GERALD M. TABENKEN

PORTLAND – Gerald M. Tabenken, former resident and business leader of Bangor, died April 13, 2006, at Maine Medical Center in Portland. He was born Oct. 31, 1922, in Portland, a son of Harry and Leah (Maisel) Tabenken. His family moved to Bangor, when he was eight years of age, where he attended grade school. He was a graduate of Hebron Academy in 1940, and was a member of the “fabulous Class of ’44” at the University of Maine. Following graduation from the University, Mr. Tabenken served in the U.S. Navy and was a member of the V12 program at Bates College. Following World War II, he did graduate study at Ohio State University and Northwestern University in Illinois. In 1954, he was married to Ruth Goldberg of Ashland, Mass., who was a source of inspiration and support for him for the remainder of his life. Mr. Tabenken was a well-known and respected businessman in Bangor for many years. He was President of the Tabenken Corporation, a wholesale distributor and importer of wine and malt beverages; Tabenken Trading LTD; and Tablease, Inc. He was also Chairman of Wine Marketing, International in San Mateo, Calif. In recent years he served as vice president for Government Affairs of Bio Defense Corporation of Lexington, Mass. In 1977, Mr. Tabenken was elected President of the National Beer Wholesalers Association, then headquartered in Chicago. He was the moving force of a major reorganization and revitalization of NBWA, including its relocation to Washington, DC, and the establishment of closer working relationships with the brewing industry, which honored him in 1980 as “Man of the Year” for his achievements in articulating and promoting the shared concerns of the beverage industry. In 1978, he was unanimously elected to a second term as President of NBWA, the only person in the history of the Association to serve two consecutive terms as President. He traveled extensively on behalf of the Association and worked tirelessly on industry issues and interests during his two years as President of NBWA, which recognized him for his dynamic and innovative leadership with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001. Mr. Tabenken’s interests were many and wide-ranging, including international trade, economics, world and national affairs, and the arts. He served as a member of the President’s Advisory Committee for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; the President’s Commission on Executive Exchange; the White House Task Force on Small Business; and in 1980 he was appointed by President Carter as the President’s Special Ambassador to Saint Lucia in the West Indies. His avocation was politics, and he served as Maine Campaign Chairman for President Jimmy Carter, Senator George Mitchell and his dear friend, Edmund S. Muskie. In Maine, Mr. Tabenken was a trustee of Hebron Academy, which recognized him on the occasion of the school’s 200th anniversary as the outstanding volunteer. He was also a trustee of Unity College, and a member of the Board of Advisors of Husson College. He was a Trustee of the Maine State Retirement System; member of the Blaine House Conference on Small Business; and a director of United Bank of Bangor. Mr. Tabenken’s philanthropy encompassed many different causes, especially airlifting Ethiopian Jews to Israel. He was an ardent supporter of the arts in Maine, serving as Chairman of Maine Advocates of the Arts; as a member of the Maine Arts Commission; Area Chairman for the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, and was especially dedicated to the Susan M. Curtis Foundation, which he served as President. He was a Scottish Rite Mason and an Anah Temple Shriner. In recent years, while operating a successful import/export business in Ashland, Mass., Mr. Tabenken also served as a U.S. Naval Academy Blue & Gold information and recruitment officer. In addition to his wife, Ruth, he is survived by two sons, Matthew Tabenken, and his wife, Joyce and their daughter, Lily Ann, of Milford, Mass., and New Harbor; and Captain Lee Tabenken, USNR, his wife Lisa, Commander, USNR, and their two children, Emma Rose and Aaron Richard of Falmouth. Mr. Tabenken’s grandchildren, who lovingly called him “Ba,” were a source of great joy and much happiness to him. The family wishes to thank the dedicated staff and physicians who were responsible for the compassionate care he received while at Maine Medical Center. Memorial services will be held 1 p.m. Sunday, April 16, at the Jewish Funeral Home, 471 Deering Ave., Portland. In lieu of flowers, friends who wish to honor the memory of Gerald Tabenken may send donations to Hebron Academy P.O. Box 309, Hebron, ME 04238 or Congregation Bet Ha’am, 81 Westbrook St., South Portland, ME 04106.