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Businessman, Philanthropist Robert Fox Dies at 91
studied economics. Though
he graduated in 1952, Fox
remained enmeshed with the
JESSE BERNSTEIN | JE STAFF
university until his death.

Fox met his wife, Esther
ROBERT ALLEN FOX, a
“Penny” G. Fox, when they were
businessman and philanthro-
teenagers. They were married
pist whose contributions and
until his
death — 68 years.

leadership often benefited Jewish
With his
brother, Fox created
organizations in Philadelphia,
a home
construction company
died at home on April 14 from
that was
soon building
houses pneumonia. He was 91.

across Philadelphia
and, in
Fox was born in 1929 to
1961, he
was elected
president of
Frederic and Zena Fox, and grew
the Philadelphia
Home Builders
up in Germantown and Mt. Airy.

His brother, Richard Fox, was Association.

Fox was also part of the
also a businessman and philan-
Warner Concrete Co., serving
thropist, and is the namesake
as its
president until 1979. He
of Temple University’s Richard
Fox was enmeshed with
led the
charge to
bring Warner the Robert
J. Fox School of Business and
University of Pennsylvania from
into the waste management his graduation in 1952 until his death.

Management. Courtesy of Debra Fox
The Central High School business, which transformed
graduate was an All-Public Warner Concrete into Waste
League football player and Resources. Eventually, Waste Browning-Ferris Industries,
played football at the University Resources was eclipsed only according to Fox’s son, Ken Fox.

“Over time, as the world
of Pennsylvania while he by Waste Management and
evolved and the business
evolved, he really evolved with
it,” Ken Fox said.

Fox then founded RAF
Industries, beginning with the
acquisition of a lumber yard
in Wilmington, Delaware. RAF
became a leading acquirer of
building product compa-
nies, but Fox wanted to keep
expanding, and pushed the
company into developing
consumer products, health care
Model and other services.

Rick Horowitz, who joined
SHE’S CALLED SIMPSON HOUSE HOME SINCE 2018
RAF in 1991, said that the
greatest among Fox’s strengths
By the time she took up residence in Simpson House in 2018,
was his high character in
Barrie Szemler had already lived on two continents and
dealings with others. When
experienced a rich and varied career.

he first heard about Fox from
In addition to being a wife and mother, Barrie worked at the
his friends, that was what they
Loyola University Library, taught ballroom dancing, hosted a
emphasized. radio show in Chicago and worked as a model, appearing in
“And I will tell you, 30 years
TV commercials.

later, that they were right,” said
How has she managed to age so well? She credits a happy
Horowitz, today the president
marriage and learning to think things through before making
and chief operating officer of
decisions. Plus, she says, “It helps to have good genes.”
RAF. “Very simply, Bob never
Call us today at 215-372-8751, or visit SimpsonHouse.org/JE-BSB
compromised on values.”
to see for yourself why Barrie and so many other worldly people
(Robert Fox was Mr. Fox to
choose Simpson House for retirement living.

some, Bob to others, and Bobby
to some close friends, but never a
2101 Belmont Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19131
Robert, according to Horowitz).

SimpsonHouse.org/JE-BSB • 215-372-8751
Fox “loved people,” said Ken
Fox, a sentiment echoed by
OB ITUARY
Meet BARRIE SZEMLER
4 APRIL 22, 2021
JEWISH EXPONENT
Robert Fox, pictured here with former Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell,
supported civic life in Philadelphia for his entire career.

Jewish Exponent file photo
Horowitz and Fox’s daughter,
Debra Fox. “If he walked into a
room,” Ken Fox said, “he would
ask people questions. He’d be
super enthusiastic about what
they were doing.”
For Debra and Ken Fox, their
father could be hard-charging
and loving, often at the same
time. He expected results,
according to his son, but it was
constructive, and he wasn’t
afraid to admit he was wrong.

“He loved all of his kids,”
Debra Fox said. “He was so
supportive, emotionally, of all
of us.”
Fox used his wealth and
connections to build up the
Wistar Institute, the University
of Pennsylvania’s biomed-
ical research center. Fox joined
Wistar’s board of trustees in
1974, chairing the board from
1984-1994. He led a five-year,
$35 million capital campaign
to support the construction of
Wistar’s Robert and Penny Fox
Tower and, today, Wistar is known
internationally for its contribu-
tions to vaccine development.

A graduate of Penn, Fox
served on the university’s board
of trustees from 1985 until
his death. The Robert A. Fox
Leadership Program at Penn,
which he founded in 1999, has
had the participation of more
than 10,000 undergraduates
since its inception. That same
year, Fox received Penn’s Alumni
Award of Merit, the highest
award presented to Penn alumni.

In addition to Penn, Fox
supported Drexel University,
Temple University,
the Philadelphia Museum of Art,
the Pennsylvania Ballet, Moore
College of Art and other local
institutions. He was a board
member of the Philadelphia
1976 Bicentennial Corporation,
the Chamber of Commerce for
Greater Philadelphia, the Foreign
Policy Research Institute, the Gesu
School, the Jewish Federation
of Greater Philadelphia and the
American Jewish Committee,
where he served as chairman
and president of the board of
the Philadelphia chapter. At
the Fox School of Business, Fox
founded the Frederic Fox Lecture
in Leadership series in honor of
his father.

Fox is survived by his wife,
Esther “Penny” G. Fox; his
children, Debra Fox, Nancy Fox
(Jon Edwards), Amy Fox (Daniel
Wheeler), and Kenneth Fox
(Ana); and nine grandchildren. l
jbernstein@jewishexponent.com; 215-832-0740
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