July 2008

BOB RUBINSTEIN RETIRES AFTER 40 YEARS WITH MD&D
By Nancy Gale, CPA
Forensic Insight – July 2008

On March 31, 1968 Johnson Atwater & Company (“JACO”) was descended upon by, what some consider, a force more powerful than the strongest tornado, more earth shaking than an earthquake, even more of a whirlwind than a category five hurricane.  You see, that’s the day a young Bob Rubinstein joined the New York office of JACO.  Over the forty years following that infamous day, Bob would prove to be a uniquely talented individual the likes of which our profession experiences all too rarely.  I have had the fortunate opportunity to have worked with Bob for twenty six of those forty years. 

Bob’s early career highlights include working under the mentorship of Dick Greenberg and Dan Grady. Bob was instrumental in the transition of JACO to Matson, Driscoll & Damico in 1980.  Bob has successfully trained dozens of individuals, many still amongst us, through his leadership and thoughtful mentoring.  One of the more important things that we’ve learned from observing him over his career is how he treats every insured with uncompromising fairness.  His notorious dry sense of humor has helped smooth over many tense moments.  Bob is thought of very highly by numerous insured’s and their representatives.     

They say that a good measure of a man is the company he keeps.  Some of Bob’s favorite moments over the span of his career were in the company of Sandy Rogers, Curtis Anderson, John Kulzer, Larry Zelle, Joe Tedorski, Bob Munger, as well as the late Leo Kling, Bob Remler and Rod Birmingham, to name a few.  Bob could fill a book with the numerous humorous anecdotes involving just this handful of individuals alone.

As anyone who has had the pleasure of working with Bob would attest, there are certain character traits that stand out.  Amongst them is integrity, relentlessness, credibility, fairness, and, of course, humor.  Anyone who can consider themselves friends of Bob’s, as I do, knows those character traits also include generosity, loyalty, thoughtfulness and caring.

He should be very proud of his long, full career.  He has earned all of our respect and has achieved what we all strive for – success.  Perhaps best of all, he’s had fun doing it.    We wish Bob all the best in the next exciting chapter of his life.

By Jack Damico, Managing Partner

Further to Nancy’s wonderful tribute, I fondly remember sharing a 6 X 8 office and one calculator at 62 William Street in our NY office as we began our careers with JACO.  From those early times and simple beginnings, Bob and I have remained good friends and partners these many years. We have shared some ups and downs along the way, and sadly some of our best war stories would consume too much space in this newsletter. Bob’s work ethic, integrity, attention to detail and willingness to train his younger associates will leave a legacy at MD&D for many years to come. Those clients, partners and associates who have had the good fortune to work with Bob and/or follow his example have benefited from his high standards of excellence and no stone unturned approach to forensic accounting.  So on behalf of the entire firm, I would like to thank him for his enormous contribution to the success of MD&D and wish Jeanne and Bob every happiness on beautiful Daniel Island.