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Obituary for Blumenfeld


Published in the Albuquerque Journal on Wednesday November 08, 2000

Arthur A. Blumenfeld died peacefully on Friday, November 3, 2000, after a fourteen-year fight against lymphoma and myelodysplasia. He is survived by his wife, Jane Ann Blumenfeld; daughter, Willow Harth; grandson, Ben Diller and his wife, Mari; and his great-granddaughter, Hana. Art is preceded in death by his sons, Cameron and Daniel Reid. He is also survived by his mother, Lee Blumenfeld; brother, Gerald Blumenfeld; sister, Carole Rosenberg; numerous nieces and nephews; and other family members and friends. He will be sorely missed. In spite of his illness, Art remained active up until six months ago. Art was an expert on New Mexico economics, taxation, and finance. His advice was sought by many. Art graduated with a BBA and an MBA from the University of New Mexico and a PhD in Economics from the University of Colorado. He directed the Bureau of Business Research and served on the Business School faculty for many years until he became Director of Finance and Administration for the City of Albuquerque in 1974. In 1989, he was appointed the City's Chief Administrative Officer by Mayor Louis Saavedra. Art served on the board of the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) of the United States and Canada and was elected president of GFOA, serving in 1984-85. He was elected to the Anderson Schools of Management Foundation Hall of Fame in 1991. For many years, Art served on the Board of Directors of the NMSO and the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology. Recently, he served on the board of the Explora Science Center and Children's Museum of Albuquerque. He was also active on the Bernalillo County Audit Committee, chaired the advisory Committee of the UNM School of Public Administration, and served on the Board of Advisors on Schools for the Management Foundation. He enjoyed this service and always gave freely of his time and experience. Art was a strong advocate of City-County consolidation of Albuquerque/Bernalillo County governments, and was very involved in the campaign for constitutional amendment #1. Art and his family enjoyed camping and other outdoor activities; bird watching has been a hobby since 1966. He was an excellent wildlife photographer. He was very active in the cultural life of the city and state. The family would like to thank Dr. Clark Haskins, the doctors, nurses, and staff of the New Mexico Oncology Hematology Consultants, Ltd., as well as, the nurses and staff of Unit 5B Presbyterian Hospital for their compassionate and professional care over many years. Donations may be made in Art's memory to the UNM Foundation, 700 Lomas Blvd., Suite 108, for the Arthur Blumenfeld Endowed Lecture Series in the School of Public Administration or to Explora Science Center and Children's Museum of Albuquerque, #98 Winrock Ctr., 2100 Louisiana NE, 87110. Cremation has taken place. A service celebrating Art's life will be held at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, November 11, 2000, at the KiMo Theatre, 5th and Central in downtown Albuquerque. Parking is available in the municipal lot at 5th and Copper NW. French Mortuary, 1111 University Blvd. NE.