We lost Shelley Seevak too suddenly on August 18, 2007. He was 78 years old. He leaves behind numerous family members and friends who will miss him dearly, including Elinor, his beloved wife of 52 years, his children, Alison, Marina and Evan, his five grandchildren, Gabriel, Emma, Abigail, Nate and Anna, his daughter-in-law, Sarah Pearson, and two sisters, Roddy Langsam and Jacqui Sanders.

A self-made man in the truest sense, Shelley was born on May 28, 1929 in Boston, Massachusetts, the only son of the six children of Edward and Dora Seevak, Ukrainian-Jewish immigrants. Educated in the Boston public schools, Shelley attended University of Illinois and Harvard Law School on scholarship. He built a successful career in business, most of it spent as a partner running the real estate department at Goldman, Sachs and Co. Under his leadership, Goldman became Wall Street's leading real estate investment banking firm.

Shelley never forgot where he came from and believed in "giving back." After his retirement, he began a second career as a hands-on philanthropist endowing programs aimed at fostering human rights and social justice

Although we mourn Shelley's absence, we celebrate the example of his life. He may have left us, but he lives on in the philanthropic programs he developed, the spirit of the countless young people he encouraged and mentored over the years, and in the hearts of the family and friends he so fiercely loved.

We invite you to post memories and stories of Shelley in the guestbook.