San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
Gilberto Goldstein Rubinstein had a meaningful life that enabled him to be the protagonist of some of the most memorable events in economics, politics and national journalism.
The businessman and politician died on December 20 at the age of 83 as a result of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, from which he had suffered since 2008.
Don Picho, as his relatives called him, was born in San Pedro Sula on April 15, 1937, his parents Boris Goldstein and Gustava Rubinstein, both originally from Russia, and his brother -one year and ten months older- Jacobo, who stood out as a press correspondent at the White House.
Goldstein Rubinstein studied at the José Cecilio del Valle Institute and later at the Augusta Military Academy in Virginia, United States. Years later, he attended the Wharton School of Business, one of the faculties of the University of Pennsylvania.
In 1958 he married in Philadelphia Alice Anhalt, with whom he had three children, Mark Frederic (QDDG), Lori and Deanna.
With a business vision in his veins, Don Gilberto maintained his father’s legacy at the head of the presidency of Sula Harinero Mill Group. He also held the chairmanship and stood out in positions of the board of directors at Banco Atlántida.
Motivated by his social commitment, the Sampedrano businessman also excelled in the vice presidencies of the Honduran Council of Private Enterprise (Cohep) and the National Association of Industrialists (Andi).
His leadership made him deputy to Cortés for several periods, excelling at the head of the committees on tourism, currency and banking and foreign relations.
With the political movement that he baptized with the name Puma (For a better alternative) he sought the presidential candidacy for the National party in the 2004 primaries.
An opinion leader and passionate about social communication, he hosted the television program De Cara al Pueblo for a number of years, where he moderated debates with personalities from all walks of life and the social sector.
In the international sphere, Goldstein Rubinstein was recognized as an exceptional negotiator at the country’s most critical moments, including former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Cuban politician Fidel Castro and former United States President George Bush.
In 2008, he was diagnosed with ALS, a degenerative disease that, according to data from the Fundación Esclerosis Múltiple Amor (Fema), affects about ten patients identified in Honduras.
“The disease is deadly, it paralyzes your body, you cannot swallow, they feed you with a tube, your muscles stop working and you have to be under strict care 24 hours a day to avoid getting into your own saliva. suffocates, “he describes. his brother Jacobo in a column dedicated to his memory.
In his last years, his career was still present through various tributes he received in which his love for the country always stood out.
In the field of sports, Picho was president of the Olimpia club and of the “verdiamarilla” academy of the Federal.