Robert Dworsky

Robert Arnold Dworsky (Bob) was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on October 25^th, 1925. His parents were Lewis and Ida (Fineberg) Dworsky. Lew was born in the USA of Lithuanian parents, and Ida was born in Russia and came to the USA as a child. In 1933, when Bob was seven years old, the family moved to St. Paul; and Bob grew up in their house on Iglehart and Wheeler. Bob was an excellent student, and for many years, held the record for the highest grade point average at St. Paul’s Central High School, where he graduated in 1942.

He did his undergraduate degree at the University of Minnesota and the University of Pennsylvania (where he attended as a participant in the Naval V-12 College Program). In 1942, at the age of 17, he had enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served in Hawaii with the rank of ensign. After his service, Bob graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1949 and began his law practice in St. Paul. He was admired and respected as a brilliant attorney, and in 1962 formed the “Dworsky & Rosen” law firm in partnership with attorney William S. Rosen. Beginning in 1956, he performed legal services for his old college friend, Billy Weitzman. Bob eventually became a development partner in Billy’s company, William H. Weitzman and Associates, a firm which designed and built apartments in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul). Bob’s brother, the renowned Los Angeles architect Dan Dworsky, was brought in to design many of the buildings.

Bob owned the World Theater from 1970 through 1978; Shirley owned it until1980.

Upon Weitzman’s death, Bob retained his ownership share in many of the buildings, and formed his own company, Multifam Corporation, to manage them. But he was granted sole ownership of the Shubert Building apartments and the adjacent World Theater (later renamed The Fitzgerald) in St. Paul, which became the permanent home of Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion on Minnesota Public Radio. In 1978, MPR had approached Bob about renting the theater during broadcast weekends. Bob was a lover of the arts and generously gave MPR use of the theater for a flat fee of $90 per week. The show’s producer at the time recalled that “this fee was supposed to cover heating and lighting. I can’t imagine it came close.”

Bob passed away that same year, but Shirley never raised the rent. MPR eventually purchased the theater from Shirley.

Although he was raised in a non-observant Jewish home, Bob developed a deep affection for the State of Israel. Beginning in the 1960’s, initially inspired by his wife Shirley’s activism, he began volunteering with fundraising for organizations dedicated to Israeli causes. Bob visited Israel on multiple occasions, and those visits recharged his love for the country, its people, and its culture. He was especially active in the United Jewish Fund and Council.

Bob and Shirley were married in 1949. They had four children: Alan, Richard, Susan, and Sally. Sadly, Bob died at age 53 of a heart attack while skiing in Colorado. So, he never got to meet his grandchildren. He had recently left the real estate development group headed by attorney, Bill Fine, and had just returned to the practice of law, joining the firm of his brother in law, Jerry Simon. But he departed this world far too early, and we’ll never know what other adventures awaited him.

Beneath the exterior of the impressive, serious lawyer and real estate developer/manager, dressed impeccably in custom made suits, Bob had a deeply creative side. Due to his artistic talents, his job portfolio with the Weitzman firm expanded to include furnishing and interior decorating the apartments. He scripted and shot charming home 8mm movies starring his little children; recited poetry into his office dictation device; recorded himself singing alone and with his kids on the latest technology of the era, a Wollensak tape recorder; and he shot several series of beautiful portrait photos of himself wearing different hats and making ridiculous funny faces.

Bob loved jazz and Broadway, was an amateur cartoonist, an amateur bongos player, a decent downhill skier and water skier, and loved spending time with family at their cabin on Half Moon Lake in Wisconsin.