Harold B. Werner Fund

Remembering his uncle, Harold Werner, who died in April 2008 at the age of 87, attorney Jim Tobak of Providence notes, “Harold would be embarrassed we were having this conversation,” and adds wryly, “He wouldn’t want you to write three words about him, let alone three hundred.”

Mr. Werner, longtime proprietor of Potter & Company, Newport’s oldest continuously operating family-owned clothing store, was, despite a curmudgeonly affect, “the sweetest man I ever knew,” says his nephew, who also remembers Mr. Werner’s “tremendous sense of empathy,” and points out that, “Harold could not say ‘no’ to anyone.” Mr. Werner was a surrogate father to Mr. Tobak and his sister Helen, whose own father died when they were very young children.

A quiet philanthropist throughout his lifetime, Mr. Werner gave generously to causes in Newport, including Newport Hospital, the Newport Boys & Girls Club, and the Preservation Society of Newport County. He also supported the Jewish Federation of Rhode Island and was a member of both Touro Synagogue and Beth Shalom. Income from Mr. Werner’s fund at the Foundation will be used for charitable and education purposes with preference to organizations or institutions in Newport County, where Mr. Werner lived his entire life, and spent his first 83 years in the house where he was born.

Another favorite charity was the Potter League for Animals. Mr. Tobak smiles, remembering Mr. Werner’s love of animals. “The store had an ‘open dog policy.’ Harold gave the dogs a far more enthusiastic greeting than he did the customers!” While he was a private man, he was a public figure of sorts, as generations of Newporters frequented Potter & Company, not only to shop but also to visit with Mr. Werner.

Mr. Werner’s loyalty and sense of responsibility were legend. He cared for his mother her entire life, and continued to pay the weekly salary of one of his longtime employees well after she had retired.

Eulogizing his uncle, Mr. Tobak recalled the story of Mr. Werner’s birth. “The doctor charged my grandmother $2.50 to deliver Harold. She complained (good naturedly), but I can now say without reservation, it was the best $2.50 our family ever spent.”

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