Obituary of Lawrence Norton Van Doren

Lawrence N. Van Doren, 87, a lifelong resident of South Orange village, died on Jan. 9, 2009. Services will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 25, 2009, at the Church of St. Andrew and Holy Communion, 160 W. South Orange Ave., South Orange. Arrangements are by Preston Funeral Home, South Orange. Mr. Van Doren was born on Feb. 16, 1921, at Orange Memorial Hospital. He was a graduate of Governor Dummer Academy in Byfield, Mass., and of Williams College. After apprenticeship in New York City advertising agencies, he joined the American Bankers Association, a trade organization of the nation's full-service banks, as a copywriter. As director of the association's advertising department in the 1960s, when the industry came to embrace the concept of marketing, Mr. Van Doren, in cooperation with bankers and staff leaders, developed a number of innovative products and services to build bank business. He was active in home community activities over the years, serving terms as warden of the Church of St. Andrew and later of the merged churches of St. Andrew and Holy Communion. He also served as a board member of the Community Day Nursery of the Oranges and as a member of the Board of Governors of the Orange Lawn Tennis Club. Following retirement, Mr. Van Doren devoted his energies to the creation of artistic, literary and musical projects and to volunteer work. At various times, he served, among others, St. Barnabas Medical Center, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and the New Jersey Cardinals minor league baseball club, all in the Garden State. In New York City, he volunteered at the Advertising Club of New York, Stanley M. Isaac Neighborhood Center, WNET Channel Thirteen, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and the Frick Collection. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, the former Barbara Milbank; two sons, Frederick L. Van Doren of Carlisle, Pa., and Durand H. Van Doren of Trumansburg, N.Y.; a daughter, Jane Van Doren Rodda of Vienna, Va., and 10 grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to STRIVE (East Harlem Employment Service, Inc.), 240 E. 123th St., New York, N.Y. 10035-2038, or to the American Parkinson's Disease Association Inc., Parkinson Plaza, 135 Parkinson Ave., Staten Island, N.Y. 10305-1425.