About the Fund
Mickey Mandelblatt lived a life defined by compassion, achievement and an unwavering commitment to helping others. Born March 16, 1946, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Mickey grew up in a close-knit family with his two sisters, Carole and Nancy. After graduating from Germantown High School in 1963, he attended Penn State University, earning a bachelor’s degree in accounting before launching a successful career.
Mickey began his professional journey at Price Waterhouse, where he rose to the position of senior manager and earned his CPA certification. In 1978, he joined Pantry Pride, one of the nation’s largest supermarket chains, and was soon asked to relocate to Fort Lauderdale to help lead the company’s turnaround. His leadership was instrumental in Pantry Pride’s historic emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and he was named chief financial officer in 1983. Following the sale of Pantry Pride in 1986, Mickey pursued a career in money management.
While his professional accomplishments were impressive, Mickey’s true passion was his family and community. Married for 26 years to his wife, Charlotte, he was a devoted father to their three children: Eric, Ali and Kasey. Friends and family remember him as a man whose mission was to enrich the lives of those around him — a mission he fulfilled with unmatched generosity and heart.
“Mick understood quite well his heritage which teaches that God created an imperfect world and that it is mankind’s responsibility to help repair it,” said longtime friend Harris L. Devor. “He did more than understand; he acted — supporting family, friends and strangers alike. His greatest fire, shortly before his death, was stoked by the lack of educational opportunities for those in financial need.”
Education was Mickey’s lifelong cause. As friend Phyllis Smith noted, “Mickey believed that knowledge promotes the understanding that offers our brightest hope for the future. Whatever the cost, ultimately, it will be far less than the cost of ignorance.”
To honor Mickey’s legacy and continue his work, his family established the Mickey Mandelblatt Scholarship Fund at the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties. The fund supports scholarships for students who demonstrate both need and promise — helping future generations realize their potential and, in doing so, realize Mickey’s dream of a more equitable world.
Through every scholarship awarded, Mickey Mandelblatt’s spirit of generosity, leadership and love lives on.
