Larry Rubin, legendary public relations wizard, corporate communications executive, and former Bulletin reporter, has died at 81

Larry Rubin, 81, a creative and dynamic public relations wizard during the glory years of the old Spectrum, who promoted, arranged, and oversaw the performances of rock stars, sports teams, five-star entertainers, superstar athletes, and anyone else who appeared at Philadelphia’s indelible venue, died Thursday, April 28, of heart failure at his home in Wynnewood.

Mr. Rubin most recently owned a public relations firm and before that was vice president of corporate communications for Philadelphia-based Spectacor Management Group. But it was during his years as public relations director at the Spectrum, from 1976 to 1986, that his reputation as a promotional giant was formed.

In those days, when rock star Bruce Springsteen and countless other musicians sold out the Spectrum, when the Harlem Globetrotters made eye-popping basketball shots from half court, when Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus paraded its lumbering elephants around the sawdust floor, Mr. Rubin created zany — and effective — promotions and media campaigns that heralded their arrival and then oversaw the intricate productions.

When informed of his death, one longtime Philadelphia journalist responded with a single word: legend.

“Blending his creativity with his unique sense of humor is what sets Larry apart from other PR professionals,” said Ike Richman, president of Ike Richman Communications and a protégé of Mr. Rubin.

It was Mr. Rubin’s idea, for example, to have a chimpanzee visit a local day-care center and Mayor Bill Green to pose for photos on an elephant to promote a visit by the circus. He was the one who persuaded Mayor W.Wilson Goode to slip on a Globetrotters uniform and Mayor Ed Rendell to challenge star Curly Neal to a foul-shooting contest when the famous basketball team came to town.

“I often find myself asking: ‘What would Larry do?’” Richman said. “And I will continue to be inspired by his imaginative approaches, his creativity, and his sense of humor.”

In 1981, to promote another circus performance, Mr. Rubin arranged for a contest to see who could throw hunks of elephant manure the farthest. Several media types and some circus performers signed up for the event. But when no city officials took the bait, Mr. Rubin told the Daily News: “This is for the novice. Politicians are probably too experienced.”

A former reporter for the Philadelphia Bulletin, Mr. Rubin knew he could create a connection between his clients and the public, to make whatever he was selling as available as possible to anyone who wanted to buy it. And he knew whom to enlist to help him. “I think it’s important for the news media to have proper access and information on an immediate basis,” he told the Daily News in 1997.

He went on to become vice president of corporate communications in the late 1980s when Spectacor Management Group took control of the Spectrum, and his responsibilities expanded to include oversight of 20 marketing directors for arenas, convention centers, auditoriums, and theaters across the United States.

During those years, he worked on media campaigns for a new baseball stadium in San Francisco and other venues in New York, Florida, Massachusetts, and elsewhere. He helped create new logos, planned celebrations, arranged marketing and public relations seminars, and drew up crisis public relations plans.

He became vice president of corporate communications for the Spectrum in 1990 and helped oversee the site selection, architectural planning, and seating sales for Spectrum II, which replaced the old Spectrum in 1996 and is known now as the Wells Fargo Center. Since 1993, he had been a vice president of public relations and communications at two firms and the owner of Rubin Public Relations.

He worked as a reporter in the 1960s for the Bulletin, a speechwriter and information officer for city officials and the Police Department in the 1960s and ’70s, and a public relations representative for the Flyers and countless other organizations. He was also a member of nearly a dozen professional groups.

Mr. Rubin was inducted into the Philadelphia Public Relations Association Hall of Fame in 1997, and told the Daily News: “My dad, who is 86, gave a little speech on how proud he was of his son. To be honored by your peers and have your parents there to share it was very special.”

Born April 11, 1941, Mr. Rubin grew up in Oxford Circle, graduated from Northeast High School in 1959, and earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Temple University in 1966. He told the Daily News he wanted to be an FBI agent when he was a teenager but his high school grades were “horrible, terrible.”

He met Flora Kauffman on a blind date, and they married in 1966, had daughter Leslie and son Stephen, and lived in Narberth and Wynnewood. Mr. Rubin was a passionate sports fan and music lover who often took his children to events at the Spectrum and elsewhere.

“He was a people person,” said his son. “He was uniquely empathetic and interested in other people. To me, he was so caring, so giving.”

Mr. Rubin and his wife attended the orchestra and opera, sailed on cruises, and shared their love of museums, art, and culture with their children and grandchildren. He was a councilman in Narberth for a decade.

“He was the coolest father,” said his daughter. “He impressed my friends, never said no to them or me. We felt we understood each other. I am so proud to be his daughter.”

In addition to his wife and children, Mr. Rubin is survived by two grandchildren, a brother, and other relatives.

A service is scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday, May 1, at Roosevelt Memorial Park, 2701 Old Lincoln Highway, Trevose, Pa. 19053.

Donations in his name may be made to Lankenau Medical Center in honor of Bruce Kornberg, Mr. Rubin’s doctor and friend, 240 Radnor Chester Road, Suite 340, Radnor, Pa. 19087, and the Philadelphia Police Foundation, P.O. Box 4358, Philadelphia, Pa. 19118.