In Memory of Trustees Barry Rubens and Richard Atlas

Barry M. Rubens, a member of Crossroads’ founding Board of Trustees, passed away on Jan. 14, 2021. During his five years of service on the Board (1971-1977), Barry acted as both Secretary/Treasurer and Vice President, bringing his financial acumen as an economist to the School in its initial years.

 

“He was a sweet, easygoing guy with a lot of patience and an extraordinary sense of humor,” remembers Crossroads Co-Founder Paul Cummins. “He helped when we needed to move and look for a new campus. … Barry’s real estate knowledge was a real use to the school.”

 
Barry was husband to Barbara Rubens; father of St. Augustine by-the-Sea alumni David (who also attended Crossroads middle school), Jonathan and Beth Rubens; father-in-law to Sharon Rubens, Barbara Sobel and Brent Goldfarb; and grandfather to Daniel, Rachel, Ethan and Miles Rubens and Elena and Nathaniel Rubens-Goldfarb.

 

Born on Sept. 28, 1933, in Chicago, Illinois, and raised in Cheyenne, Wyoming, Barry earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Dartmouth College. After serving in the military, he and wife Barbara moved to Southern California, where he began work at American Savings. He then worked for multiple financial services institutions until establishing the consulting business California Research Corporation, which offered market research and regulatory compliance consulting services and published a trusted financial newsletter.

 

Barry was a dedicated docent at Will Rogers State Historic Park, where he enjoyed leading tours and welcoming visitors. He also served as a citizen volunteer on the Los Angeles Civil Grand Jury, an organization that ensures the honest and efficient governing of the county.

 

Richard S. Atlas, also a former Trustee (1981-1985) who served as Treasurer, passed away on Nov. 12, 2020. As Paul recalls, “Richard Atlas was an extraordinarily intelligent guy. There was something about him that was kind, gentle and wise. And when you talked to Richard, you knew you were getting the real thing—real thoughtful intelligence.”

 

Richard is survived by wife Lezlie Atlas; daughters Michelle O’Brien ’84 (Michael O’Brien) and Allison Tannenbaum (David Tannenbaum ’89); and grandchildren Robert, Lauren, William and Juliette O’Brien and Jack ’18, Benjamin ’21, Caroline ’21 and Oliver ’23 Tannenbaum.

 

A Los Angeles native, Richard was born Sept. 5, 1943. He graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1966 and then earned his master’s degree from Harvard Business School. In 1968, Richard began his career at Goldman Sachs in institutional equity sales. He later became manager of the Los Angeles Institutional Department, co-head of the LA office, and a general partner in 1984. He provided strategic leadership in the firm’s U.S. listed equity shares business, and was involved in the management of the U.S. trading and distribution teams for the Goldman Sachs United Kingdom, European, Japanese and Asian share lines until his retirement in 1994. 

 

Richard was also a dedicated philanthropist. He and Lezlie established the Atlas Family Foundation and founded the LA Partnership for Early Childhood Investment, both supporting vulnerable infants, toddlers and parents in Southern California.

 

Barry and Richard will be greatly missed by the Crossroads community. We are deeply grateful for their years of service.