Alfred R. Goldstein: A legacy etched in stone

Sarasota stands on the shoulders of giants — Ringling, Selby, Booker. Their investments echo through halls of the buildings that bear their names.

On June 26, the city lost another. Alfred R. Goldstein died at 92.

His legacy casts a long shadow in the Sarasota community, touching institutions from Ringling College of Art and Design to Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. In fact, it would be more difficult to name an organization that Goldstein did not influence since he moved to the area in 1986.

“He has transformed Ringling and he has transformed all of Sarasota,” President of Ringling College Larry Thompson said.

Goldstein never balked. He leaned into his beneficiaries, demanding excellence from each.

“I obtained my first gift from him for the Ann and Alfred Goldstein Center,” Thompson remembered. “It wasn’t just me asking for a certain sum. We ended up entering into a negotiation. I thought I was a pretty good negotiator until I negotiated with Al.”

His philanthropy was prolific, visionary and intentional. Goldstein never allowed organizations to become complacent. He was tough on them, pushing them to imagine more.

For Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, that meant investing in the Ann and Alfred E. Goldstein Marine Mammal Research and Rehabilitation Center, which allowed Mote to expand its research.

For Selby Gardens that meant funding the Ann Goldstein Children’s Rainforest Garden, which laid the foundation to expand Selby’s demographic to include children and families. That vision laid the foundation for the Alfred and Jean Goldstein Exhibition Series, which has reinvigorated Selby’s membership.  

He was “a game changer,” Laurey Stryker said.

Stryker, who was the head of fundraising for the Ann Goldstein Children’s Rainforest Garden, said Goldstein’s investment was deeper than his wallet. Even after the project was completed Stryker would call Goldstein to thank him for his vision and tell him how many children were enjoying the garden.

But Goldstein already knew.

“He would say ‘Yeah I was there ... I went with my grandkids,’” Stryker said. “It was one of those relationships that was challenging but really beautiful.”

His demeanor may have been gruff, but those close to him knew it was borne out of kindness, a deep love for Sarasota and a dedication to see it thrive.

“He thinks way ahead of where an organization is and tries to push them, which is sometimes uncomfortable,” said his wife Jean Weidner Goldstein, who he married in 2012. “But when someone like that has confidence in you, you can attain many things.”

In the end, Goldstein was satisfied with his legacy, knowing that his fate was his own.  

“He was quite ready to leave and his passing was gentle and quiet and a real gift to him and everybody else,” Weidner Goldstein said.

Shortly before he died he told Weidner Goldstein “Nobody could have done more, experienced more or had more than (I have) had.”

For those that knew him, Goldstein's vision for Sarasota lives on.

“A lot of the conversations I had with him he would say we need to find more people that are willing to invest in our community in a bigger way,” Stryker said. “I think he was always hoping that whatever he did would influence the next philanthropist in the community. I think it has. He set a bar that will make a difference.”

He is preceded in death (2011) by his wife of 63 years, Ann Goldstein. He is survived by his three children Wendy Cohen, Steven Goldstein and Richard Goldstein and his wife Jean Weidner Goldstein. 

A service will be held June 28 at Temple Beth Sholom.