L. George Reder

08/06/2001

L. George Reder, 80, of 464 Williams St., a prominent Pittsfield attorney, died yesterday at home. Born in Perth Amboy, N.J., on Sept. 27, 1920, son of Hyman and Hannah Linsky Reder, his family moved to Pittsfield and purchased the Model Dairy when he was 10. He graduated from Pittsfield High School in 1937 and from the former Massachusetts State College, now the University of Massachusetts, in 1941. In 1944, he graduated from Harvard Law School, where he was an editor of the Harvard Law Review. After graduation, he moved to Washington, D.C., where he spent the remainder of World War II working for the Office of Price Administration. Mr. Reder returned to Pittsfield after the war and entered private legal practice, first as an apprentice to Judge Frederick Myers Sr., and then with various associates and partners. He practiced law for more than 57 years, continuing until his death. He served terms as assistant city solicitor and was appointed city solicitor in 1975, serving for several years. He also was a member and past president of the Berkshire County Bar Association. He served on the executive board of the Berkshire Council of the Boy Scouts of America, receiving the Silver Beaver Award in 1961. He was active in a number of other organizations, including the former United Community Services, the Masons, and the Jewish Federation of the Berkshires. In 1971, he was named Man of the Year by the Jewish Community Council, on which he served several terms as president. His wife, the former Edith Axelrod of Great Barrington, died Sept. 19, 1997. They were married on July 1, 1962. He leaves two sons, Benjamin Reder of Los Angeles and Daniel Reder of Hoboken, N.J., and a grandson. Funeral services will be Tuesday at 1:30 at Knesset Israel Synagogue with Rabbi David Small, spiritual leader of the congregation, officiating. Burial will follow in Elmwood Cemetery in Great Barrington. The Memorial Period will be observed at the family's home at 464 Williams St. in Pittsfield through Friday afternoon and resuming Saturday evening through Sunday. Memorial donations may be made to HospiceCare in the Berkshires in care of the DEVANNY-CONDRON FUNERAL HOME.

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