H eadlines
Sixers Superfan Returns $1M of Memorabilia
to Baseball Hall of Famer Johnny Bench
L OCA L
SOPHIE PANZER | JE STAFF
WHAT’S THE PERFECT gift
to celebrate a lifelong friendship?
If you’re Alan Horwitz, it’s
buying your buddy Johnny
Bench’s baseball memorabilia
at auction and returning the
items to him and his family.

The Philadelphia real estate
developer behind Campus
Apartments and famous
Philadelphia 76ers “Sixth Man”
fan bid $1 million for various
awards, trophies and equipment
garnered by the Cincinnati Reds’
Hall of Fame catcher over the
course of his baseball career.

Horwitz, 76, and Bench, 73,
first met on Christmas vacation
in San Juan, Puerto Rico, before
Bench started playing for the
Reds during the 1967 season.

Back then, Horwitz was 23 and
just starting out in Philadelphia
real estate, and Bench was 19.

“After that, for the next 16
seasons, I met Johnny at every
spring training in Tampa and,
along with his fans, watched
him play at All-Star Games,
World Series games and, of
course, witnessed his Hall of
Fame induction,” Horwitz said
in a press release from Hunt
Auctions, the Exton auction
house that ran the 17th annual
Louisville Slugger Museum &
Factory live auction on Nov. 14.

They struck up a friendship
that lasted for years. Whenever the
Reds were playing in Philadelphia,
Horwitz would arrange lunch or
dinner and Bench would give him
tickets to the game.

Horwitz is first and
foremost a basketball fan, but
this friendship moved him to
bid on baseball memorabilia.

“When I learned of the
auction of Johnny’s memorabilia
I felt compelled to participate,
with the goal to return some of
the items to the Bench family
and Johnny’s fans,” he said in
the press release.

He told Action Network he
wanted his friend to keep the
recognition he deserved.

“There was no way I was going
to let Johnny sell these to collec-
tors. Seeing how hard he worked
to be recognized that way he was
after all these years,” he said.

Bench, speaking on The
Dan Patrick Show, said Hunt
didn’t use Horwitz’s name
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DECEMBER 24, 2020
JEWISH EXPONENT
when he shared the results of
the auction. Instead, he told
him the buyer asked to remain
anonymous, but requested that
Hunt tell Bench the gift was
from “a white-haired old Jew.”
Bench only knew one white-
haired old Jew — and was
immediately overwhelmed.

“David Hunt called me after
the auction and asked, ‘Are
you sitting down?’” he said
in the Hunt Auctions press
release. “When I heard this, I
was flabbergasted and moved
to tears. I am truly stunned
by Alan’s generous gesture and
am grateful and proud that
these trophies and memorabilia
pieces will be on display for
millions of fans to experience.”
He told Patrick he texted
Horwitz once he had composed
himself to ask if it was all true.

“Let me know if I’m barking
up the wrong Jew,” he joked.

Horwitz confirmed he wasn’t.

Bench told The Associated
Press in October that he planned
to use the proceeds to fund his
youngest sons’ college education.

Bench’s collection consisted
of materials dating from his
minor league career until
after his final MLB season
in 1983. Horwitz bought 35
items, including Bench’s 1968
Rookie of the Year Award, 1969
All-Star Game bat, 1970 and
1972 National League MVP
Awards, 1975 and 1976 World
Series rings, and several of
Bench’s 10 Gold Glove Awards.

Horwitz’s purchases
accounted for approximately
half the sale of $2 million,
Hunt Auctions reported.

Bench and his family have
decided to have the items
displayed to the public in institu-
tions like the National Baseball
Hall of Fame and Museum, the
Reds Hall of Fame and Museum,
Oklahoma Hall of Fame and
the Johnny Bench Museum
in the player’s hometown of
Binger, Oklahoma.

Johnny Bench’s 1975 World Series
ring Courtesy of Hunt Auctions
“There really are no words
that can properly describe the
generous act of kindness by Alan
Horwitz,” said David Hunt,
president of Hunt Auctions, in
his statement. “While the items
that Alan purchased totaled over
$1 million in value, I think what
is most poignant is the purpose
behind the gesture. Alan not
only wished to see these incred-
ible baseball artifacts displayed
for Johnny’s family and fans, but
he made it a reality. Through
his immense personal success
in the business world he never
lost sight of his friendship with
Johnny and, in turn, enacted one
of the most generous endeavors
that I have witnessed in my
professional career.”
Horwitz did have one condi-
tion for Bench.

“Alan’s only request was
to meet my boys, which will
happen as soon as we can
resume safe travel,” Bench said.

The Bench items aren’t
Horwitz’s only major giving
project this month.

