Warren Alpert

Warren Alpert (December 2, 1920 – March 3, 2007) was an American entrepreneur and philanthropist. Born to poor immigrant parents, he served in U.S. military intelligence during World War II. His privately held businesses distributed gasoline, tobacco and food, and operated a chain of convenience stores and gas stations in the Northeastern United States. He gave away much of his fortune to support medical research at universities and hospitals, donating hundreds of millions of dollars.

Early life and education

Alpert was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts on December 2, 1920. His parents, Goodman Alpert and Tina Horowitz Alpert, were immigrants from Lithuania, and his father worked as a peddler selling dry goods. He was the youngest of five children. At age 13, Alpert started selling towels and sheets out of the trunk of his father's car. He graduated from Chelsea High School and sold hats after school. He worked seven days a week while earning his bachelor's degree from Boston University College of Arts and Sciences, graduating in 1942. He served in military intelligence during World War II, was wounded on Omaha Beach during the D-Day invasion of France, and received a Purple Heart. After the war, he attended Harvard Business School on the GI Bill, and earned a Master of Business Administration in 1947. He had a used car, $1000 in savings and a $9000 loan from an older brother, Benjamin Alpert. Initially, he owned and operated a dry goods store, and then he bought and operated some gas stations. He was soon able to pay back the loan his brother had given him. The Xtra Mart chain grew to over 250 locations under his leadership. His privately held businesses had no long term debt

Philanthropy

In 1974, Alpert donated money to Boston University to convert a parking lot to a tree lined park with a grassy berm to cut down on traffic noise. The park is named the Warren Alpert Mall, but is commonly called the BU Beach.

In 1986, he established the Warren Alpert Foundation with the goal of improving the health of the public.

Personal life

Alpert was never married. He was an outgoing man of simple tastes who did not own a yacht or a private plane or employ a chauffeur. According to his nephew Herbert Kaplan, "he had a tremendous zeal for life" and would wear a red tie to a black tie event, enjoying the attention. In his later years, Alpert turned management of his businesses over to Kaplan, and continued to live at the Ritz Tower in Manhattan.

Alpert died at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan on March 3, 2007. He was buried in Woburn, Massachusetts.

Legacy

The Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University is named after him. His foundation, in cooperation with Harvard, operates the Warren Alpert Foundation Prize, which awards $500,000 to teams of outstanding medical researchers annually.