Remembering Lenore Goldberg

Wednesday July 15, 2009 | Filed under:

There are many wonderful people in this industry, but Lenore Goldberg was a very special one. This week, I join her family, friends and colleagues in mourning her passing.

I met Lenore nearly four years ago, during a continuing series of discussions between SAAGNY and ASI.  She was president of SAAGNY, and we quickly established a trusting relationship that meant a lot to me and, I think, to her.  While we didn't always see eye to eye, we never hesitated to pick up the phone and call each other to air our concerns, listen to other viewpoints and then resolve whatever was in the mix at the moment.

When I last saw her, Lenore and I discussed life and how it sometimes seems so short -- I had just lost my father -- and we hugged and shared how pleased we had been to have met.

Lenore, of Premiums Plus Inc. (asi/299013), located in Fort Lee, N.J., served SAAGNY in basically every role after she was elected to the board in 2000. She was director, secretary, treasurer, vice president, president-elect and president.

In the formal announcement of her passing, Jonathan Riegel, president of SAAGNY, said that "Lenore set the standard for leadership and we will continue to strive to maintain that level of integrity and fair-mindedness."  I couldn't have said it better.

She was warm, straightforward, competitive and caring.  In a world that sometimes seems to have too many fakes and too much fiction, Lenore was a striking example of fresh honesty wrapped inside a real charmer.  She's the kind of person you'd have as a neighbor, if you were really lucky.

Lenore was a strong supporter of The SAAGNY Foundation and its many charitable events and programs and served as a Foundation Trustee. An avid golfer, Lenore was especially proud of her three holes-in-one and was the recipient of several outstanding golfer awards. The SAAGNY Foundation will be naming their annual golf outing in her memory.

Donations in Lenore's name may be made by mail to:

The Melanoma Research Foundation, 170 Township Line Road, Building B, Hillsborough, NJ 08844.  Acknowledgement to be sent to: Stanley Goldberg, 4 Horizon Road, St. G2, Fort Lee, NJ 07024, or through www.melanoma.org.