Melville 'Mickey' Straus, Former Guild Hall Chairman, Dies at 75

Melville Mickey" Straus, former chairman at Guild Hall, died at his home in New York City on May 1, according to a death notice in the New York Times. He was 75.

According to the Times, Mr. Straus served as Guild Hall's chairman from 1995 to 2013. He was honored by the organization with a Guild Hall Lifetime Achievement Award last year. Prior to his time at Guild Hall, Mr. Straus served as chairman of the American Ballet Theatre from 1982 to 1990. He also acted as treasurer-secretary of Independent Curators International and was a member of the Contemporary Arts Council of the Museum of Modern Art.

"He’s a tremendous loss to us," said Guild Hall's Director of Marketing and Communications Barbra Jo Howard. "He was a wonderful man with a true, deep passion for the arts, enthusiasm, and really a wonderful attitude towards life. He was so supportive of all of those who worked with him.”

Mr. Straus was the founder of the Hamptons Insitute, a partnership between the Roosevelt Institute and Guild Hall, which brings a panel of local and global professionals together to discuss policy in business, politics, and the environment, among other areas.

"He came to almost every event here at Guild Hall," said Ms. Howard. "When we were doing the renovation, we had no theatre and he had the ballet come and perform in his backyard. The whole thing was done outside. Just to show you the magic that Mickey had ... it had been pouring rain and we thought we’d have to cancel. Three hours before the performance, the clouds parted, there was sun, but not too much that the dancers were hot. And the performance went on, it was alfresco, it was absolutely breathtaking. It was a true unique and special experience that he provided for all of us. He was a very special man"

Mr. Straus earned a Bachelor of Arts at Dartmouth College, according to the death notice. He was also a Lieutenant in the Navy, and earned his MBA from Harvard Business School as a Baker Scholar.

He is survived by his wife, Leila; his children Scott, Alexandra, and Ben; and two grandchildren, according to the Times obituary.

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