Howard Alber, 101, was artist, arts advocate, and peace activist

Howard Alber, 101, an artist, graphic designer, arts advocate, and peace activist, whose acquaintances included John Philip Sousa, Salvador Dali, and Norman Rockwell, died Wednesday, Oct. 17, at his home at the Quadrangle, a senior living facility in Haverford.

Mr. Alber was a longtime supporter of the arts and helped further the careers of many younger artists in the Philadelphia area.

He operated his own art gallery, Alber Galleries, in Center City for many years and was a board member of Artists Equity, a group that promotes the business interests of visual artists throughout the tristate area.

Over the course of the 20th century, Mr. Alber met an interesting cross-section of people, said his friend Ross Mitchell, a fellow artist and president of Philadelphia Sketch Club.

Mitchell said Mr. Alber told him that Sousa, the composer and conductor, was a family friend.

"He told me that John Philip Sousa carried him on his shoulders when he was a little kid," Mitchell said.

Through his work as an artist and graphic designer, Mr. Alber met Dali, Rockwell, and the art collector Albert Barnes, Mitchell said.

He said Mr. Alber told him that he met Rockwell several times at the Curtis Building in Center City when Mr. Alber was working there as graphic designer.

Born Howard Albert Rosenstein in Philadelphia on June 13, 1911, he was the son of Alfred and Bertha Rosenstein. As a young man, he legally changed his name to Alber.

He was raised in the city's Tioga section and was a 1929 graduate of Northeast High School. On a scholarship, Mr. Alber attended the School of Industrial Art, now the University of the Arts, graduating in 1933.

Mr. Alber served in the Marine Corps during World War II, working as an artist.

He was married four times. His last three wives, Estelle Feldman Alber, Elaine Nagler Alber, and Carolyn Fiedler Alber, preceded him in death. He was divorced from his first wife, Ruth Nagler, who is among his survivors. He had no children of his own.

For more than 45 years he worked as a graphic designer for several firms, and he was the founding art director for Weightman Advertising, a Philadelphia company.

James Rosenstein, Mr. Alber's nephew, said that Mr. Alber made graphic designs for many area businesses and that he once designed a logo for the Phillies.

He was a founding member of the Artists Guild of Philadelphia and an adviser to the Graphic Arts Association, a trade association. He taught graphic design at several art schools in the area.

Mr. Alber was a donor to many arts groups, including the Allens Lane Arts Center in Mount Airy, which named its Carolyn & Howard Alber Gallery after him and his wife.

Mr. Alber also was an advocate for world peace and, later in life, became an active member of the Nonviolent Peaceforce, an international organization that promotes unarmed civilian peacekeeping in areas of violent conflict.

"He had the biggest heart of anyone," said his friend Saffra Milano, a Philadelphia artist. ". . . He truly believed in world peace. That was a cause that was dear to his heart."

In addition to his last three wives, Mr. Alber was preceded in death by his brothers George M. Rosenstein and Louis C. Rosenstein.

Mr. Alber is survived by stepdaughters Jane Nagler Rich and Susan Nagler Perloff and four step-grandchildren.

A celebration of his life and art is set for Saturday, Nov. 3, at the Allens Lane Art Center, 601 W. Allens Lane, Philadelphia. An exhibit of his work will be open from 3 to 7 p.m. there in the Carolyn & Howard Alber Gallery, and a reception will be held from 5 to 7 p.m.