Marshall Butler passed away last week at the age of 85.
Riverside Memorial obituary.....
BUTLER--Marshall, businessman, philanthropist and supporter of the arts, died at the age of 85 of heart failure at home in New York City where he was surrounded by his loving family. Marshall was respected and admired by associates and friends for the honesty, integrity and generosity that he showed in his business and personal affairs. Mr. Butler co-founded Alloys Unlimited, a sub-components manufacturer for the semi-conductor industry, in 1958. In 1971, the Company merged with Plessy, a manufacturer of telephone equipment and electronic components. That merger was the first between a British company and an American company using ADRs (American Depository Receipts) that allow a stock for stock tax free merger. In 1973, he took over as CEO, and a few years later, as Chairman of AVX Corporation a manufacturer of ceramic capacitors. The company grew to over $500M by 1989 when Mr. Butler facilitated the merger of AVX and Kyocera, the first merger between an American and a Japanese company. He served as a Senior Managing Director of Kyocera until he retired in 1994. At the age of 64, Marshall began a second career as a venture capitalist, where he was a pioneer in attracting foreign venture capital to invest in Israel. His first fund started with $12 million in capital. By the time he retired, Mr. Butler had raised over $600 million and helped fund over 50 Israeli high tech companies. In 1998 he received the Prime Minister's award for his achievements in bringing venture capital to Israel. In addition to his business activities, Marshall was active in many charitable non-profit organizations including The American Technion Society, Israel's most prestigious engineering institution, where he served on the Board of Governors. In 2001, he received an Honorary Doctorate from the Technion. Marshall was a former board member of the Association of Resident Theaters of New York City. He also gave financial support for many years to the United Jewish Appeal and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). Marshall was born in Manhattan in 1927, and attended the Bronx High School of Science. He served in the U.S. Navy during WWII and attended New York University on the GI Bill. Marshall is survived by his wife of 53 years, Marilyn, and children Hillary, Lawrence, Michael and Eliot and his six grandchildren. He is also survived by his sister, Rhoda and many nieces and nephews. We will all miss his warmth, love and generosity.
BUTLER--Marshall D. We deeply mourn the passing of Marshall D. Butler, an enlightened businessman and a citizen of the world in a true sense of the word. He combined the talent of a financial genius with the humility of one's best friend who cared more about others than himself. He was as much at home in Kyoto or Tokyo as he was in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem, or in uptown Manhattan or Quogue, Long Island. Marshall received his degree in Business Administration from NYU and grew up on West 155th Street in Manhattan. He founded Alloys Unlimited with his friends Hamburg Tang and Greg Coleman, and the company went public and was a very successful semiconductor piece parts manufacturer. Plessey Ltd., a major English electronics corporation, bought Alloys Unlimited some years later. Marshall was asked by investors to join Aerovox Corporation of Myrtle Beach, NC, later called AVX. He quickly became its Chairman and CEO and that company some years later was acquired by Kyocera of Kyoto, Japan in a transaction for shares, never done before by a Japanese company. Kyocera became listed on the NYSE. Marshall remained an important Director of Kyocera. AVX was later partially spun off from Kyocera but Marshall remained close to the founder of Kyocera, Dr. Kazuo Inamori. The Jewish technology businessman and the founder of Kyocera, now KDDI, became immersed in helping others. In Marshall's case, the State of Israel and its great non-profit the Technion Institute. Dr. Inamori founded the Inamori Foundation and created the Kyoto Prize. Marshall served as a Director of Kyocera Venture Capital. Back in America, Marshall also served as a Director of Mass Mutual Corporate Investors and Mass Mutual Participation Investors. As his interest in Israel became more pronounced, Marshall received the Israeli Prime Ministers award for his contribution to Israeli industry and he received an Honoree Doctorate from the Technion Institute. In Israel, Marshall was Chairman of Infinity Private Equity Fund. He was a Director of Tadiran Telecommunications Ltd., Shellcase, Galil Medical Ltd. and in New York he was a member of the NY State Council of Humanities, and A.R.T New York, which manages a host of off Broadway theaters Back in Israel, he became a Director of Syneron Medical Ltd., which later went public in the U.S. One rarely meets a man as devoted to quality in his business activities and generosity, as well, in all he did. He was blessed with a devoted family, his wife Marilyn, his sons, Michael, Elliot, Larry, his daughter, Hillary, and their families, as was well as his friends who will find the future with a little less quality, but also joyously filled with wonderful memories and important examples of how one should live their lives. The Towbin Family
Syneron Medical Announces Death of Longtime Board Member Marshall D. Butler
YOKNEAM, Israel, Nov. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Syneron Medical Ltd. (NASDAQ: ELOS), the leading global aesthetic device company, announced the death of Marshall D. Butler, member of the Company's Board of Directors since 2003.
Shimon Eckhouse, Ph.D., Founder and Chairman of the Board of Syneron Medical, said, "Syneron, its Board of Directors, executives and employees are greatly saddened by the passing of a great friend, long-time board member, mentor and supporter. Marshall has been with us from our inception and contributed to the growth and success of Syneron. On behalf of everyone at Syneron, we extend our deep condolences to his family and friends and the many colleagues whose lives he touched."
Marshall Butler joined the Syneron Medical Board of Directors in 2003, helping to guide the Company through a successful initial public offering, secondary offering, business development transactions and periods of rapid revenue growth. In addition to his work with Syneron, Marshall had a long and distinguished business career. He was co- founder and served as a chairman of both First Israel Mezzanine Investors Fund and Israeli Infinity VC Fund. He was a director of Tadiran Telecommunications Ltd., Shellcase, and Galil Medical Ltd. He served as chairman of Nitzanim, AVX-Kyocera VC from 1994 to 2001, CEO and chairman of AVX Corporation from 1974 to 1993 and as director of Kyocera VC from 1990 to 1994. In 1998, Mr. Butler received the Israeli Prime Minister's award for his contribution to Israeli industry.
In addition to his great achievements in the business world, Marshall will be remembered for his work as a philanthropist and supporter of the arts. He was active in many charitable non-profit organizations including The American Technion Society, Israel's most prestigious engineering institution, where he served on the Board of Governors. In 2001, he received an Honorary Doctorate from the Technion. Marshall was a former board member of the Association of Resident Theaters of New York City. He also gave financial support for many years to the United Jewish Appeal and the Anti- Defamation League (ADL).
Marshall was born in Manhattan in 1927, and attended the Bronx High School of Science. He served in the U.S. Navy during Word War II and attended New York University on the GI Bill. Marshall is survived by his wife of 53 years, Marilyn, and children Hillary, Lawrence, Michael and Eliot and his six grandchildren. He is also survived by his sister, Rhoda and many nieces and nephews.
About Syneron Medical Ltd.
Syneron Medical Ltd. (NASDAQ: ELOS) is the leading global aesthetic device company with a comprehensive product portfolio and a global distribution footprint. The Company's technology enables physicians to provide advanced solutions for a broad range of medical-aesthetic applications including body contouring, hair removal, wrinkle reduction, rejuvenation of the skin's appearance through the treatment of superficial benign vascular and pigmented lesions, and the treatment of acne, leg veins and cellulite. The Company sells its products under two distinct brands, Syneron and Candela. Founded in 2000, the corporate, R&D, and manufacturing headquarters for Syneron Medical Ltd. are located in Israel. Syneron also has R&D and manufacturing operations in the US. The Company markets, services and supports its products in 90 countries. It has offices in North America, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, UK, Australia, China, Japan, and Hong Kong and distributors worldwide.
