Robert Tannenhauser: A Remembrance

By David Tannenhauser

What’s in a name? For Bobby Tannenhauser, quite a lot.

He was born Robert Ford Tannenhauser on January 1, 1945, to Max and Mae Tannenhauser of Rego Park, Queens. Bobby and his older brother Michael grew up in a modest, but comfortable, apartment, full of love, warmth, and the smells of brisket, chopped liver, and other favorite foods.

Bobby was a happy child, popular amongst his peers, and a good student and valued member of the Forest Hills High School swimming team. While not a valedictorian, his grades were good enough to get him into Syracuse University, where he began to come into his own as a true individual. He was magnetic and extremely well-liked for his irreverent wit, warm heart, and sense of adventure and fun.  His studies were a part of his time there, but he also had a damn good time. As a member of the Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity, he made friendships that would last his lifetime.

After college, Bobby was going places. He attended Brooklyn Law School, then moved into a loft on the East Side of Manhattan. There, he decided to follow the advice of another college pal and enroll in night courses at New York University for a master’s degree in taxation. He joined the United States Army Reserves and served for five years.

During that time, he was introduced by a mutual friend to Carol Blanck, a fellow Syracuse alum (though four years behind him). The two hit it off immediately and went on to marry in 1972, a marriage that would last, unwavering in their love and partnership, for 53 years.

Bobby joined a law firm, specializing in tax law, and began to make a name for himself as a formidable businessman, forming partnerships in entities around the country. He was a creative thinker and a skilled negotiator; he knew how to bring people together. With Carol, Bobby wrote the book Tax Shelters: A Complete Guide, published in 1975.

That same year, Carol and Bobby had their first child, David, and moved into a cozy apartment on East 68th Street. David was a handful, nicknamed “Wormy” for his ability to escape the crib and surprise them in the night. David was followed by the apple of Bobby’s eye, Emily, in 1979, and the family was complete.

Bobby’s success in business provided a comfortable life. They took vacations to Disney World and skied in the Rockies and Europe, even spending a few winter weeks in the Caribbean. The kids went to a good school — education was always a priority for Bobby and Carol — and they were taught to never take their family’s comfort for granted.

The 80s weren’t all business. In addition to running and completing several New York City Marathons, Bobby began to explore his passion for philanthropy. In early 1988, after reading a story in the New York Times about a new mobile pediatric clinic that served homeless children, Bobby reached out to the organizers to see what he could do to help. They welcomed him into the organization, where he would provide legal counsel, a base of operations in his own legal offices, and organizational support to formalize the entity that would come to be called Children’s Health Fund. The fund would go on to provide care to over 7 million homeless and marginalized children and families across the United States to date.  Bobby served as the chairman of CHF’s board for 25 years, and he and Carol maintained a close friendship with the founders, Karen and Dr. Irwin Redlener.

But he wasn’t out of energy yet. In the 90s, Bobby had the vision to acquire a lending institution for small businesses, giving them an alternative to big banks. Business Loan Center began as a small local lender, but Bobby and the loyal and talented team he assembled grew the business — eventually renamed Business Loan Express (BLX) — into a national force in small business lending. The company went public with incredible results and went on to be purchased for a tidy sum — a massive success from a small beginning. Bobby was the rising tide that lifts all ships: friends, family, and partners who invested with him did incredibly well.

Still not content to stop giving back, Bobby became involved with The Doe Fund, a nonprofit organization that provides paid transitional work, housing, educational opportunities, counseling, and career training to people with histories of homelessness, incarceration, and substance abuse. He served on the board of directors, contributed heavily, and Carol worked with the organization, providing counseling and training to the men who were preparing to reenter the workforce.

As BLX was taking off, Bobby came across a rundown apartment building on the Upper West Side that had the bones to be something great with the right guidance. It was priced attractively due to its poor condition, and Bobby put together a small group of investors to purchase The Ruxton Towers on West 72nd Street. Over the years, with considerable care and investment, the Ruxton has become a beautiful, luxury building, with an uncommon sense of community among the staff and tenants, much of that due to Bobby’s hands-on and accessible management.

With the Ruxton running smoothly, Bobby once again had a big idea. This time he’d create an online network to connect businesses with lending institutions across the country, and so BoeFly came to be. As could be expected from one of his ventures, Boefly grew into a major player in the industry and again went on to be purchased by a larger financial institution that saw its potential.

Now in his 70s, Bobby wasn’t slowing down. He followed Carol’s passion for a small online hyper-local news site called West Side Rag. Carol had been writing and editing for the Rag for a number of years when Bobby decided to make an offer and try his hand at journalism. Under his management, the Rag grew and its viewership soared. The Rag became a true passion of Bobby’s; he sold ad space, occasionally wrote editorials, moderated the often surly comments sections, and ran the business side, while Carol edited and wrote for the site.

If all this seems impressive, it’s important to mention that Bobby did all of this while carrying a considerable health burden. In 1988 he was diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer, known as Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia. While slow-growing, the disease affects white blood cells, causing anemia and affecting other systems. At first, Bobby had some very good years, but by the early 2000s he began to feel symptoms in the form of numbness in his hands and feet, loss of coordination, and fatigue. He fought the disease like a lion, seeking experimental medicines, various chemotherapies, and countless other solutions. Throughout all of it, he never complained, and for a long period, didn’t disclose it, even to those close to him. Ultimately, the toll it took on this former marathoner, expert skier, avid photographer, and generally active force of nature, was an undeniably cruel twist of fate.

Bobby never felt sorry for himself or asked for pity. All he did was accomplish amazing things and help countless people, for no other reason than he could.

So, back to the Bobby of it all. How does a man so accomplished, so talented, so generally impressive, end up with this most casual and approachable of monikers?

It’s simple: his door was always open. He’d always take your call to chat, offer support or advice, or just shoot the breeze and joke around.  His heart was open, and it came across to everyone who met him, from the kids at Forest Hills High and Syracuse, to his colleagues and employees — even to the nurses at the end, who would say, “Bobby, I have to take your vitals.”  He was as gracious and open to them as he was to everyone he’d met before.

Bottom line: Bobby was always there for you.

He is survived, and his memory cherished, by his lifelong friends, Charlie, Suzanne, Loren, Norma, Elliott, Kenny, Mara, Jane, Arthur, and Debbie. And by his brother Michael and his nephews Jonathan and Mark; and his in-laws, Richard, Lauren, Peter, Wendy, and their children, Jennifer, Steven, Jason, Daniel, Albert, and Caroline. His cousins, Sandi and Dyan, were like sisters to him, and Jen and Adam, who were like his own children to him, and their children, Tyler and Cade, whom he loved like grandchildren.

And, most of all, by his children, David, who is impossibly handsome, and his darling Emily, who is as strong and capable a force of nature as he was, and who gave him the greatest gift of his life in his two beautiful grandchildren, Leo and Cecilia.

Finally, his beloved, devoted wife, Carol, partner in everything for 53 happy years.

He will be celebrated long after his passing, and his legacy will live on.

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