Mahlon Rubin, CPA, 89, co-founder of RubinBrown, one of the nation’s largest accounting and business consulting firms, died Thursday.
According to RubinBrown’s current managing partner, John Herber, even after retirement, Rubin remained very engaged in the firm as retired partner of counsel and came into the office every day, as he had for the past 62 years.
After graduating from Washington University in St. Louis with a Bachelor of Science in accounting, Rubin, along with Harvey Brown and Sidney Gornstein, formed Rubin, Brown, Gornstein & Co. in 1952. Today the firm ranks 48th on Accounting Today’s 2014 list of the Top 100 Firms and has more than 450 team members working from offices in Denver, Kansas City and St. Louis.
In 1996, Rubin received the gold medal for Distinguished Service from the American Institute of CPAs. In 1990, he was awarded Outstanding Businessperson of the Year by the city of Clayton and Outstanding Businessperson of the Year by St. Louis County. Washington University bestowed him with a Distinguished Alumnus Award and St. Louis University with a Distinguished Accounting Award. He also was named the Best Tax Practitioner by Money Magazine and Accounting Advocate of the Year, State of Missouri, by the Small Business Administration.
He remained active in the profession, serving as a member of the Missouri and New York Societies of CPAs and the AICPA. He was former member of the board of directors and governing council for the AICPA, and a former member of the editorial board of the Journal of Accountancy. He was past president of the St. Louis Chapter of the MSCPA and former chairman of the Mid-America Tax Conference.
Rubin was very active in charitable and community work as well, serving as a member of the board of directors, Barnes-Jewish Hospital Foundation and as honorary president, member of the board of directors and past president of the Jewish Center for Aged. He was a former member of the board of directors, treasurer and a member of the executive committee of the Jewish Hospital of St. Louis and served on the board of directors and treasurer of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis.
He also was a member of the Washington University Alumni Association Executive Committee; and served on the Accounting Advisory Board for Southern Illinois-Edwardsville University. Rubin was a member of Temple Israel’s board of directors and the Library Board for University City. In 1991, he received the “Guardian of the Menorah” award from the B’nai Brith Foundation of the USA. Rubin was also a former Commander of Jewish War Veterans for the State of Missouri.
“Mahlon set high values for all of us,” said Herber in a statement. “He was steadfast in his dedication to superior client service. It was his passion for totally satisfied clients that build the foundation of our firm and the core values we live by every day. There’s no doubt that we wouldn’t be the firm we are today without him. He will be missed greatly.”
Rubin is survived by his wife Maurine, his sons Larry, Rich and Ken, and many other loving family members.
The funeral service is scheduled for Sunday, September 7, at noon, at Berger Memorial Chapel, 9430 Olive Boulevard, Olivette, Mo. 63132. No visitation prior to the service. Interment will follow at Beth Hamedrosh Hagodol Cemetary, 9125 Ladue Road, Ladue, Mo. 63124. For more information, visit the firm's Web site,
