Alexander M. Dreyfoos

The great achievements of a man's life do not occur in a single moment, but are the result of his experiences to that point. For Alex Dreyfoos - called "a visionary," "a Renaissance man," and "the smartest man I know" by long-time friends and colleagues - the achievements are many. All reflect his PASSION for living and his tenacious sense of PURPOSE in everything he does. Dreyfoos was born in 1932 New York to distinctively different parents. His father, a photographer in...
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The great achievements of a man's life do not occur in a single moment, but are the result of his experiences to that point. For Alex Dreyfoos - called "a visionary," "a Renaissance man," and "the smartest man I know" by long-time friends and colleagues - the achievements are many. All reflect his PASSION for living and his tenacious sense of PURPOSE in everything he does. Dreyfoos was born in 1932 New York to distinctively different parents. His father, a photographer in the Golden Age of Movies, came from Swiss-German Jewish ancestry (no longer observed), while his mother was a celebrated cellist whose Protestant pedigree dated to 1642 emigration from England. Passion & Purpose reaches back to these roots, then forward to show how one man developed through relationships and events. Combining the arts and science in the 1950s when that concept was new, Dreyfoos studied photography and electronics at MIT and business at Harvard Business School. He founded Photo Electronics Corporation (PEC) in 1963, moving it to Palm Beach County, Florida, in 1969. One of their inventions is part of a permanent exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution; another won them an Academy Award. After purchasing the local ABC-TV affiliate (later CBS) from John D. MacArthur, Dreyfoos gained a voice in the community. He founded the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County and for twelve years led the efforts, documented here in detail, which resulted in the world-class Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts. His philanthropy, always hands-on, has also included MIT, The Scripps Research Institute, Max Planck Florida Institute, and the public arts magnet high school in Palm Beach County, renamed for him. Passion & Purpose recounts Dreyfoos's adventures above and below the water, in the pilot's seat and behind a camera. It is also a love story of his greatest passion, Renate, now his wife. For her cruising comfort, Dreyfoos helped design their 134-foot Silver Cloud to minimize wave motion, the first SWATH design built as a pleasure yacht. Between these covers is a trip back in time and around the world.