Real estate developer Harry Bennett dies at 88
Advocate, The (Stamford-Norwalk, CT) - Saturday, April 14, 2007
STAMFORD - Real estate trailblazer and philanthropist Harry Bennett, whose generosity led to a library dedicated in his name, died at Stamford Hospital yesterday after he suffered a heart attack.
Although Mr. Bennett had health problems over the past several years, he continued to work, keeping abreast of the city's property developments and helping those in need, friends and family said.
He was 88.
In his unpublished autobiography, Mr. Bennett wrote he lived by a simple philosophy: "Anything worth doing is worth doing now. And now is NOW."
"He never retired," said his daughter, Betsy Bernstein, of Harrison N.Y. "He'd lay down for a nap and he'd just dream up new ideas."
Mr. Bennett established himself as pioneer in his field early in his career, building homes in Stamford and Greenwich, and brokering high-profile deals including the Palace Theatre, Dorothy Heroy Park and Lakewood Park in Stamford, and St. Andrews Seminary in Hyde Park, N.Y., which became the Culinary Institute of America.
Mr. Bennett was tireless and forward-thinking when it came to securing the deal, said Sandra Goldstein, president of the Stamford Downtown Special Services District.
Goldstein worked for Mr. Bennett for seven years during the late 1980s at his business, Harry Bennett and Associates, off High Ridge Road. He closed the office in January 2006.
"He was so bright and so creative," she said. "He was always pushing the envelope. You would see four corners and he would see a circle, and he would make you see it and he was right."
Mr. Bennett was born in Greenwich, the second youngest of five children. He graduated from Greenwich High School and went on to New York University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1940.
In his autobiography, Bennett wrote that after graduation he took out a classified advertisement in Greenwich Time. Always clever in his presentation, the ad read "Wanted: A future."
Mr. Bennett married Neva Test in 1949, and the couple moved to Stamford.
Mr. Bennett was fond of meeting new people and took pleasure in hearing their stories and finding ways to help them - from the maitre d' at a restaurant down to the waiters, Neva Bennett said.
"I don't think there was anybody that he didn't meet that wasn't really fond of my husband. He would find out everything there was to know about them," she said.
The couple was married for 58 years.
His real estate career took flight in the 1950s, when he started building houses in Stamford under the names WEBBS Construction Co. Inc. and Merritt Construction Co.
Bennett was always looking for ways to turn vacant properties into lucrative ventures.
The family would take Sunday drives to Long Island. N.Y., to check out house designs, Bernstein said.
"We'd drive in the car looking at properties," Bernstein said. "We'd see a for sale sign and you could see the gears start turning to see 'What could we do with this.' "
Mr. Bennett also believed in giving back, friends and family said.
He helped the Ferguson Library open its Turn of River branch in the 1960s in a church off High Ridge Road. In 2000, the organization opened its new branch on Vine Road dedicated in his name.
He took great pride in the library, Ferguson Library President Ernest DiMattia said.
"He would visit the library often to look around and see the number of children using it," he said.
"He had a flare for it, but more importantly, he had a passion to do it," DiMattia said.
Mr. Bennett gave more than $1 million toward children's plays, books and other events, he said. The library has had more than 2 million visitors since it opened, DiMattia said.
Education was important to Mr. Bennett, and he saw the library as a way to foster that, DiMattia said.
"It was not just a one-time contribution. It was a commitment to what the philosophy of what libraries were all about and the importance of them," he said.
Bennett gave to many charitable organizations and served as a justice of the peace, was a director of the Long Ridge Association, and national director of the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce, as well as a founder of the Greenwich chapter.
He also was instrumental in finding a new site for Temple Beth El, a synagogue to which he belonged. The temple was built in 1972 on Roxbury Road.
"Harry was a super leader, a visionary and dedicated to his community and to the Jewish people," Rabbi Joshua Hammerman said.
In addition to his wife and daughter, he is survived by his son, Fred Bennett, of New York; another daughter, Jan Hersh of Wilton; and five grandchildren.
A service will be held tomorrow at 11 a.m. at Temple Beth El, 350 Roxbury Road, Stamford.
