David M. Baldwin, 85, of Vero Beach passed away on Feb. 16, 2014.
He is survived by his wife of 37 years, Barbara M. Baldwin; three sons, David Jr., Alfred, and William; two step-children, Martin “Fritz” Stein, III, and Kimberly Paige Fleming; three grandchildren, Liam Fleming, Alexander and Paulina Stein; and a twin brother Theodore Baldwin.
Baldwin is pre-deceased by his youngest son Ted and a brother, Cyril.
Baldwin will be remembered as a caring gentleman, a loving husband and father, a hugely accomplished New York real estate investor and a champion in athletics, philanthropy and community enrichment.
He was born in East Orange, N.J. in 1928, and was raised in South Orange, N.J.
The memorable summers of his early years were at the Baldwin family compound at Northampton Shores of Southhampton Township. He graduated from the Pingry School in 1947 before attending William and Mary College and graduating in 1951 from Lehigh University with a Bachelor of Science degree in administration.
Baldwin served his country in the counterintelligence unit of the Army and in 1954 became a real estate broker with the former Charles F. Noyes Company, Inc. In 1964, at the age of 35, he became President and Chief Executive of the company, the youngest chief executive officer of a major national real estate company.
He negotiated the sale of the Noyes Company, together with Brown, Harris and Stevens to Harry Helmsley. This vital partnership lead to responsibility with Helmsley for many notable properties in New York City and across the country.
Among the many awards that recognized his personal accomplishments: in 1964 The Real Estate Board of New York’s “Young Man of the Year Award”; in 1966 its “Most Ingenious Deal in Manhattan” award, and in 1977 “Man of the Year” award from the Realty Foundation of New York.
Baldwin exclusively represented many major corporations for their headquarters and staffing space. In 1994 following the winding down of the Helmsley portfolio, the David M. Baldwin Realty Company, Inc., was formed to specialize in the management of real estate in downtown Manhattan.
He served on numerous real estate boards and foundations including the Real Estate Board of New York where he was governor and director and the Realty Foundation of New York. He was also the former Chairman and President of the Public Development Corporation of New York City.
Throughout Baldwin’s career, he instinctively sought to share his personal prosperity with many institutions and worthy initiatives in education, health care, and the arts as a trustee and philanthropist.
He was a founding member of the board of the Henry Stifel Spinal Cord Injury Foundation and ultimately a Vice-Chair of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation. At Lehigh, he enabled the renovation of The Taylor Gym and created an endowed scholarship fund. At the Pingry School, his generosity helped enable a new campus and he commissioned a monumental bronze replica of Dr. John Pingry. He served as a longstanding Chair of the Strang Cancer Prevention Center in New York and was a member of the board of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. He also served as Vice Chairman of the Riverside Theatre in Vero Beach and he generously supported Overlook Medical Center in Summit, N.J., the Indian River Medical Center in Vero Beach, and the Paper Mill Playhouse in N.J., among other charities.
Baldwin was an accomplished athlete. At Pingry he was an all-star fullback and state ranked track star. Golf, however, was his keenest talent. He was a co-captain of the golf team at Lehigh and in 1954, he won the New Jersey State Open Championship and was runner-up in the National Lefthanders Golf Championship. He twice qualified for the U. S. Amateur and was also Club Champion at Baltusrol, Rock Springs and Essex County in New Jersey. In 2000, he was included in the “Team of the Century” by the New Jersey Star Ledger.
He was a longstanding member of the United States Senior Golf Association. Club memberships included: in New Jersey Baltusrol Golf Club, where he was President, and the Short Hills Club; in Florida The John’s Island Club, The Red Stick Golf Club and The Windsor Club in Vero Beach; and in New York, Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, National Golf Links Club of America, The Meadow Club, The Bathing Corporation of Southampton, The University Club, and Doubles.
Magic was Baldwin’s fascination since early childhood. He assembled one of the most prominent personal collections of magic apparatus in the world. As a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, he published biographies of the Great Raymond and of Del-Ray, America’s Foremost Magician.
He enabled the creation of a new headquarters for The Magic Circle in London, among the most exclusive clubs in the world. In 1977, Baldwin commissioned a bronze figure of David Deviant that has become a coveted award for distinguished magicians around the world. In 2006 as a Honorary Lifetime Member he was awarded the Magic Circle’s Silver Wand for outstanding service.
Contributions as a memorial may be made in Baldwin’s name to The Pingry School, 131 Martinsville Road, Basking Ridge, New Jersey 07920; Lehigh University, 27 Memorial Drive West, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18015; or The Riverside Theater, 3250 Riverside Park Drive, Vero Beach, Florida 32963.
A Celebration of Life Service with military honors will be held at the Community Church of Vero Beach on Friday, Feb. 28, at 11 a.m. A reception will follow at the John’s Island Golf Club. Arrangements are under the direction of Strunk Funeral Home Vero Beach. An online guest book is available at www.strunkfuneralhome.com.