Robert M. Soldofsky

SOLDOFSKY, DARRISH, PORTNOY, PENNINGTON, SCHMUCK

Posted By: Tara (email)
Date: 8/6/2010 at 14:48:44

Robert M. Soldofsky, 89, loving husband and father, professor of finance at The University of Iowa, and retired Lieutenant Colonel, died peacefully on August 4, 2010, at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics following a courageous battle with congestive heart failure and Parkinsonism symptoms. A Memorial Service will be held at 3pm today at Oaknoll Retirement Residence, Iowa City. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to a charity of the donor’s choice. Lensing Funeral Service is handling the arrangements.
Robert was born in St. Louis, MO on August 12, 1920, the son of Abraham and Thelma (Darrish) Soldofsky. He graduated from St. Louis University with an Accounting degree and later went on to earn his Ph.D. from Washington University. While at St. Louis University, Robert was a track and field athlete, holding school and Missouri state records in the 100 yard dash and 220 yard high- hurdles. After a career as a record-setting high school sprinter in St. Louis, he was invited to participate in the 1938 regional Olympic trials.
Robert enlisted in the U.S. Army infantry as a rifleman in July of 1942, serving in the 10th Mountain Division after attending Officer Candidate School. As a marksman, he trained troops through the war years. He remained in active duty for 2 years and then went on to serve his country for another twenty years in the Army Reserve’s Civil Affairs Division. He retired at the rank of Lt. Colonel in 1965.
Not long after his honorable discharge from active duty, Robert met Marcella “Micki” Portnoy and the two were united in marriage in 1947. Their son Alan was born in 1951 and their daughter Sue Anne was born in 1954. Providing well for his family remained, throughout his life an accomplishment that Robert was very proud of.
After WWII, Robert worked for the U.S. Wage Stabilization Board in Kansas City, MO and also for Ford Motor Company. He taught Business Administration at St. Louis University from 1946-1948 and was an instructor of Economics at the University of Arkansas from 1948 -1951. In 1954, Robert joined the University of Iowa faculty, retiring in 1990.
Mr. Soldofsky was best known for his books, Institutional Holding of Common Stock, 1900 – 2000 and a text book widely used in the field of finance, Financial Management (co-authored by Garnett Olive). He was also co-editor of Frontiers of Financial Management (with William Serranino and Surendra Singhvi). Mr. Soldofsky was appointed the John F. Murray Chair of Finance in the University of Iowa graduate School of Business in 1986. Before retiring in 1990, Robert became one of the chief architects of the University of Iowa retirement system, serving on the Retirement and Insurance Committee from 1978 – 1990. The retirement system at the University of Iowa has been lauded as being one of the most innovative among the state university systems in the US. Robert was frequently sought out as a consultant to business and government institutions on retirement and investment issues. He was an expert witness in the 1985 Labor Department ERISA (Employment, Retirement, Insurance Security Act) hearings.
Robert was the founder of the Financial Management Association and its first director. He was also a past president of the Midwest Financial Association and the editor of the Journal of the Midwest Financial Association in the mid – 1980s. Since retiring from teaching, he wrote a weekly column for the Iowa City Press-Citizen on topics of personal finance and other financial topics of local, state-wide and national interest.
Survivors include his wife, the artist Marcella (Micki) Soldofsky of Iowa City, his son Alan D. Soldofsky, a poet and director of Creative Writing at San José State University in San José, CA, and Alan’s significant other Pam Pennington; a daughter, Sue Anne Schmuck, and her husband David, owners of New Mexico Piano Service in Albuquerque, NM. Robert is also survived by his two grandsons Adam and Neal Soldofsky. He was preceded in death by his parents.
Robert moved to Oaknoll Retirement Residence in April of 2008. His health declined rapidly and it became necessary for him to move to the skilled health center where Robert spent the rest of his life surrounded by loving care. His family would like to express their sincere gratitude to the staff at Oaknoll, his caregivers at HomeSafe, and those @ UIHC who helped Bob throughout the years.