Gilbert Vernon Rubin, former longtime executive director of Baltimore's Board of Municipal and Zoning Appeals, died of an undisclosed illness Oct. 13 at his Northwest Baltimore home. He was 89.
Born in Baltimore, the son of Russian immigrants who owned and operated a Park Circle grocery store, Mr. Rubin was raised in Northwest Baltimore.
He was a 1938 graduate of City College and earned a bachelor's degree from the Johns Hopkins University.
During World War II, he enlisted in the Army Air Forces, where he attained the rank of captain and was a flight controller.
After the war, he graduated from the University of Baltimore School of Law in 1947, and worked briefly as a lawyer before being appointed as the first secretary to the Board of Municipal and Zoning Appeals in 1947.
He retired in 1996.
A resident of Fallstaff for more than 53 years, Mr. Rubin enjoyed collecting and drinking wine, which he shared with family and friends.
"Former City Councilman Mimi DiPietro always called him the 'Wine Commissar,' " said his wife of 66 years, the former Shifra Meyer.
Mr. Rubin had been a Colts fan and was an Orioles fan. He also enjoyed reading, and read at least five newspapers a day, his wife said.
Services were Oct. 15.
Also surviving are a son, Richard J. Rubin of Santa Fe, N.M.; two grandsons; and a great-granddaughter. Another son, William J. Rubin, died in 1999.
- Frederick N. Rasmussen
