Isaac Heller
BornJuly 23, 1926
Ellenville, New York, U.S.
DiedMarch 7, 2015(2015-03-07) (aged 88)
Scotch Plains, New Jersey, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
OccupationToy manufacturer
Known forCo-founder of Remco
RelativesSaul Robbins (cousin)

Isaac "Ike" Heller (July 23, 1926 – March 7, 2015) was an American toy manufacturer and engineer, the co-founder of Remco with his cousin Saul Robbins.

Early life and education

Isaac Heller was born on July 23, 1926, in Ellenville, New York, the son of Russian Jewish immigrants, Morris Heller and Yetta Shapiro.[1][2][3] Heller moved with his family to Brooklyn, where he attended Brooklyn Technical High School as part of the class of 1943. After attending engineering classes at Cooper Union, he served in the United States Navy at the end of World War II, where he worked on the repair of electronic equipment and built toys using excess work materials.[1] Following the war, he returned to Cooper Union in 1946 to finish his engineering degree, which he completed in 1952. [4]

Career

In 1949, while he was still a student at Cooper Union, Heller co-founded the toy company Remco in Newark, New Jersey, with his cousin Saul Robbins.[5][6] The name was a contraction of "REMote COntrol", and its first products were children's walkie-talkies.[6] Building on his experience as a U.S. Navy electronics technician, they started by buying large amounts of military surplus and "transforming it into toys that could zoom, soar or otherwise move."[1]

Until the 1960s, they only made toys for boys, and they were the first toy company to use television advertising.[6] Their toys included the Whirlybird helicopter, the Barracuda atomic submarine, the Johnny Reb cannon, the Dick Tracy wrist radio, the Screaming Mee Mee-e rifle and Mr. Kelly's Automatic Car Wash.[1]

After selling the company in 1966, Heller turned his experiences to industrial park development. He founded Heller Industrial Parks, Inc., which he developed into one of the largest industrial park owner / developers in the United States.[7]

Personal life

In 1953, Heller married Helaine Hirsh, and they had four daughters.[2][1]

Ike and Helaine were generous philanthropists.[8] He donated $1 million to Brooklyn Tech, and was inducted into the school's hall of fame, in 2013.[9] That same year, he donated $1 million to Cooper Union in response to their financial crisis. He used his resources to build the John Kenney Childcare Center in Edison, NJ. Other causes he supported included hospitals, community foundations, libraries, senior centers, and schools.[10]

Heller died at his home in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, on March 7, 2015, and was survived by his wife and four daughters, Audrey Romberg, Laurie Kaufman, Hollie Heller, and Hillary Granfield.[1]

Honors

In 1999, Heller received the President's Citation Award from Cooper Union, and was inducted into the Cooper Union Alumni Hall of Fame.[11] He received a Humanitarian Award from the National Conference of the State of New Jersey, and was frequently recognized by the many charitable causes that he supported. [12]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Fox, Margalit (10 March 2015). "Isaac Heller, Co-Founder of Remco and Toymaker to a Generation, Dies at 88". Retrieved 26 December 2017 – via NYTimes.com.
  2. 1 2 Inc., Toy Industry Association. "Isaac Heller, Prolific Toymaker and Co-Founder of Remco Industries, Dies at 88". www.toyassociation.org. Retrieved 27 December 2017. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  3. ↑ "Isaac Heller, Man Behind Whirlybird Helicopter, Dies Aged 88". Haaretz. March 11, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Isaac Heller Donates $1 Million to Annual Fund". The Cooper Union. Retrieved 2023-03-06.
  5. ↑ "Saul Robbins's Obituary on The Star-Ledger". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
  6. 1 2 3 "Made in Jersey: Remco Toys - remote control toys were 'controlled' nearby in NJ". Retrieved 26 December 2017.
  7. ↑ "About Us: The Heller Story - Heller Industrial Parks, Inc". www.hellerpark.com. Retrieved 2023-03-06.
  8. ↑ "The JCC of Central NJ Is Pleased to Announce the New Isaac and Helaine Heller Financial Assistance Endowment". TAPinto. Retrieved 2023-03-06.
  9. ↑ "Seven Inducted Into Brooklyn Tech Alumni Hall Of Fame", Brooklyn Tech Alumni Foundation. Accessed December 27, 2017. "Isaac 'Ike' Heller ’43, founder of Remco Toys and Heller Industrial Parks; philanthropist: Mr. Heller founded the iconic 1950s and 1960s toy company Remco, and later started what has grown into one of the nation’s largest privately held industrial park companies. A generous philanthropist, he recently donated $1million to Brooklyn Tech."
  10. ↑ "Ike Heller - Heller Industrial Parks, Inc". www.hellerpark.com. Retrieved 2023-03-06.
  11. ↑ "President's Citation Award Winners". Cooper Union Alumni Association. 2015-01-06. Retrieved 2023-03-06.
  12. ↑ "Students, Staff and Family Honor Isaac "Ike" Heller; Celebrate the 25th Anniversary of John Kenney Child Care Center". Woodbridge, NJ Patch. 2012-06-27. Retrieved 2023-03-06.
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