By Edna M. Davis, Tyme Gallery

      While many claim to want peace in this world, Howard Alber has been a crusader
all his life.  Alber, who has worked tirelessly for many causes,
especially his first love, art, made his first formal contribution to
the world by designing and donating a peace poster to the National Women’s
League at the age of 7.  The poster was used for a national campaign
for “Peace and Freedom”.

      Both of his parents Alfred Rosenstein and Bertha Rhode Rosenstein were major
influences in his life.  At just the age of  6 ½ his mother
knew she had a special someone destined for greatness, when she gave
Alber his first painting kit, a Windsor & Newton Field Sketch Box
with an easel and a drawing board.  Mrs. Rosenstein was so excited
about giving Howard his paint set she could not wait for his 7^th
birthday and threw him a special birthday party  at the age of
6 ½.

      While still in high school, Alber understood the importance being noticed
and decided to change his name from Howard Albert Rosenstein to Howard
Alber.  He wanted to enter a professional art contest and could
not enter as a student.  This national contest sponsored by the
Portland Cement Industry in Allentown was looking for a design for the
ideal house with maximum efficiency.  Alber managed to take 2^nd
place, a major boost for a budding artist still in high school. 
His father informed him that if he wanted to continue his education
beyond high school he would need to win a scholarship to pay for his
education.  He later won a 4 year scholarship to the School of
Industrial Arts, now University of the Arts.  Alfred Rosenstein,
always wanting his son to understand the importance of giving back,
told young Alber that when he graduated he in turn must give 2 scholarships
back to the school.  Alber went on to donate 4 scholarships to
the school, feeling it was the only fair thing an alumni member should
do.

      In his 99 years and counting, Alber has moved on to perform many acts that
few know about.  As a high school student Alber also started the
Rittenhouse Show. The School Art League (Central High) was looking for
a place where young artists could exhibit their work. It started as
the Clothes Line Show. In its year of inception over 90% of the artwork
was purchased.  The Rittenhouse Show almost started as the Boat
House Row Show but the residents of Boathouse Row at the time flatly
voted it down.  Alber came up with the idea of the Clothesline
Show after noting that many art shows in France at that time were exhibited
in the out of doors on clotheslines.  France is also where he got
the idea to change his name.  Artists were taking their last name
and dropping the last letter and capitalizing the new last letter, hence
Alber from Albert. He decided to drop Rosenstein all together.

      Alber went on to accomplish many humanitarian acts throughout his life (all
too numerous to cover) and many have lived on today.  Another such
act was the Allens Lane Art Center in Mount Airy.  While Alber
did not accomplish setting up the center on his own it had its start
in his living room.  Concerned residents of Mt Airy wanted a safe
place for children to play. They came together and jointly purchased
part of the Allens Lane Estate House which is now the art center. 
After a few years of running the center it was donated to the city of
Philadelphia and became part of the Parks and Recreation program.

      Alber also ran the Contemporary Art Association for about 4 years. There,
he represented young artists who had trouble joining guilds or having
their work represented in a gallery.  He later established Alber
Galleries another where he represented young un-established artists. 
He later created the “Philadelphia Registry”, a file of Philadelphia
art and photography.

      After all of these accomplishments and more, Alber still feels he needs to
contribute. He has done so in recent years by establishing a local chapter
for NP.  NP (Nonviolent Peaceforce) is something Alber discusses
everyday and still can be found speaking on the phone and writing letters
to every and anyone who will listen to his cause. 

      Howard Alber, 99 years young, a force whose impact on this world is immeasurable. 
Now a resident at the Quadrangle in Haverford, Howard Alber loves to
reminisce and continue his work for NP.