Obituary of Stanley Pardo

Stanley Thomas Pardo, of Montclair, New Jersey, passed away after a long illness on Saturday, April 7, 2012 at 3:40pm. He was 76 years old and had lived life with gusto and enthusiasm. He was born on November 22, 1935 in Jersey City, New Jersey. His parents, Mary and Aurelio Pardo, had limited financial, but abundant intellectual resources, and fostered the work ethic, guts, and love of learning that drove all of their children to success in life. Stanley graduated as valedictorian of his class from St. Peter's Preparatory School in Jersey City in 1953. He then went on to Holy Cross College in Worcester, Mass., on a Navy scholarship as part of the US Navy ROTC program, earning an A.B. with Honors in History & Philosophy in the Honors Course in 1957. Stan met his future wife, Mary Alyce, while at Holy Cross and traveled many times to Newton College of the Sacred Heart to accompany her to dances or other events. Born with a gift for language and expression, Stan effortlessly won debating competitions while at Holy Cross and continued to be through later life an adept writer and public speaker. In 1958, he entered active duty as an ensign with the US Navy. He served on the USS Canberra, one of the first guided missile cruisers, as a member of the staff of the Commander Cruiser Force of the Atlantic Fleet, circumnavigating the globe and twice crossing the Equator at the international dateline. He was released from active service in 1961 with the rank of Lieutenant and joined the Naval Reserve. He ultimately retired from the Reserve in 1995 with the rank of Commander. He married Mary Alyce in June of 1962, and earned his L.L.B. from the Columbia University School of Law in 1963. He practiced law from 1963 to 1971 as an associate attorney in the corporate department of Breed, Abbott & Morgan, a major New York City law firm. In 1971, he left the practice of law and spent the remainder of his professional career in investment banking, initially joining Eastman Dillon, Union Securities & Co. as Vice President of Public Finance. Four years later, he was appointed Executive Vice President of the Municipal Bond division of the merged Blyth Eastman Dillon & Co. in charge of public finance, municipal bond underwriting, trading and sales. He also served as a Director of that firm and converted Eastman Dillon from a niche player in industrial revenue bond financing to top rankings in all important areas of public finance at that time: public power, housing, healthcare, pollution control, transportation and corporate-related issuances. In 1980, he was named Managing Director in charge of the Public Finance Department of Blyth Eastman PaineWebber, and in 1983 Chairman of the Municipal Securities Group management Committee at PaineWebber. In 1985, he joined Shearson Lehman Brothers Inc. as Managing Director of the Public Finance Department. Stanley pioneered many of what later became standard state housing revenue bond programs in the single-family, multifamily, and home improvement areas. He served on the Public Securities Association as a member of the Public Finance, Membership and Tax Reform committees. He was a member of the Municipal committee of the Securities Industry Association, also serving as that association's chairman for a term during the 1980s. From 1991, during semi-retirement, he worked as a consultant to Ring, McAfee & Company Inc. in the areas of project finance and merchant banking. He loved the City and never grew tired of walking around its streets and neighborhoods. He possessed a wealth of knowledge about all kinds of buildings and places around the City. When his children were young, prior to the building of the World Trade Center, he never failed to say "look kids - there's the tallest building in the world" when driving past the skyline with the illuminated Empire State Building at night. For many years, his office was located on the 100th floor of one of the towers of the World Trade Center, and he was among those who evacuated the building on foot during the first World Trade Center attack. Stan and Mary Alyce owned a summer home in Nantucket, Mass., and with their children enjoyed the beauty and serenity of summers there. Stan loved to travel and took every opportunity to do so. He was a devoted Catholic and gave much of his time to active participation in his parish at Immaculate Conception Church, including teaching in the CCD program for many years. Stan loved to have a good time, and shared many late night revelries with friends. He was a maverick who nonetheless succeeded in the system. He was opinionated but also a peacemaker. He bore the burdens of his long illness without complaints or self-pity. He appreciated music and loved to dance. He leaves behind his wife of 50 years, Mary Alyce, and four devoted children: Georgiana M. Pardo of Charles Town, West Virginia, Helaine G. Utzinger and her spouse Henry of Wayne, New Jersey, Thomas S. Pardo, his spouse Johanna, their child, Nicholas S. Pardo, all of Maplewood, New Jersey, and Alyson A. Pardo of Montclair, New Jersey. He also leaves behind his brother Joseph A. Pardo of Philomont, Virginia, his sister Mary Ann Pardo of Holly Spring, North Carolina, and his sister Patricia Walker of Middleburg, Virginia. A wake will be held on Wednesday, April 11 at 2:00 to 4:00pm and 7:00 to 9:00pm at the Hugh M. Moriarty Funeral Home, 76 Park Street, Montclair, NJ, and a funeral mass will be celebrated on Thursday, April 12 at 9:40am at Immaculate Conception Church, 30 North Fullerton Ave., Montclair, NJ. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made in his memory to St. Peter's Preparatory School, 144 Grand Street, Jersey City, NJ 07302 or www.stpetersprep.org, or to the Resurrection School, 189 Brunswick Street, Jersey City, NJ 07302 or www.resurrectionschooljcnj.org. To be announced