CHARLES KLASS
A tribute by Norman Levin
Charlie matriculate a year behind us but I have always thought of him as being part of our year.
Charlie and I have been friends since I was 15 and our lives have been intertwined in one way or another till a few days ago.
We played together in the now legendary U16a. He was an awesome flanker and a fierce tackler challenged only by Sid Gelbart.
We were in the SACS judo team. He was a colleague and study-buddy as we labored our way though our business science program. He became RAG chairman and did an amazing job.
After UCT he worked in London and we lost touch. We caught up again in NY where he was looking for a job and a career. As was I. We shared the uncertainty and insecurity of being immigrants to the US and the challenge of gaining entry and the green card. He went west. I stayed east in Manhattan. We would see each other from year to year.
After I resigned from Trump I met Mike Meyer (‘67) on 57th Street near 5th Avenue by pure chance. He was the chairman of Emess, an international company that owned Lighting companies worldwide and was listed on the London stock exchange. Michael was looking for a managing director to take on a company based in Melbourne called Brilliant Lighting. He offered to fly me out to review the company and to ‘take a position’.
Unknown to me Charles was working in one of the Emess subsidiaries in Pittsburgh and he suggested that both Charles and I fly to Melbourne to take a look see. It was a world trip that took us to the UK, Germany, China and Australia. We had a fascinating time together and renewed our friendship. I was pleased with the opportunity to get out of Manhattan for a while and accepted the position. I moved to Melbourne and he returned to Pittsburgh.
As we were both now working in the same company we were in frequent contact and got to meet up frequently at fairs in High Point in South Carolina and other locations. He helped me get a grasp of the lighting industry.
Later Michael sold the group to Sylvania and I bought Brilliant in Australia. Charlie went to work in the catering business in Cleveland and was arranging events as large as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame events in Cleveland.
I will miss Charlie. He was a man who emanated kindness and goodness. In all the years I knew him he never said a bad word about anyone and always had a positive disposition and upbeat. He made friends wherever he went.
He was married to Marge a dynamic and lovely woman he met in the US. They had a daughter named Nicole.
I spoke to Charlie a few days before he died. He told me that he was at peace and that his life had been a blast. I hope that I will emulate the strength and fortitude that he showed when my time comes.
Because of the urgency of his condition the family arranged for the wedding of his daughter to be move to this past Sunday. It was close. He died not long after.
It is a sad and terrible thing to have one of our class mates leave. Not only because of the sadness and pain of the loss but also the recognition that time is passing and the bell tolls.
Charlie matriculate a year behind us but I have always thought of him as being part of our year.
Charlie and I have been friends since I was 15 and our lives have been intertwined in one way or another till a few days ago.
We played together in the now legendary U16a. He was an awesome flanker and a fierce tackler challenged only by Sid Gelbart.
We were in the SACS judo team. He was a colleague and study-buddy as we labored our way though our business science program. He became RAG chairman and did an amazing job.
After UCT he worked in London and we lost touch. We caught up again in NY where he was looking for a job and a career. As was I. We shared the uncertainty and insecurity of being immigrants to the US and the challenge of gaining entry and the green card. He went west. I stayed east in Manhattan. We would see each other from year to year.
After I resigned from Trump I met Mike Meyer (‘67) on 57th Street near 5th Avenue by pure chance. He was the chairman of Emess, an international company that owned Lighting companies worldwide and was listed on the London stock exchange. Michael was looking for a managing director to take on a company based in Melbourne called Brilliant Lighting. He offered to fly me out to review the company and to ‘take a position’.
Unknown to me Charles was working in one of the Emess subsidiaries in Pittsburgh and he suggested that both Charles and I fly to Melbourne to take a look see. It was a world trip that took us to the UK, Germany, China and Australia. We had a fascinating time together and renewed our friendship. I was pleased with the opportunity to get out of Manhattan for a while and accepted the position. I moved to Melbourne and he returned to Pittsburgh.
As we were both now working in the same company we were in frequent contact and got to meet up frequently at fairs in High Point in South Carolina and other locations. He helped me get a grasp of the lighting industry.
Later Michael sold the group to Sylvania and I bought Brilliant in Australia. Charlie went to work in the catering business in Cleveland and was arranging events as large as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame events in Cleveland.
I will miss Charlie. He was a man who emanated kindness and goodness. In all the years I knew him he never said a bad word about anyone and always had a positive disposition and upbeat. He made friends wherever he went.
He was married to Marge a dynamic and lovely woman he met in the US. They had a daughter named Nicole.
I spoke to Charlie a few days before he died. He told me that he was at peace and that his life had been a blast. I hope that I will emulate the strength and fortitude that he showed when my time comes.
