Robert Nelson Alfandre was born June 9, 1927 in New York, New York, the son of Joseph and Annette Henry Alfandre. The family moved to Washington D.C. in 1935. He attended Anacostia High School in the District of Columbia. He was the first of his family to attend college, choosing Swarthmore over Princeton and Yale which offered later matriculation dates. At the end of his freshman year, he enlisted in the United States Navy, returning to school in the fall of 1946. After graduation in 1949, he attended the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Study on a fellowship, receiving a Master of Arts degree in 1951. After graduate school, his first position was with the Central Intelligence Agency, where he was employed in operations concerning Western Europe. After five years with the CIA, he resigned to enter real estate development with his father and brother Jack. In 1951, he married Priscilla Buck, a college classmate. He served on the board of the Woodrow Wilson House and hosted many fundraising events for non-profits at his Kalorama Road residence. He also served for many years on the Board of the Whitman Walker Clinic in the District of Columbia and raised millions of dollars for AIDS research, establishing residences and support systems for victims of AIDS in the District of Columbia and Key West, Florida. He founded the Carroll Sledz House at the Whitman Walker Clinic in honor of his longtime partner Carroll Sledz. In September 1985, he purchased the historic residence at 701 Fleming Street in Key West from the composer and lyricist Jerry Herman. He organized and hosted the first Human Rights Campaign Fund dinner in the District of Columbia. He was a member of the French Heritage Society and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. He was also a Knight of the Order of St. John. He died at his home in Washington, D.C. on June 12, 2014. Survivors included his wife, two daughters, four grandchildren, one brother, nieces, nephews and friends. The funeral was held on Saturday, June 21, 2014 at All Souls Church in the District of Columbia. Interment was at Oak Hill Cemetery.
Source: The Key West Citizen, Sunday, June 22, 2014.