Deceased April 8, 2013

Fred Blume grew up in the Feltonville neighborhood of Philadelphia, just four miles from the Fox School of Business. After graduating first in his class at Temple University in 1963, Mr. Blume received his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania, with honors. He immediately joined the firm of Blank Rome in Philadelphia, where he stayed for nearly half a century. “He demonstrated a fierce dedication to his work, his community, and his family,” said Blank Rome’s Alan Hoffman, co-chair and managing partner, in a statement.

Mr. Blume’s firm has an interesting history. Blank Rome was founded in 1946 by lawyers who were barred from joining many established Philadelphia law firms solely because of their ethnicity, and Mr. Blume was proud of that commitment to diversity and community support. The firm had a long history of giving to the Jewish Federation. “We could clearly give to a bunch of agencies throughout the city, but we’d have to figure out how to allocate the resources,” said Mr. Blume in a 2013 interview with the Jewish Exponent. “Federation is better able to do that—and they’re good at it.” In 1996, Mr. Blume became administrative partner of the firm and later served as managing partner and CEO from 2003-2006. Personally, Mr. Blume was generous with his time and financial support. He was on the Dean’s Council at the Fox School until his passing, and contributed to the campaign for Alter Hall. He served on the boards of City Year Greater Philadelphia, the Greater Philadelphia Film Office, the National Museum of Jewish History, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and spent time on the board of advisers of the Institute for Law and Economics at Penn.

Temple University Degree
Bachelor of Science ’63, Fox School of Business

Temple University Awards & Affiliatons

• Dean’s Council, Fox School of Business
• Certificate of Honor Award, General Alumni Association, 2004
• Recipient, Musser Award for Excellence in Alumni Achievement, 2007