Advocate, The (Stamford-Norwalk, CT) - Saturday, April 14, 2007
Advocate, The (Stamford-Norwalk, CT) - Saturday, April 14, 2007
STAMFORD - Real estate trailblazer and philanthropist Harry Bennett, whose generosity led to a library dedicated in his name, died at Stamford Hospital yesterday after he suffered a heart attack.
Although Mr. Bennett had health problems over the past several years, he continued to work, keeping abreast of the city's property developments and helping those in need, friends and family said.
He was 88.
In his unpublished autobiography, Mr. Bennett wrote he lived by a simple philosophy: "Anything worth doing is worth doing now. And now is NOW."
"He never retired," said his daughter, Betsy Bernstein, of Harrison N.Y. "He'd lay down for a nap and he'd just dream up new ideas."
Mr. Bennett established himself as pioneer in his field early in his career, building homes in Stamford and Greenwich, and brokering high-profile deals including the Palace Theatre, Dorothy Heroy Park and Lakewood Park in Stamford, and St. Andrews Seminary in Hyde Park, N.Y., which became the Culinary Institute of America.
Mr. Bennett was tireless and forward-thinking when it came to securing the deal, said Sandra Goldstein, president of the Stamford Downtown Special Services District.
Goldstein worked for Mr. Bennett for seven years during the late 1980s at his business, Harry Bennett and Associates, off High Ridge Road. He closed the office in January 2006.
"He was so bright and so creative," she said. "He was always pushing the envelope. You would see four corners and he would see a circle, and he would make you see it and he was right."
Mr. Bennett was born in Greenwich, the second youngest of five children. He graduated from Greenwich High School and went on to New York University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1940.
In his autobiography, Bennett wrote that after graduation he took out a classified advertisement in Greenwich Time. Always clever in his presentation, the ad read "Wanted: A future."
Mr. Bennett married Neva Test in 1949, and the couple moved to Stamford.
Mr. Bennett was fond of meeting new people and took pleasure in hearing their stories and finding ways to help them - from the maitre d' at a restaurant down to the waiters, Neva Bennett said.
"I don't think there was anybody that he didn't meet that wasn't really fond of my husband. He would find out everything there was to know about them," she said.
The couple was married for 58 years.
His real estate career took flight in the 1950s, when he started building houses in Stamford under the names WEBBS Construction Co. Inc. and Merritt Construction Co.
Bennett was always looking for ways to turn vacant properties into lucrative ventures.
The family would take Sunday drives to Long Island. N.Y., to check out house designs, Bernstein said.
"We'd drive in the car looking at properties," Bernstein said. "We'd see a for sale sign and you could see the gears start turning to see 'What could we do with this.' "
Mr. Bennett also believed in giving back, friends and family said.
He helped the Ferguson Library open its Turn of River branch in the 1960s in a church off High Ridge Road. In 2000, the organization opened its new branch on Vine Road dedicated in his name.
He took great pride in the library, Ferguson Library President Ernest DiMattia said.
"He would visit the library often to look around and see the number of children using it," he said.
"He had a flare for it, but more importantly, he had a passion to do it," DiMattia said.
Mr. Bennett gave more than $1 million toward children's plays, books and other events, he said. The library has had more than 2 million visitors since it opened, DiMattia said.
Education was important to Mr. Bennett, and he saw the library as a way to foster that, DiMattia said.
"It was not just a one-time contribution. It was a commitment to what the philosophy of what libraries were all about and the importance of them," he said.
Bennett gave to many charitable organizations and served as a justice of the peace, was a director of the Long Ridge Association, and national director of the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce, as well as a founder of the Greenwich chapter.
He also was instrumental in finding a new site for Temple Beth El, a synagogue to which he belonged. The temple was built in 1972 on Roxbury Road.
"Harry was a super leader, a visionary and dedicated to his community and to the Jewish people," Rabbi Joshua Hammerman said.
In addition to his wife and daughter, he is survived by his son, Fred Bennett, of New York; another daughter, Jan Hersh of Wilton; and five grandchildren.
A service will be held tomorrow at 11 a.m. at Temple Beth El, 350 Roxbury Road, Stamford.
