Looking
back to our days at the Academy, we associate Abe with his exceptional athletic
performance as a swimmer and water polo player. He broke the Air Force record
in four different events and was the first cadet to represent the United States
in an international competition at the World Maccabi Games in Israel in 1965.
While
competing in Israel, Abe met a sprinter from South Africa, Lorraine Lotzof (who
won three gold medals in the 100, 200 and 400 meters). Three years later, following
graduation, they were married in Johannesburg. After serving as a procurement
officer at LG Hanscom Field, MA, he received a meritorious service award. He began
his Wall Street career as an associate in Corporate Finance at CBWL-Hayden Stone
in 1972. From there he went on to Funds Evaluation Group at AG Becker, Paribus,
Inc and then built a firm starting in 1975 from a beginning of $40 million to
$1 billion under management called NSR Asset Management.
Since 1979 he
has been with Bernstein Global Wealth Management Corp as Senior National Managing
Director. The firm started with $60 million under management to over $470 billion
today.
Abe and
Lorraine continued their love of athletics. In 1973 Lorraine went back to the
Maccabi Games and won a silver and a bronze medals as a member of the US team.
Abe continued to swim and when he turned 40 he competed in masters competition
and came 5th in the Masters World Championships and 7th in the Masters National
Championships. In August 2008 Abe swam in a relay across the English Channel (see
December 2008 Checkpoints) and in June 2010 swam in a relay around
Manhattan Island (see September 2010 Checkpoints).
In
his personal life, Abe sits on nine charitable boards. He is Chairman of the Investment
Committee for our Association of Graduates, Secretary of the Washington Institute
for New East Studies, Co-Chair of the Investment Committee of the North Shore-Long
Island Jewish Health System, a member of the Investment Committee for The American
Friends of Hebrew University and others.
Lorraine recently received the
Lifetime Achievement Award from UJA-Federation of New York for her services to
that humanitarian organization. Lorraine has just published her memoir called:
MY RACE: A Jewish Girl Growing Up Under Apartheid in South Africa. There
is a chapter about the Air Force Academy during her visit to Cadet Richard Abramson!
For more information go to www.lorrainesbook.com. Click
on thumbnail for larger image
| With
the South African AF | | Lorraine
and Abe |
Back:
Daughter Jill, Daughter-in-law Lauren, Son Gregg and Abe Front : GrandDaughter
Emma, Lorraine and GrandDaughter Leah
Abe
and Lorrraine thank-you for sharing with us.
November
2010
Abe passed away on January 17, 2016
Abe was President of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and
they just
did a nice tribute to him at their last meeting. You can find it by going
to
https://vimeo.com/161682241
and entering abramson in all lower case. It is
very well done, and you will recognize one of the key contributors.
|