Sandy Shapiro, loving husband, father of five and grandfather of five children, passed away on Tuesday, Dec. 19. He is survived by his devoted wife Kathy Levin Shapiro; his loving children, Jonathan D. Shapiro, Leonard Joseph Shapiro, Lindsay (Chris) Conboy, Sara (Lee) Stein, Lynn (Adam) Crooks; and his adoring grandchildren Sydney Conboy, Drew Conboy, Colby Crooks, Noah Stein, and Maggie Stein.
“It is with heavy heart that I share with everyone the passing of Sandy Shapiro, a legend within the industry,” said ISRI President Robin Wiener.
Shapiro was one of the two principal architects of the 1987 merger between the National Association of Recycling Industries (NARI) and the Institute of Scrap Iron and Steel (ISIS) that created ISRI. At the time, he was president of Cambridge Iron & Metal in Baltimore, Maryland, his family’s recycled material business, which was founded by Isaac Shapiro in 1904 with only a horse and wagon to collect materials. Shapiro also serving as president of ISIS, came together with Howard Meyers, then president of NARI, to merge the two organizations to create ISRI.
In 1987 both Howard Meyers and Sandy Shapiro were honored with the prestigious Phoenix Award at the Philadelphia Metals Association. Meyers and Shapiro were serving as co-presidents of ISRI as a result of the merger. Shapiro said during the occasion, “It was one of our proudest moments as people put emotion aside for the best interests of their industry.”
Shapiro stayed very active with ISRI after the merger, participating in many strategic planning committees, government relations efforts and other activities. In 2014 he was recognized — along with Meyers — with ISRI’s Lifetime Achievement Award for his long-time service and dedication to ISRI and the industry.
In addition to his business and association accomplishments, Shapiro was an active member in his community having served as president of Jewish Vocational Services and participating in “Our Daily Bread,” a charity serving some of the most underserved sections of Baltimore. He also had many roles at the Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore including chair of the Young Adult Leadership, chair of the Associated’s Annual Campaign, 2010, and chair of Jewish Vocational Services. In addition, he was a long-time leader at the Jewish Community Center and helped initiate many innovative programs like the Chizuk Amuno-Northwest High School, the Mentorship Program, and Shir Joy at Beth El Congregation.
The funeral service is being held Thursday, Dec. 21, at 9:30 a.m. at Sol Levinson’s Chapel in Pikesville, Maryland.
Contributions in his memory may be sent to:
The Soul Center, c/o Beth El Congregation
8101 Park Heights Ave
Baltimore, MD 21208
Or:
The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore
Sanford Shapiro Legacy Fund
101 W Mt Royal Ave.
Baltimore, MD 21201.
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