Advocate, The (Stamford-Norwalk, CT) - Saturday, April 14, 2007
Real estate developer Harry Bennett dies at 88
Advocate, The (Stamford-Norwalk, CT) - Saturday, April 14, 2007
STAMFORD - Real estate trailblazer and philanthropist Harry Bennett, whose generosity led to a library dedicated in his name, died at Stamford Hospital yesterday after he suffered a heart attack.
Although Mr. Bennett had health problems over the past several years, he continued to work, keeping abreast of the city's property developments and helping those in need, friends and family said.
He was 88.
In his unpublished autobiography, Mr. Bennett wrote he lived by a simple philosophy: "Anything worth doing is worth doing now. And now is NOW."
"He never retired," said his daughter, Betsy Bernstein, of Harrison N.Y. "He'd lay down for a nap and he'd just dream up new ideas."
Mr. Bennett established himself as pioneer in his field early in his career, building homes in Stamford and Greenwich, and brokering high-profile deals including the Palace Theatre, Dorothy Heroy Park and Lakewood Park in Stamford, and St. Andrews Seminary in Hyde Park, N.Y., which became the Culinary Institute of America.
Mr. Bennett was tireless and forward-thinking when it came to securing the deal, said Sandra Goldstein, president of the Stamford Downtown Special Services District.
Goldstein worked for Mr. Bennett for seven years during the late 1980s at his business, Harry Bennett and Associates, off High Ridge Road. He closed the office in January 2006.
"He was so bright and so creative," she said. "He was always pushing the envelope. You would see four corners and he would see a circle, and he would make you see it and he was right."
Mr. Bennett was born in Greenwich, the second youngest of five children. He graduated from Greenwich High School and went on to New York University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1940.
In his autobiography, Bennett wrote that after graduation he took out a classified advertisement in Greenwich Time. Always clever in his presentation, the ad read "Wanted: A future."
Mr. Bennett married Neva Test in 1949, and the couple moved to Stamford.
Mr. Bennett was fond of meeting new people and took pleasure in hearing their stories and finding ways to help them - from the maitre d' at a restaurant down to the waiters, Neva Bennett said.
"I don't think there was anybody that he didn't meet that wasn't really fond of my husband. He would find out everything there was to know about them," she said.
The couple was married for 58 years.
His real estate career took flight in the 1950s, when he started building houses in Stamford under the names WEBBS Construction Co. Inc. and Merritt Construction Co.
Bennett was always looking for ways to turn vacant properties into lucrative ventures.
The family would take Sunday drives to Long Island. N.Y., to check out house designs, Bernstein said.
"We'd drive in the car looking at properties," Bernstein said. "We'd see a for sale sign and you could see the gears start turning to see 'What could we do with this.' "
Mr. Bennett also believed in giving back, friends and family said.
He helped the Ferguson Library open its Turn of River branch in the 1960s in a church off High Ridge Road. In 2000, the organization opened its new branch on Vine Road dedicated in his name.
He took great pride in the library, Ferguson Library President Ernest DiMattia said.
"He would visit the library often to look around and see the number of children using it," he said.
"He had a flare for it, but more importantly, he had a passion to do it," DiMattia said.
Mr. Bennett gave more than $1 million toward children's plays, books and other events, he said. The library has had more than 2 million visitors since it opened, DiMattia said.
Education was important to Mr. Bennett, and he saw the library as a way to foster that, DiMattia said.
"It was not just a one-time contribution. It was a commitment to what the philosophy of what libraries were all about and the importance of them," he said.
Bennett gave to many charitable organizations and served as a justice of the peace, was a director of the Long Ridge Association, and national director of the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce, as well as a founder of the Greenwich chapter.
He also was instrumental in finding a new site for Temple Beth El, a synagogue to which he belonged. The temple was built in 1972 on Roxbury Road.
"Harry was a super leader, a visionary and dedicated to his community and to the Jewish people," Rabbi Joshua Hammerman said.
In addition to his wife and daughter, he is survived by his son, Fred Bennett, of New York; another daughter, Jan Hersh of Wilton; and five grandchildren.
A service will be held tomorrow at 11 a.m. at Temple Beth El, 350 Roxbury Road, Stamford.
