Albert "Bud" Wertheimer

Albert L. “Bud” Wertheimer, 75, of Syracuse, passed away Friday, August 24. He passed peacefully at his home surrounded by his family. With his passing, we say goodbye to a man of tremendous intelligence, exceptional wit and good humor, insatiable curiosity, and fierce loyalty to family and friends. Born in Syracuse on April 14, 1937, Bud was graduated from The Manlius School and attended Dartmouth College. Upon graduation in 1959, he went on to receive his MBA from Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business, and his MS from the Thayer School of Engineering. From 1960 to 1963 Bud served in the U.S. Navy as an officer on the aircraft carrier, USS Shangri-La, with the Mediterranean Fleet, with the Atlantic Fleet, and in the Caribbean, during the Cold War and the Cuban Missile Crisis. In 1963 Bud entered the radio business at a time when FM radio was almost unheard of and considered to be an inferior form of media. For the next 15 years he led Upstate New York’s only main channel FM network, known as The Empire State FM Network, with four stations in Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Albany. In 1978 Bud formed the Lincoln Group Ltd. and acquired WVOR-FM in Rochester which soon became one of the country’s first full-service FM stations. A pioneer in community-oriented FM broadcasting, Bud’s innovative approaches in programming, research, sales and marketing earned numerous national and regional awards, and recognition in the National Association of Broadcasters book “Radio: In Search of Excellence.” Bud is well known in the industry for his work with financial institutions in developing financing strategies for broadcast funding. Over the next 15 years, under Bud’s leadership, the Lincoln Group grew into a multi-market radio group including WVOR, WHAM, WPXY, WHTK, WHRR in Rochester; WBUF in Buffalo; WQXK and WSOM in eastern Ohio. After 30 years in the industry, Bud sold the radio stations and retired from broadcasting in 1998. He then co-founded Normal Communications in Rochester, NY. Bud served on numerous committees, including various posts with the National Association of Broadcasters and Governor Mario Cuomo’s Select Committee on Taxation. He is a former trustee of The Manlius School and Manlius Pebble Hill School and was one of the architects of the merger that created that institution. He is a trustee of Crouse Hospital, a former president of the Dartmouth Club of Central New York, and was the founder and director of the Heart of Gold Charitable Foundation. In 2007, Bud was recognized for his role in building, influencing and leading the broadcast industry, and was inducted into the New York State Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame. In 1998 he was inducted into the Rochester Radio Broadcasters Hall of Fame, and in 2012 into the Manlius Pebble Hill Sports Hall of Fame. A 40-year member of the Cavalry Club, the original Golfing Vagabonds, former member of Lakeshore and Lafayette Country Clubs and the Donald Ross Society, Bud enjoyed golf and was an avid Syracuse University sports enthusiast. He was predeceased by his parents, Dorothy Bush Wertheimer and Albert Wertheimer.

He is survived by his loving wife, Mary Fleischman DeSantis; a sister, Jean Stern (Jacob) of Tucson, AZ; three children and six grandchildren, Thomas Wertheimer (Lori Kelly) of Wilmington, NC and their children, Sean, Rachel and Caroline; Michael Wertheimer (Rachel) of Salt Lake City, UT; Jane Wertheimer (Marco Paris) and her children, Chiara, Gabriella and Leonardo of Florence, Italy.

A memorial service will be held for Bud on Wednesday, September 5 at 1 p.m. at the Landmark Theatre, 362 South Salina St., Syracuse. Bud’s family will greet friends, and a reception will follow.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Crouse Health Foundation, 736 Irving Ave., Syracuse, NY 13210; Upstate Cancer Center, 750 East Adams St., CAB326, Syracuse, NY 13210; or Hospice of CNY, 990 7th North St., Liverpool, NY 13088.

Condolences may be offered at www.faroneandson.com.