as class president. He was also elected president of the Dartmouth Class Presidents Association. In West Caldwell, New Jersey, he joined his family-owned business, Kings Super Markets, where he was chairman and CEO until the sale to Marks & Spencer in 1988. He remained with them as chairman until 1990. He was a respected leader in the Jewish and secular community. He was a past chairman of the Food Marketing Institute and the New Jersey Food Council. He served on a number of boards in his community and received the Dartmouth Alumni Award and the Martin Luther King Jr. Social Justice Award. He and his wife, Joan, sponsored the Bildner Endowment at Dartmouth to reduce prejudice and bigotry and were major donors to the College, funding the dormitory that bears their name. In retirement his hobbies included paddleball, tennis, waterskiing and photography. He is survived by two sons, including Jim ’75.