Advocate, The (Stamford-Norwalk, CT) - Saturday, April 14, 2007
Advocate, The (Stamford-Norwalk, CT) - Saturday, April 14, 2007
STAMFORD - Real estate trailblazer and philanthropist Harry Bennett, whose generosity led to a library dedicated in his name, died at Stamford Hospital yesterday after he suffered a heart attack.
Although Mr. Bennett had health problems over the past several years, he continued to work, keeping abreast of the city's property developments and helping those in need, friends and family said.
He was 88.
In his unpublished autobiography, Mr. Bennett wrote he lived by a simple philosophy: "Anything worth doing is worth doing now. And now is NOW."
"He never retired," said his daughter, Betsy Bernstein, of Harrison N.Y. "He'd lay down for a nap and he'd just dream up new ideas."
Mr. Bennett established himself as pioneer in his field early in his career, building homes in Stamford and Greenwich, and brokering high-profile deals including the Palace Theatre, Dorothy Heroy Park and Lakewood Park in Stamford, and St. Andrews Seminary in Hyde Park, N.Y., which became the Culinary Institute of America.
Mr. Bennett was tireless and forward-thinking when it came to securing the deal, said Sandra Goldstein, president of the Stamford Downtown Special Services District.
Goldstein worked for Mr. Bennett for seven years during the late 1980s at his business, Harry Bennett and Associates, off High Ridge Road. He closed the office in January 2006.
"He was so bright and so creative," she said. "He was always pushing the envelope. You would see four corners and he would see a circle, and he would make you see it and he was right."
Mr. Bennett was born in Greenwich, the second youngest of five children. He graduated from Greenwich High School and went on to New York University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1940.
In his autobiography, Bennett wrote that after graduation he took out a classified advertisement in Greenwich Time. Always clever in his presentation, the ad read "Wanted: A future."
Mr. Bennett married Neva Test in 1949, and the couple moved to Stamford.
Mr. Bennett was fond of meeting new people and took pleasure in hearing their stories and finding ways to help them - from the maitre d' at a restaurant down to the waiters, Neva Bennett said.
"I don't think there was anybody that he didn't meet that wasn't really fond of my husband. He would find out everything there was to know about them," she said.
The couple was married for 58 years.
His real estate career took flight in the 1950s, when he started building houses in Stamford under the names WEBBS Construction Co. Inc. and Merritt Construction Co.
Bennett was always looking for ways to turn vacant properties into lucrative ventures.
The family would take Sunday drives to Long Island. N.Y., to check out house designs, Bernstein said.
"We'd drive in the car looking at properties," Bernstein said. "We'd see a for sale sign and you could see the gears start turning to see 'What could we do with this.' "
Mr. Bennett also believed in giving back, friends and family said.
He helped the Ferguson Library open its Turn of River branch in the 1960s in a church off High Ridge Road. In 2000, the organization opened its new branch on Vine Road dedicated in his name.
He took great pride in the library, Ferguson Library President Ernest DiMattia said.
"He would visit the library often to look around and see the number of children using it," he said.
"He had a flare for it, but more importantly, he had a passion to do it," DiMattia said.
Mr. Bennett gave more than $1 million toward children's plays, books and other events, he said. The library has had more than 2 million visitors since it opened, DiMattia said.
Education was important to Mr. Bennett, and he saw the library as a way to foster that, DiMattia said.
"It was not just a one-time contribution. It was a commitment to what the philosophy of what libraries were all about and the importance of them," he said.
Bennett gave to many charitable organizations and served as a justice of the peace, was a director of the Long Ridge Association, and national director of the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce, as well as a founder of the Greenwich chapter.
He also was instrumental in finding a new site for Temple Beth El, a synagogue to which he belonged. The temple was built in 1972 on Roxbury Road.
"Harry was a super leader, a visionary and dedicated to his community and to the Jewish people," Rabbi Joshua Hammerman said.
In addition to his wife and daughter, he is survived by his son, Fred Bennett, of New York; another daughter, Jan Hersh of Wilton; and five grandchildren.
A service will be held tomorrow at 11 a.m. at Temple Beth El, 350 Roxbury Road, Stamford.
Advocate, The (Stamford-Norwalk, CT) - Saturday, April 14, 2007
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