Maurice Kanbar (March 1, 1929 – August 20, 2022) was an American entrepreneur and inventor who lived in
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
. He was particularly well known for his creation of
SKYY vodka
SKYY vodka is an American vodka spirit produced by the Campari America division of Campari Group of Milan, Italy, formerly SKYY Spirits LLC. SKYY Vodka is 40% ABV or 80 proof, except in Australia and New Zealand where it is 37.5% ABV / 75 Proo ...
and was also noted for his extensive real estate investments.
Tulsa World
The ''Tulsa World'' is the daily newspaper for the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and primary newspaper for the northeastern and eastern portions of Oklahoma. Tulsa World Media Company is part of Lee Enterprises. The new owners announced in January 20 ...
'', December 3, 2010. His family emigrated from Jerusalem to New York in 1937. His Jewish parents raised Maurice and his two brothers in Boro Park, Brooklyn.
Maurice Kanbar is a 1952 alumnus of Philadelphia Textile Institute.
Kanbar had stated he owns 50
patent
A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A ...
s on various consumer and medical products, invented the D-Fuzz-It comb for sweaters, Tangoes Puzzle Game, the Safetyglide
hypodermic
A hypodermic needle (from Greek ὑπο- (''hypo-'' = under), and δέρμα (''derma'' = skin)), one of a category of medical tools which enter the skin, called sharps, is a very thin, hollow tube with one sharp tip. It is commonly used w ...
needle protector SooFoo, Zip Notes, and a cryogenic
cataract
A cataract is a cloudy area in the lens of the eye that leads to a decrease in vision. Cataracts often develop slowly and can affect one or both eyes. Symptoms may include faded colors, blurry or double vision, halos around light, trouble ...
multiplex cinema
A multiplex is a movie theater complex with multiple screens within a single complex. They are usually housed in a specially designed building. Sometimes, an existing venue undergoes a renovation where the existing auditoriums are split into s ...
, the
Quad Cinema
The Quad Cinema is New York City's first small four-screen multiplex theater. Located at 34 West 13th Street in Greenwich Village, it was opened by entrepreneur Maurice Kanbar, along with his younger brother Elliott S. Kanbar in October 1972. I ...
, which was the first movie theater in Manhattan to have four small auditoriums in one building.
In the beverage industry, Kanbar had a success with
SKYY vodka
SKYY vodka is an American vodka spirit produced by the Campari America division of Campari Group of Milan, Italy, formerly SKYY Spirits LLC. SKYY Vodka is 40% ABV or 80 proof, except in Australia and New Zealand where it is 37.5% ABV / 75 Proo ...
Hoodwinked!
''Hoodwinked!'' is a 2005 computer-animated musical comedy mystery film. It retells the folktale ''Little Red Riding Hood'' as a police procedural, using backstories to show multiple characters' points of view. It was produced independently by ...
'' which was released in January 2006 and grossed over $100M worldwide, and a sequel ''
Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil
''Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil'' (also known as ''Hoodwinked 2'') is a 2011 3D computer-animated spy comedy film and the sequel to 2005's ''Hoodwinked!'', directed by Mike Disa in his theatrical feature directorial debut. The film was also wr ...
''.
Kanbar owned over 17 acres of commercial property in West Oakland, California, including the American Steel Building, home to more than 150 artists, makers and small businesses, and the historic Pacific Pipe building, both purchased by 11 West Partners in late 2016. He also owned nearly 20 commercial high-rise buildings in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma, including the Bank of America Center, the art-deco inspired
Philcade Building
The Philcade Building is an office building in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma at the southeast corner of East 5th Street and South Boston Avenue. Designed by Leon B. Senter, for oilman Waite Phillips, it was begun in 1929 and completed in 1931. It is ...
First Place Tower
First Place Tower is a skyscraper located at 15 East Fifth in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was completed in 1973 and has 41 stories. At in height, it is the third tallest building in Tulsa behind BOK Tower and Cityplex Towers, and the fourth ...
. His extensive investments in Tulsa led to a legal dispute with his former business partner Henry Kaufman, with each suing the other. At one point Kanbar's company was reported to have owned as much as one-third of all available office space in downtown Tulsa although these properties were subsequently sold. In 2017, Kanbar sold a portfolio of at least 13 Tulsa buildings to his operating partner, Stuart Price.
Kanbar was a 1952 graduate of
Philadelphia University
Thomas Jefferson University is a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Established in its earliest form in 1824, the university officially combined with Philadelphia University in 2017. To signify its heritage, the univer ...
(then known as Philadelphia Textile Institute), where he studied materials science. In 2005, he donated $6 million for the construction of the school's new campus center, then the largest donation in the school's history. In 2012, he gave Philadelphia University another $15 million for a new interdisciplinary college, now named the Kanbar College of Design, Engineering and Commerce."College of Design, Engineering and Commerce Named for Maurice Kanbar ’52, H’03"
Philadelphia University
Thomas Jefferson University is a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Established in its earliest form in 1824, the university officially combined with Philadelphia University in 2017. To signify its heritage, the univer ...
press release, May 9, 2012. In 1997, Kanbar donated $5 million to the
Tisch School of the Arts
The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic and media arts school of New York University.
Founded on August 17, 1965, Tisch is a training ground for artists, scholars of the a ...
, part of
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, th ...
, which named its film school after him: The Maurice Kanbar Institute of Film and Television. Kanbar Hall, an academic building at Bowdoin College, the alma mater of Maurice's brother, Elliott, was funded by donations from the Kanbar Charitable Trust and from Elliott. Kanbar, who was Jewish, had given millions of dollars to various
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
i charities as well.
Kanbar owned and lived in an eight-story residential tower in the
Pacific Heights
Pacific Heights is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California. It has panoramic views of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco Bay, the Palace of Fine Arts, Alcatraz, and the Presidio.
The Pacific Heights Residents Association defines the neig ...
neighborhood of San Francisco; he received attention for his 1999 decision to evict his tenants in order to become the sole occupant of the building. He was a member of Mensa. He has received honorary degrees from Philadelphia University,
Kenyon College
Kenyon College is a private liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio. It was founded in 1824 by Philander Chase. Kenyon College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Kenyon has 1,708 undergraduates enrolled. Its 1,000-acre campus is ...
,
Bar-Ilan University
Bar-Ilan University (BIU, he, אוניברסיטת בר-אילן, ''Universitat Bar-Ilan'') is a public research university in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan, Israel. Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is Israel's second-largest academi ...
Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University is a private Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City."About YU on the Yeshiva Universi ...
.Maurice Kanbar, Doctor of Humane Letters ,
Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University is a private Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City."About YU on the Yeshiva Universi ...
website (retrieved March 2, 2010).
Legacy
* Kanbar Award
*Kanbar Hall, Jewish Community Center of San Francisco
*Kanbar Campus Center, Thomas Jefferson University
*Kanbar College of Design, Engineering & Commerce,
Thomas Jefferson University
Thomas Jefferson University is a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Established in its earliest form in 1824, the university officially combined with Philadelphia University in 2017. To signify its heritage, the univer ...
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, th ...
*Maurice Kanbar Center for Biomedical Engineering, Cooper Union
Personal life
Kanbar never married or had children. He died on August 20, 2022, at his home in San Francisco at the age of 93 and was survived by his brother Elliott.
References
External links
*
Bibliography
*''Secrets from an Inventor's Notebook'', by Maurice Kanbar,