Edward John Handler III of Darien CT, formerly of Short Hills, NJ, passed away peacefully in his family home at the age of 81. Ed was born on April 20, 1937, was raised in Parkchester (a neighborhood of the Bronx, NY), and attended Xavier High School in Manhattan and Braden’s Preparatory School in Cornwall, NY. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY in the Class of 1960.
Ed was medically discharged upon graduation and was not allowed to serve in the Army of which he had dreamed of serving. As a cadet, Ed was known and loved by many classmates. He played “B” Squad football for a while, but was not large enough to make a real impact. He beat the system and had the same roommates for the last three years in Company B-2: Lieutenant General Paul Cerjan (Retired), deceased, and Lieutenant Colonel Dick Gates, (Retired). They were like brothers to him for the rest of his life. Ed never missed a West Point Class of ’60 reunion.
Ed earned a law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1964. He was named among the world’s leading patent lawyers in 2003 and the world’s leading trademark lawyers in 2004, having taken a lead role on numerous significant technology and pharmaceutical intellectual property cases over many years. While a partner at the law firm of Kenyon & Kenyon, he served overtime on all of the firm’s major governing and operating committees.
Early in his career at Kenyon & Kenyon, he had a file thrown on his desk by a partner who said, “Ed, you went to West Point and must have taken chemistry. I need your help on this case.” The case was a patent law case for a Mr. Adams, who had developed a dry cell concept that Mr. Adams had presented to the Army Air Corps prior to World War II. The Air Corps rejected him, but took his idea and used it for most aircraft built for World War II. Ed helped win the case at the Supreme Court with considerable compensation for the family of Mr. Adams. Patent law cases seldom make it to the Supreme Court. As Time magazine said shortly after the case, Ed made a presentation during the case in front of the Supreme Court that helped them “see the light.”
Subsequent to his career at Kenyon & Kenyon, he served as President and COO of Storm Bio, a developmental stage biotech company working on a therapeutic reagent for pandemic influenza and attendant cytokine storms. He then founded The Bronx Project, Inc., a pharmaceutical company working to develop small molecule C3.
Ed served as an elected member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Graduates, USMA, and was the president of the West Point Society of New York. He was a member of the Board of Governors at the Union League Club of New York and a member of the Sono-Tek Corporation Board of Directors. During the 1970s he was an elected official of Millburn-Short Hills, NJ, serving as a councilman and police commissioner. In the early 1990s he served as an elected member of the Darien Representative Town Meeting.
Ed is survived by his loving and devoted wife of 53 years, Jane Handler (Simons); son Lieutenant Colonel Edward J. Handler IV (USMC, Retired), husband of Stefanie Handler of Virginia Beach, VA; daughter Charity Lefferts, wife of David Lefferts of New Canaan, CT; daughter Louise Laudano, wife of Paul Laudano of Wellesley, MA; four grandchildren: Lucia, Caitlin, Henry and Emmie; and sisters Mary-Jane Stanton and Susan Sohni.
A devoted friend and mentor, Ed was known for his intellect, his keen wit, and his ability to engage just about anyone long enough to make a meaningful connection and put a smile on their faces. Ed died July 5, 2018 in Darien, CT.