Obituary of Melvin J. Tublin

Tublin, Melvin J., age 90, died on Saturday, January 13, 2018, at his home in Brooklyn, New York. He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Eileen (Wells) Tublin; his daughter, Sharon Tublin; his daughter, Pamela Tublin Cook and her husband, Jeffrey Cook; two grandchildren, Grant Cook and Lexie Cook; his sister, Rita (Tublin) Blinderman; his brother, Seymour Tublin; and many close family and friends. He was predeceased by his sister, Millie (Tublin) Horowitz.

Born on September 23, 1927 and raised in Brooklyn, Mr. Tublin was the third of four children of Benjamin and Rose (Low) Tublin. He graduated from the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York in 1949. While at the Merchant Marine Academy, he was a cadet on merchant ships in the Pacific, South America, and the Mediterranean. After graduation, he was a seagoing ships officer on the S.S. Robin Kettering in South and East Africa. He received his law degree from Georgetown Law School in 1953, and combined his passion for law and the seas in the field of admiralty law. Roughly 60 years ago, he started the law firm Poles, Tublin, Patestides & Stratakis (now known as Poles,Tublin,Stratakis& Gonzalez LLP) as primarily an admiralty practice while also providing real estate, general commercial, and litigation services. The firm purchased and owned a building in the heart of New York's financial district, and has had a sister office and meaningful association with a law office in Piraeus, Greece since 1975 to help serve its international maritime clientele. He and John Poles, Michael Patestides and Chris Stratakis have allstayed at the firm throughout their long careers and remained good friends throughout his life.

Over the years, Mr. Tublin remained significantly involved with the Merchant Marine Academy. Hewas the past Presidentof the Alumni Association (1957-1961) and a member of its Board of Directors, and served as an Adjunct Professor. He received the Meritorious Alumni Service Award in 1964, Outstanding Professional Achievement Award in 1984, Kings Pointer of the Year in 1986, and the Distinguished Service Award in 1997. He served on the congressman's selection committee for Kings Point appointees and was appointed to the Academic Advisory Board. He was also an organizer and financial supporter of the Kings Point Sailing Program. Recently, in November 2017, Mr. Tublin was inducted into the Merchant Marine Academy Hall of Distinguished Graduates. Mr. Tublin was a Captain in the United States Navy Reserves, serving for over 30 years.

Mr. Tublin was an avid fisherman, sailor, gardener and storyteller in his free time. He enriched the lives of his friends and family with his sincere passion for education, public service, and all of his other pursuits.

A burial will be held at 11AM on January 18, 2018 at the Calverton National Cemetery in Calverton, NY. A service celebrating his life will be held at the Merchant Marine Academy Chapel at 10:30AM on January 19, 2018, with a lunch reception to follow at the Yocum Sailing Center.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a tax-deductible donation to the US Merchant Marine Academy Alumni Foundation Inc. in memory of Melvin J. Tublin. Checks may be made payable to "USMMA Alumni Association & Foundation Inc." (Tax ID # 11-6037948) and mailed to 300 Steamboat Road, Kings Point, NY11024.

* If you plan on attending the Graveside Service at Calverton National upon entering the main gate please follow the "Funeral" signs to the Interment Hut then look for the Oyster Bay Funeral Home Hearse. Thank you.

Celebration of Mel's Life January 19, 2018

A service celebrating Mel's life will be held at the Merchant Marine Academy Chapel at 10:30AM on Friday January 19, 2018, with a lunch reception to follow at the Yocum Sailing Center.  Midshipmen will be at the Chapel to assist with parking.  The address for the Academy is 300 Steamboat Rd, Kings Point, NY 11024.   For directions, please go to http://oysterbayfuneralhome.com/tribute/details/1258/Melvin-Tublin/service-information.html#content-start  A campus map is at https://www.usmma.edu/about/campus-map.  Please contact us (Pam Tublin at 917-627-2911 pamtublin@yahoo.com or Sharon Tublin at 646-299-3837 stublin332@aol.com) or Lisa Donitz (USMMA Alumni Association and Foundation) at 347-229-6321 if you need any assistance.