Paul SaitowitzJoel Rubenstein has never been much...

Paul Saitowitz

Joel Rubenstein has never been much for following conventions. Tell

him he can’t do something and that’ll drive him even harder. Tell him

there’s not enough time and he’ll just laugh.

After being told he’d never walk following a polio diagnosis as a

child, he went to therapy and eventually beat the odds. He’s been

involved with more committees, boards and volunteer groups than seems

possible and not even non-Hodgkins Lymphoma can break his spirit.

“If you have a good outlook, you can accomplish anything you want

to,” Rubenstein said.

He refers to himself as a 17-year-old stuck in a 67-year-old’s

body, and the proof is in the pudding. Even after being diagnosed

with cancer a year ago, he still serves as a national trustee of the

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Assn. -- an ailment commonly referred

to as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, which claimed his father and his brother.

He is the director of Big Brothers/Sisters of Orange County, is a

trustee of the U.S. Committee of Sports for Israel and is on the

board of directors of the Yosemite National Institute.

Born in Baltimore, Rubenstein came to California in 1960 with the

hopes of becoming a newspaper or television reporter. Circumstances

led him to a career in public relations, in which he spent time as

director of marketing for boys’ toys for the Mattel Toys Company and

as a partner in the public relations firm Rubenstein, Wolfson and Co.

In the early 1980s he was approached by Peter Ueberroth to be in

charge of the corporate marketing for the 1984 Olympics in Los

Angeles.

“There was no money and he asked me if I could afford to take the

job without pay for a while.... I told him I could handle that,”

Rubenstein said.

The Olympics turned out be the most profitable in history,

finishing with a $223-million surplus. That money helped start the

Amateur Athletic Foundation in Los Angeles.

After that, Ueberroth took a job as the commissioner of Major

League Baseball and asked Rubenstein to join him to help re-organize

the marketing of baseball.

“That was the most fun job I ever had,” Rubenstein said.

During that period, he helped form the Baseball Assistance Team,

an organization directed at helping former ball players with

financial problems.

“A lot of the older players were really in dire straights an

unable to afford, wheel chairs and doctor visits and things of that

nature,” Rubenstein said.

In January, he will be honored by BAT with an event held for him

in New York.

Later that month he will be honored by the Wellness Community of

Orange County for his efforts in supporting that organization.

“It’s a group for cancer patients to let them know that they’re

not alone in going through this,” he said.

While he continues with his own struggles with the disease,

including chemotherapy, Rubenstein says he will continue to pursue

opportunities to do things to help his community.

“I feel very fortunate in my life,” he said. “I’ve had a good life

and done well. I’ve put my kids through college and I’ve always seen

the positives in helping people I’ve always had room on my plate for

things like that.”