Barbara Engelson and Marc Klee to be Honored
at 59th Annual Dinner Dance
Saturday Evening, March 3rd, 7:30PM
Although Barbara Engelson and Marc Klee both grew up in Queens, they did not meet until the wife of Marc’s graduate school roommate brought them together. At that time, Barbara was a resident in pathology at New York University Medical Center and Marc had recently switched jobs and moved back to New York in early 1982. Some eighteen months later they were married and living on New York’s Upper West Side.
Several years later, the couple purchased a larger apartment in a building under construction one block away from where they were living. They expected to move in shortly after their first child, Robert, was born, but, as luck would have it, the builder went bankrupt, and the Klees had to continue looking for a place to live. Soon after, they went to visit friends who lived in New Rochelle, and, happily, ended up buying a house there! The rest, as they say, is history.
Barbara and Marc joined Beth El Synagogue Center in the summer of 1989. A few years later, Barbara completed the synagogue’s Adult Bat Mitzvah program. Their sons, Robert and Brian, are proud graduates of our Nursery School, Religious School, and Community Hebrew High School, and they also attended our Day Camp. Like their parents, the boys attended the local public schools. Marc is a Hebrew High School graduate. It is that background that ultimately led to the service the Klees have provided to Beth El over the years.
Early on, most of the family’s attachment to Beth El revolved around the various programs their children attended, and Barbara and Marc are gratified that many of their closest friends, to this day, resulted from participating in these programs. When Marc had some thoughts regarding the synagogue’s Religious School, it was suggested that he join the School Board, which he did, and ultimately Marc became co-chair of that group and eventually a member of the Board of Trustees.
As time passed, other opportunities presented themselves, and Marc was involved on the Nominating Committee, a subcommittee of ICAR, and various other programs. Barbara helped out with PTA and later with College-Age Committee. When Marc was asked to consider becoming Recording Secretary, his elevation to the ranks of a Beth El officer began, which culminated in his serving as president.
Currently Barbara serves as co-chair of Beth El’s Project HOPE Committee, which prepares a monthly meal for the HOPE Soup Kitchen in New Rochelle. Marc remains a trustee and serves on various committees, including Audit & Finance, Human Resources, and Keruv. In addition, he is a board member of the Westchester Jewish Council and serves on the USCJ’s METNY Region Council.
Professionally, Barbara is a retired pathologist, having worked at one of the New York City hospitals and at MetPath/Quest Diagnostics after receiving her M.D. at Cornell University Medical College. Marc, who received his MBA from the Wharton School, has been a principal of a money management firm for over thirty years and is best known for having managed a technology mutual fund for twenty-five of those years. He also has been president of two public companies and a general partner of various partnerships, including three hotels, two minor league baseball teams, and a private equity fund. Today, he spends much of his time working with an investment banking firm. Robert, 24, received his master’s degree in Human Resources and Industrial Relations at the University of Minnesota. He works in Manhattan as a benefits analyst for Reed Elsevier. Brian, 21, will be graduating from Cornell this May with his bachelor’s degree in Biology.
The Klees are thrilled to be the Annual Dinner Dance honorees and are delighted to be sharing the evening with Jody and Dan Burton, the President’s Ne’emanim Service Award recipients.
