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Burton E Sorensen

Jan 3, 2018

Burton E. Sorensen, former General Partner at Goldman, Sachs & Co., passed away on December 30, 2017 in Fort Myers, Florida. He was 88 years old. A former resident of New Vernon, NJ, Burt Sorensen was born on October 28, 1929 in Chicago, the day before the stock market crash. He attended Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois where he played on their varsity basketball team. After college, Burt served his country in the United States Marine Corp during the Korean Conflict.

Following his service Burt began work on Wall Street under the mentorship of the renown financier, Albert Gordon, at Kidder, Peabody & Co. Burt worked with Mr. Gordon primarily in the area of public utility finance until he left Kidder to join Goldman, Sachs & Co. in 1972. Under the leadership of his friend, John C. Whitehead, Burt Sorensen formed Goldman’s Public Utility Group in Investment Banking, quickly establishing the firm’s dominance as a leader in that market segment.

The result of his hard work, Burt Sorensen was made a General Partner at Goldman, Sachs in 1977, when Goldman only had approximately 60 partners worldwide. Burt retired from Goldman in 1984, establishing Lord Securities Corporation in that year. Burt served as CEO of Lord Securities and on the boards of several corporations and not-for-profit organizations including The ServiceMaster Company, UnumProvident Corporation, and Barrington College.

Perhaps even more than his finance acumen, Burt Sorensen was well-known on Wall Street as a man of very deep faith and humility. Early in his career at Kidder, Burt took a sabbatical from Wall Street to move his family to South America and minister to native tribes in the jungles of Colombia and Ecuador. Back on Wall Street from the mission field, Burt always endeavored to represent both his firm, and his God, to those he met. For many years before his retirement, Burt and Fran Sorensen hosted very large dinner parties in North Jersey and New York City where well-known Christian speakers such as Tom Landry, Chuck Colson, and others would present a Christian message to those in attendance. Many thousands of people were deeply impacted at those events over the years.

Among Burt’s favorite pastimes was the game of golf. Over the years he and his family enjoyed memberships at Morris County Golf Club (Morris Township, NJ), Baltusrol Golf Club (Springfield, NJ), Grandfather Golf & Country Club (Linville, NC), and The Sanctuary Golf Club (Sanibel, FL). His efforts at golf were rewarded in his four holes-in-one, and his rounds with Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player.

Burton E. Sorensen is survived by his wife of 45 years, Frances E. Sorensen of Sanibel, FL and Linville, NC; stepdaughter, Dulce Doss, of Sanibel, FL; daughter, Debra Rumeau of Lawrenceville, GA; stepson, Joe Mervin, of Sayulita, Mexico; son, Jack Sorensen of Charlottesville, VA; son, Peter Sorensen, of Charlottesville, VA; and daughter, Janice Sorensen, of Shelburne Falls, MA. Burt is also survived by his 14 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren, each of whom he cherished deeply.

A service of remembrance will be held at Hilltop Church, Mendham, NJ on Wednesday, January 10, 2018 at 11:00am. A reception will follow at the Olde Mill Inn, Basking Ridge, NJ, from 1-4pm.