Because of the urgency of his condition the family arranged for the wedding of his daughter to be move to this past Sunday. It was close. He died not long after.
It is a sad and terrible thing to have one of our class mates leave. Not only because of the sadness and pain of the loss but also the recognition that time is passing and the bell tolls.
Klass awarded Mayfield schools’ Citizen of the Year Award
- AMANDA KOEHN | STAFF REPORTER
Oct 1, 2017
Charles Klass, executive vice president at Executive Caterers, became the first person who does not live in the Mayfield City School District to receive its Citizen of the Year Award for his support for the school system, since the award began in 1977.
The Solon resident was president of the Mayfield Alliance, an organization made up of business, school and civic leaders to support the school system, and has been volunteering for the schools for more than 15 years as part of a committee representing Executive Caterers of Mayfield Heights.
“You don’t do this work because you are expecting something in return, but it was very heartwarming that it happened,” Klass said of the award.
Klass said the Mayfield Alliance worked to bring about change and opportunities for students in the school district, which include science programs, an art show, mock interviews, class equipment and cultural immersion projects.
Over the last year, Klass said the Mayfield Alliance merged with the Mayfield Wildcat Foundation, to form The Wildcat Community Foundation and better combine Mayfield Alliance’s programming with the funds the foundation provides.
“It was exceptionally successful, both financially and also just in terms of community involvement,” he said.
Klass received the award Sept. 7 at an event at Mayfield High School.
“If you ask Charles why he has volunteered so much of his free time for our Mayfield Schools, he will humbly smile and in his South African accent will say, ‘Aww, well, because it’s important,’” said Keith Kelly, the school’s superintendent, at the event. “How fortunate we are that he is the kind of executive leader who understands the importance of public education, innovation and community partnerships no matter where you live.”
Executive Caterers President Harlan Diamond said, “(Klass has) been a very active supporter of their cause and they’ve really accomplished an awful lot in the few years that the organization has been put together and he’s been instrumental in it.”
The award also comes at a transitional time for Klass as he’s leaving Executive Caterers Sept. 30. He said he’s looking to pursue opportunities that give him a “better work-life balance.”
“I love the work, I love the company, but I need a better balance in my life,” said Klass, who attends Solon Chabad. “The community has been wonderful to me and opened up its arms to me, so I look forward to giving back more to the community.”
Diamond also said he will miss Klass, whom he said Executive Caterers “imported” from London, where Klass was then living, to work there around 1980. Klass has since worked there on and off, for a total of 24 years, the past 16 consecutive.
“He’s been a fixture and very special person,” Diamond said. “He’s been a great asset and we are going to miss him.”
The Solon resident was president of the Mayfield Alliance, an organization made up of business, school and civic leaders to support the school system, and has been volunteering for the schools for more than 15 years as part of a committee representing Executive Caterers of Mayfield Heights.
“You don’t do this work because you are expecting something in return, but it was very heartwarming that it happened,” Klass said of the award.
Klass said the Mayfield Alliance worked to bring about change and opportunities for students in the school district, which include science programs, an art show, mock interviews, class equipment and cultural immersion projects.
Over the last year, Klass said the Mayfield Alliance merged with the Mayfield Wildcat Foundation, to form The Wildcat Community Foundation and better combine Mayfield Alliance’s programming with the funds the foundation provides.
“It was exceptionally successful, both financially and also just in terms of community involvement,” he said.
Klass received the award Sept. 7 at an event at Mayfield High School.
“If you ask Charles why he has volunteered so much of his free time for our Mayfield Schools, he will humbly smile and in his South African accent will say, ‘Aww, well, because it’s important,’” said Keith Kelly, the school’s superintendent, at the event. “How fortunate we are that he is the kind of executive leader who understands the importance of public education, innovation and community partnerships no matter where you live.”
Executive Caterers President Harlan Diamond said, “(Klass has) been a very active supporter of their cause and they’ve really accomplished an awful lot in the few years that the organization has been put together and he’s been instrumental in it.”
The award also comes at a transitional time for Klass as he’s leaving Executive Caterers Sept. 30. He said he’s looking to pursue opportunities that give him a “better work-life balance.”
“I love the work, I love the company, but I need a better balance in my life,” said Klass, who attends Solon Chabad. “The community has been wonderful to me and opened up its arms to me, so I look forward to giving back more to the community.”
Diamond also said he will miss Klass, whom he said Executive Caterers “imported” from London, where Klass was then living, to work there around 1980. Klass has since worked there on and off, for a total of 24 years, the past 16 consecutive.
“He’s been a fixture and very special person,” Diamond said. “He’s been a great asset and we are going to miss him.”