Norman Agin
March 04, 2008
When you speak about Norman Agin, start with the idea of “commitment,” said Herb Horowitz.“Norm was very committed to building Jewish institutions, and he did it usually very quietly,” said Horowitz, president of the central New Jersey chapter of the American Jewish Committee.
“He was involved in everything; he was always organizing people to do something,” Horowitz said. “Norm was a good friend not just personally, but to Jewish causes. He wasn’t afraid to extend himself, both with his pocketbook and his personal time.
“I think we’ve lost one of the really important leaders of the Jewish community in Princeton.”
Agin, a prominent presence in the Princeton Jewish community for more than 40 years, died of heart disease on Feb. 9 at New York Presbyterian Hospital. He was 70.
A native of Cleveland, Agin was a graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He held a master’s degree from the School of Industrial Administration at Carnegie Mellon University and a doctorate in operations research and industrial engineering from Columbia University.
Before retiring, he served as CEO of Decision Technology Inc., a computer software company; as a vice president of Martin Marietta Data Systems; and as a senior vice president of Mathematica Inc.
A longtime activist in Jewish causes, Agin was appointed to the national board of governors of the American Jewish Committee in the spring of 2004. For two years prior to that, he was president of the organization’s central NJ chapter, which he also served over the years as treasurer, campaign chair, and board member. In 2006, on the occasion of AJC’s 100th anniversary, he received the chapter’s Centennial Leadership Award.
Also in 2006, Agin and his wife, Adele, were part of a delegation of AJC leaders who discussed Catholic-Jewish relations during a private audience with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican.
“He really brought new vigor to AJC in the Princeton area because he was just such a passionate man,” said Alyson Gall, executive director of AJC’s NJ office. “That was just wonderful for AJC, and he was fun to work with because of that.
“I think it’s a great loss to the community,” Gall added. “He was just a very high-energy person who was a doer along with being a leader. When he took on a job, he just really took it very seriously. He was really hands on, and I think the whole community will miss him because of that.”
Agin’s involvement in the Jewish community also extended to The Jewish Center in Princeton, where he served over the years in several positions — as vice president of administration, a member of the board of trustees, president of the men’s club, and chair of several committees.
Agin was also an active supporter of the United Jewish Federation of Princeton Mercer Bucks, where he formerly served as a member of the board and the campaign cabinet. Federation executive director Andrew Frank remembered Agin as “a true mensch.”
“Norm Agin was one of the true gems of this community,” Frank said. “He was not only intellectually honest and challenging, but absolutely passionately devoted to the needs of the Jewish community, locally and internationally.
“On a personal level, I think everyone will miss his genuine warmth and sense of humor,” Frank said. “He was always a pleasure to be around.”
In the wider community, Agin was the Princeton Township representative to the Stoney Brook Regional Sewage Authority Board. He had also been a trustee of Hands on Helpers, a volunteer clearinghouse. On the lighter side, he was a founding member of the Last Sunday Night of the Month Poker Club and Benevolent Society, which regularly made contributions to Jewish causes, including scholarships for needy Jewish children to attend the Abrams Day Camp of the Jewish Community Center of the Delaware Valley.
In addition to his wife, Agin is survived by his son Arthur and his wife, Marjorie; his son Warren and his wife, Luisa; and his three grandchildren, Max, Daniela, and Abigail.
Under the auspices of AJC, a golf tournament in memory of Agin is being planned for this spring. For information, contact AJC assistant regional director Ferne Hassan at 973-379-7844.
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