Person:Aren Gelfond (1)

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Aren C. Gelfond, Deli Sales Professional
b.27 Dec 1926 Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
d.23 Jun 1984 Los Angeles County, California
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Name Aren C. Gelfond, Deli Sales Professional
Alt Name Aren Cer Gelfond
Gender Male
Birth[1] 27 Dec 1926 Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
Marriage to Zelda Pauline Pernitz
Death[1] 23 Jun 1984 Los Angeles County, California
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About Aren Gelfond

Aren C. Gelfond was born 27 December 1926 in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. He graduated from John Marshall High School [Chicago, Ill.] in 1944, and immediately enlisted into the United States Army where he joined the tank corps, serving at the tail-end of World War II. While he was in the service he married his third grade sweetheart, Zelda Pernitz, who also attended John Marshall High School in Chicago.

Aren received his honorable discharge from the Army in 1947, and went into the product business with his father immediately thereafter. After finding out that the working shifts in the produce industry involved working early at 3 a.m., Aren soon lost interest in that business.

After trying many different jobs including selling Life Insurance for Metropolitan Life, Aren opened up his own small 1,500 sq. ft. supermarket in 1949, which he operated for three years before selling the business in 1952. During that time, Aren had gone to school for three days a week to learn how to become a butcher, which gave him a basic understanding of meat and delicatessan products. Afterwards, he managed a fancy food delivery service on the North side of Chicago until making a move to Los Angeles, California in 1956 in search of a warmer climate.

He took a job with Fox Markets which lasted just three days, then took a job as a telephone delivery clerk at Hazen's, where he worked for three years before being promoted to production manager. In 1959, he bought the San Fernando Valley franchise for Pepperidge Farm Products and for the next two years built up the sales routes and sold them off to other salesmen.
In December 1961, he landed a job as the West Coast Sales Manager for Best's Kosher Sausage Products, where he worked with distributors and their salesmen in extending Best's accounts in the eleven western states.

During his career with Best's Kosher Sausage Co., Aren Gelfond was active in a local Southern California food-industry trade association, the Dairy/Deli/Bakery Council (DDBC), an organization that still exists today in 2014. He served as the Dinner Dance Chairman in 1964, on the Deli Fun Day Committee and the Code Dating Committee. He also starred in the 1965 Deli Council musical "Guys and Deli's" and was instrumental in starting the "Deli School" to help educate members about the deli industry. He also served on the Board of Directors as Council Secretary from 1965 to 1966. For his leadership in the Deli industry, he was recognized by the Deli Council in October 1965, when he received its "Big Cheese" Award.

Aren Golfond passed away on 23 June 1984 in Los Angeles County, California. His wife Zelda [Pernitz] Gelfond pre-deceased him on 4 October 1983; they had two sons, David and Fredd, who grew up with the family in Canoga Park, California. Aren's contributions to the food industry and the Deli Council of Southern California will be remembered by his co-workers and friends for many years to come.


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References
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 California. Department of Public Health. Bureau of Vital Statistics. Death Index, 1940-1997.

    Name: Aren Cer Gelfond
    Social Security #: 360145857
    Gender: Male
    Birth Date: 27 Dec 1926
    Birth Place: Illinois
    Death Date: 23 Jun 1984
    Death Place: Los Angeles
    Mother's Maiden Name: Mendelsohn

  2.   Cook, Illinios, United States. Cook County, Birth Index, 1916-1935. (Cook, Illiniois, United States: Cook County Clerk's Office, 2008).

    Name: Aren Gelfond
    Birth Date: 27 Dec 1926
    Birth Location: Cook County, IL
    File Number: 6059678
    Archive Collection Name: Cook County Genealogy Records (Births)
    Archive repository location: Chicago, IL
    Archive repository name: Cook County Clerk

  3.   Social Security Administration. Social Security Death Index: Death Master File, database. (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service).

    Name: Aren Gelfond
    SSN: 360-14-5857
    Last Residence: 91304 Canoga Park, Los Angeles, California, USA
    BORN: 27 Dec 1926
    Died: Jun 1984
    State (Year) SSN issued: Illinois (Before 1951)

  4.   Ancestry.com. U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010. (Provo, Utah, United States: Ancestry.com Operations, 2011).

    U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010
    Name: Aren Gelfond
    Birth Date: 27 Dec 1926
    Death Date: 23 Jun 1984
    SSN: 360145857
    Branch 1: ARMY
    Enlistment Date 1: 7 Jul 1945
    Release Date 1: 7 Jan 1947

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