Axel Rosin
Axel Gerhardt Rosin | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 11, 1907 |
| Died | March 27, 2007 (age 99) |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | J.D. Berlin University |
| Known for | President of the Book-of-the-Month Club |
| Spouse | Katharine Scherman |
| Children | 2 |
| Family | Harry Scherman (father-in-law) Thomas Scherman (brother-in-law) |
Axel Gerhardt Rosin (December 11, 1907 – March 27, 2007) was a philanthropist, president of the Book-of-the-Month Club and chairman emeritus of the Scherman Foundation.
Biography
Rosin was born in Berlin and graduated from Berlin University with a law degree in 1930.[1] He worked as a lawyer for the Supreme Court of Prussia until 1934, when he emigrated to the United States after the Nazis banned Jews from entering courthouses.[1] He subsequently worked for a shoe manufacturer in Virginia. In 1943 he married Katharine Scherman, and was made comptroller of the Book-of-the-Month Club, which had been founded by Ms. Scherman's father Harry Scherman in 1926.[1] His brother-in-law is conductor Thomas Scherman. Rosin became president of the company in 1960, a position he held until 1973, and was then chairman until his retirement in 1979. His decision in 1967 to pay $250,000 for the right to offer William Manchester's book, The Death of a President as a club selection helped to foster the company's resurgence.[2] During Rosin's leadership the company's annual sales doubled and membership reached 1.25 million.[1]
Overseeing the Scherman Foundation, Rosin was responsible for distributing grant monies to organizations promoting the arts, social welfare programs, the environment, disarmament, and reproductive rights.[1]
He has two daughters with his wife, Karen Rosin Sollins and Susanna Rosin Bergtold.[1]
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f Hevesi, Dennis (March 28, 2007). "Axel Rosin, 99, Longtime Head of the Book-of-the-Month Club, Dies". The New York Times.
- ^ Los Angeles Times
References
- Axel Rosin, 99, Longtime Head of the Book-of-the-Month Club, Dies The New York Times, March 28, 2007
- Axel Gerhardt Rosin, 99; former president of Book-of-the-Month club, Los Angeles Times, March 29, 2007
- Abel, Richard; Graham, William Gordon. The book in the United States today, 1997. Transaction Publishers