Long time Miami Lakes resident, community leader and educational activist Arnold F. Seltzer passed away on April 6 surrounded by his immediate family in Stuart, Florida. He had turned 93 in January.
Seltzer was born in Brooklyn and later lived with his grandparents in Yardville, New Jersey. In 1942, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy where he served on the USS Marsh as a QuarterMaster First Class in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters during WWII.
Seltzer enrolled at the University of Miami in 1947 where he met his future bride, Mary. They were married in 1950 after he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. They settled in Hialeah in 1951 where he eventually founded Jackson Outdoor Advertising Company in 1954. His largest client, Dade Federal Savings and Loan, offered him an opportunity as a branch manager in one of their troubled locations, and then a second branch location. In each instance, Seltzer changed the culture of the business model and turned both locations into successful offices.
Ultimately, Dade Federal promoted him to its main Downtown Miami location where he was eventually promoted to Senior Vice President and assistant to the President, a position he held until 1970 when he retired from the institution.
While raising three children in Hialeah, Seltzer was active in the Miami Jaycees, served as the first male president of the Twin Lake PTA, was a member of Rotary Club International for many years, volunteered with Boy Scouts of America, and was active in numerous political campaigns for friends and colleagues seeking offices in city, state and federal governments.
In 1969, the Seltzers moved to the newly developed Miami Lakes community where they lived until 2003 when they moved to Stuart to spend their winters. Seltzer was a major force in raising funds for, and creating what is now known as the Miami Lakes Educational Center. The main conference room at the school was named in his honor.
He was the Committee Advisor and Liaison for the school where he donated the majority of his time after retirement. He was instrumental in expanding the Culinary Arts Department at the school and was a force in helping the school add a large room for the kitchen facilities which continues to be used today for community activities and school functions.
Mary Seltzer was a native of Wisconsin and the couple spent their summers in Wausau, Wisconsin enjoying the lifestyle of the mid-west and the friendliness of their neighbors and shopkeepers.
Seltzer is survived by his wife of 68 years, Mary, his children Jackson (Brenda) of New Caney, Texas; Richard, of Houston, Texas; and Jane Beres (Steve) of Stuart. He leaves five grandchildren and numerous great grandchildren.