On Dec. 13, he launched
Sixth Man Shop, a sportswear
store whose proceeds go to local
Philadelphia nonprofits on a
rotating basis. The store stocks
custom Sixth Man T-shirts,
hats, sweatshirts and other
gear. The first organization it
will support is Philadelphia
Youth Basketball. l
spanzer@jewishexponent.com; 215-832-0729
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM



H eadlines
Cantor, Radio Host Roger Wechsler Dies
OB ITUARY
SOPHIE PANZER | JE STAFF
ROGER WECHSLER loved
the spotlight.

Whether he was leading
services as a cantor, commen-
tating on his sports radio show
or instructing students as a
substitute teacher, he had a
passion for entertaining an
audience. “Dad was definitely a
showman his whole life,”
daughter Erica Rovinsky said.

Wechsler died Dec. 8 at the
age of 72.

Born in Philadelphia to
Mildred and Gerald Wechsler,
Roger Wechsler was an eldest
child with two younger
brothers, Peter and Scott. The
family later moved to Dresher
and joined Temple Sinai, where
Roger Wechsler
Courtesy of Erica Rovinsky
machines and provide unlim-
ited snack access.

“Dad working for a vending
machine company, owning a
vending machine company
happy with his performance
they asked him to stay and
fill in until the other cantor
returned. He planned to act
in a temporary capacity, but
his predecessor never recov-
ered enough to resume his full
duties, so he remained with
the congregation and became a
regular cantor, leading services
on Fridays and Saturdays.

He and his wife, Robin,
raised their children as
Conservative Jews. He also
regularly led holiday celebra-
tions at relatives’ houses or a
country club.

“We had some legendary
Passover seders with him
leading services upwards of
maybe 50 people,” son Jeffrey
Wechsler said.

He was an avid Philadelphia
sports fan, and the family had
two television sets so they
Wechsler said.

He passed his love of sports
down to his children, who were
both athletes in high school and
college. Jeffrey Wechsler took
it a step further and pursued
a career in sports production,
earning three Emmy awards.

“My dad was so super proud
of that. If my dad could have
worn the Emmy around his
neck, he would have,” Rovinsky
said. Jeffrey Wechsler previously
worked at ESPN and is now a
sports producer at NBC Sports
Philadelphia. “He was pretty happy with
that,” he said. “It was a lot
of fun when he got to work
with me and I could show
him around ESPN and Sports
Philadelphia.” Later, Roger Wechsler left the
world of business to become a
substitute teacher, and taught in
schools in the Philadelphia area
for 10 years. Jeffrey Wechsler
said he started teaching as a
favor to a friend, but began to
enjoy being in school, getting to
know the students and joking
around with them.

He said his father strug-
gled with diabetes in his
later years, but was always an
energetic grandfather to his
two children.

“The last couple of years
were really tough, physically,
for him. Especially this last,
since COVID was really hard,”
he said. “But you’d never really
know when we FaceTimed. He
was just himself, full of energy
and love and making the kids
laugh.” l
spanzer@jewishexponent.com; 215-832-0729
PERSONAL CARE AT SIMPSON HOUSE
The last couple of years were really tough, physically, for him.

Especially this last, since COVID was really hard. But you’d never really
know when we FaceTimed. He was just himself, full of energy and love
and making the kids laugh.”
Feel the Connection
…WITH YOUR NEIGHBORS
JEFFREY WECHSLER
he was a member and served
as a backup cantor for many
years. As an adult, he served as
president of the Men’s Club and
captain of the softball team.

He graduated
from Central High School and
earned his undergraduate
degree in business from
Temple University. After
college, he went into business
with his brothers at their
vending machine company
Vendrite. His children have
fond memories of him using
his master key to pop open
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM and having all the vending
machine goodies at his disposal
is definitely a fun memory of
mine,” Rovinsky said.

Wechsler was passionate
about Judaism and became a
cantor at Temple Beth Ami.

Rovinsky said he took up the
position in 2000 when his
friend’s son was having his
bar mitzvah and the cantor
fell ill. The friend knew it
was something that Wechsler
would love to do, so he asked
him to fill in for the event.

The family and staff were so
could watch games simultane-
ously if the Flyers were playing
at the same time as the Phillies
or Eagles.

He hosted the sports talk
radio show “Sports Monday
With Roger Wechsler” and
served as the sports director at
WBCB radio station in Fairless
Hills for many years.

“He got a chance to sort of
live every sports fan’s dream in
that he could host his own radio
show and, you know, complain
about the Phillies and Eagles as
much as he wanted to,” Jeffrey
JEWISH EXPONENT
At Simpson House you’ll find a close-knit community with the same kind
of neighborhood feeling you get in Philadelphia. We are also one of the
country’s oldest and most diverse senior living communities. Yet we offer
newly renovated residences and a personalized level of care that you’ll
appreciate in these challenging times, including imaginative wellness
programs and a geriatrician on-site.

We invite you to take a closer look at our residences. Schedule a private
tour by calling 215-774-6668 or visit SimpsonHouse.org.

2101 Belmont Avenue, Philadelphia
SimpsonHouse.org • 215.774.6668
DECEMBER 24, 2020
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