Bob Nathane applied ethics to work, life

Before he became a treasurer for the University of Washington, Bob Nathane was a Merrill Lynch executive who helped push the investment firm into mutual funds and expanded its West Coast operations.

But colleagues said he also will be remembered for his part in making the symbol of a bull as synonymous with Merrill Lynch as the Golden Arches are with McDonald's.

Mr. Nathane died in his sleep Tuesday at Swedish Medical Center. He was 90.

Born Dec. 18, 1912, in New York City, Mr. Nathane attended New York University but never graduated, and served in the Army during World War II in New Guinea and the Philippines. In New Guinea, he met and fell in love with Dorothy Christiancy, of the Red Cross. The couple married in 1946 and moved to Seattle, her hometown.

Seattle became his home as well, even after he rose through the ranks at Merrill Lynch and had to work in New York City and later in Los Angeles. Because his family remained in Seattle, he would fly home on weekends or they would travel to be with him.

His longtime assistant at Merrill Lynch, Sandra Lynch (no relation to the company's founding partner), said Mr. Nathane had risen to the investment firm's top ranks in the 1960s and was among the key executives who pushed the company toward mutual funds. By 1976, Merrill Lynch was the country's No. 1 mutual-fund brokerage.

Mr. Nathane realized that "mutual funds were a great way for investors to diversify their portfolios," said Lynch.

In 1969, she said, he oversaw many of the company's operations, including advertising, and in that role was instrumental in choosing the bull design that became the Merrill Lynch logo.

He became regional director for Merrill Lynch's sales, investments and other operations in the Southwest in 1972. He also served on the company's board of directors from 1966 until his retirement in 1974.

In 1977, he became treasurer for the University of Washington's Board of Regents. He was arguably the school's most high-profile treasurer, in large part because of the controversy surrounding investments the UW had made in companies with ties to apartheid South Africa.

Eventually, Mr. Nathane helped to persuade the regents to invest only in companies that had signed the Sullivan Principles, guidelines that said black employees would be treated the same as white employees.

Mr. Nathane's friends and colleagues said they were amazed at his stamina and sharp mind. "I took dictation. He would leave in the middle of a sentence and sometimes, three days later, he would pick up on the sentence where he left off," said Lynch.

In a rare moment last December, Mr. Nathane allowed 25 former colleagues to host a luncheon at the Rainier Club to celebrate his 90th birthday, the only time he allowed anyone to put him in the spotlight, friends said.

Over steaks and wine, they shared stories and jokingly thanked Mr. Nathane for his good investment advice. Then the tone turned serious when Lynch stood up and spoke. She recalled how her niece, born with a birth defect, had received VIP treatment at a Boston hospital. Unbeknownst to her until later, Mr. Nathane had arranged for her niece's care.

At his request, the family will not hold a public funeral. But a celebration of his life will be at 4:30 p.m. next Thursday at the Seattle Tennis Club, 922 McGilvra Blvd. E.

Mr. Nathane was preceded in death by his wife. He is survived by sons Bob Jr. and Bruce, both of Seattle; daughter Betsy of Pasadena, Calif., and four grandchildren.

Tan Vinh: 206-515-5656