Alumni Gazette: Roger Friedlander ’56

HISTORIC CONNECTION: Roger and Carolyn Friedlander (left) met for the first time in Rush Rhees Library, when Roger was a student on an NROTC scholarship (right). “The rest is history,” Roger says. (Photo: Andy Olenick [Friendlanders] Courtesy of the Friendlandrs [midshipman])

Roger Friedlander ’56 can often be seen driving around in his bright yellow sports car, with a license plate that reads, fittingly, “YeloJakt.”

One of the University’s most committed volunteers and supporters, Friedlander celebrates this fall a 70-year connection to Rochester that began with his first day as a student in 1952.

Over the last 30 years, Friedlander and his wife of 64 years, Carolyn Friedlander ’68N (PNP), have established several scholarships and a professorship and have supported the Medical Center, Rush Rhees Library, the Memorial Art Gallery, and Eastman Theatre. The couple is devoted to local causes, too, especially those in public health, children, education, and the arts.

“The University and this community have given me so much,” says Friedlander, a University life trustee, former board chair of the Medical Center and Golisano Children’s Hospital, and active committee member. “I’ve always wanted to give back, to make an impact on students, alumni, families, patients, and the people I’ve worked with. I hope I have.”

My childhood

I was born in the Bronx, but my family moved to Brooklyn when I was young. We were there until I was a freshman in high school, when we moved to Brighton, New York. My father was a traveling salesman who covered a lot of New York and thought we should move to a central part of the state. I graduated from Brighton High, where I did well academically, played football, and was a member of the track team.

My college days

When it came time for college, I applied to and was accepted to two schools: Dartmouth and Rochester. I decided to go to Rochester but had to come up with financing. At that time I worked at Loblaws, a large supermarket in town. One day, I was loading the shelves when a man came up to me and introduced himself as Harm Potter, Rochester’s director of admissions. He handed me an envelope and inside was a scholarship. I was the first in my family to go to college. Between the scholarship, working, and joining the US Navy’s ROTC program, I put enough together to go to Rochester and get my degree in business administration. I continued to play football. Our 1952 team was the first undefeated one in the history of the University. I was also a shot putter on the track team, and I joined Psi Upsilon. And although I couldn’t afford to live on campus, I was treasurer for the fraternity and earned enough from campus jobs to live there one year.

My career

After college, I was stationed with the Navy in Philadelphia for two years, after which I worked for Mutual New York, then in the bakery business, and then in the office furniture supply business. In 1970, my good friend, the late Henry Epstein ’80S (MBA), and I founded Spectrum Office Products. In 1994, we sold our company to Staples Inc. That’s when I decided not to retire but instead refocus and unofficially start my second career with the University.

My wife and family

In college, I spent a good amount of time in what’s now the Martin E. Messinger Periodical Reading Room in Rush Rhees Library. One day when I was studying, a young woman named Carolyn said hello and we had a nice conversation. The rest is history. After earning her nursing degree at Cornell, Carolyn went to the School of Nursing and became one of the school’s—and the world’s—first nurse practitioners. She worked at Elmwood Pediatrics for 25 years. Together, we’ve raised two sons and a daughter, and we have six grandchildren.

My life today

In my free time, I read a lot, work out, and go for long walks with my border collie, Beethoven. Carolyn and I also enjoy classical music. Of course, any time with the family is a bonus, and we are fortunate that our children live locally.

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