SOUTHBURY - Nathan Boolhack, who lived with his wife in Heritage Village for 38 years, died October 18, 2009, at the age of 99. Mr. Boolhack died peacefully at the Middlebury Convalescent Home in Middlebury. As the founder, publisher and editor of Electronic & Appliance Specialist magazine in New York City between 1955 and 1970, he was a pioneer in the nascent trade magazine field, and provided coverage for a rapidly expanding consumer electronics industry following World War II. Mr. Boolhack spent the majority of his working career in the publishing field, editing several national business magazines before founding his own. Electronic & Appliance Specialist was distributed throughout the tri-state area and featured interviews with the heads of major electronics companies. These, too, had been written by Mr. Boolhack. Often the magazine's advertising copy and design elements also were designed by Mr. Boolhack, thereby assisting his distributor-advertisers who perhaps lacked a knack for the catchy phrase or a keen eye for layout. Even after selling the magazine and relocating from Long Island to the Southbury retirement community, Mr. Boolhack maintained his career interests and skills as a consultant to area companies. Between 1978 and 1981 Mr. Boolhack was a member of the Heritage Village Condo 12 Board of Directors. He also was the first editor of Condo 12's newsletter, "The News at 12." Nathan Boolhack was born Oct. 12, 1910, in Flushing, N.Y., the tenth and youngest child of Morris and Yetta Boolhack.
He attended New York University during the Depression years, graduating in 1934 with a degree in Journalism and Economics from the School of Commerce. Several years of graduate work were completed at New York University's School of Public Administration. Mr. Boolhack met his future wife, Sally (nee Bond), also a NYU student, in French class. The couple married in 1936 and had just celebrated their seventy-third anniversary a week before Mr. Boolhack's death.
After graduation and before the start of his professional career, Mr. Boolhack was employed by the New York Department of Welfare as a case worker from 1935 to 1943.
In the last years of World War II, Mr. Boolhack was active in the Jewish Welfare Board. He enjoyed recounting a memorable task he undertook for the JWB: planning a Passover Seder meal for the hundreds of Jewish enlisted men attending the training camps in Louisiana. A voracious reader, Mr. Boolhack continued to receive The New York Times up to the time of his death. He and his wife enjoyed travels to many far destinations, particularly an overseas plane flight on the Concorde. Mr. Boolhack is survived by his wife; a daughter, Laurie Levoy, and son-in-law William of Scotch Plains, N,J; a son, Michael; grandsons Benjamin, Jason and Adam; sister-in-law Anna Bond of Queens, N.Y.; and nieces and nephews Renee Becker of Long Island, Abraham Gitlow of Florida, Bernice Held of Arizona, Yvette Tekel of New Jersey and Marco Bolhack of Arizona. Burial services were held in New York. Condolences may be sent to the Munson-Lovetere Funeral Homes Inc., P.O. Box 491, Woodbury, CT. 06798, or to www.munsonloveterefuneralhome.com.

Location: Munson-Lovetere Southbury