Harold S. Freeman, a leader in the Cincinnati Jewish community for decades and a prominent labor attorney, died October 15 at 91.
He was a modest man whose professionalism, dedication and approachability made him a mentor to many in his profession and the larger community.
In addition, Freeman was a strong family man. He was married for 62 years to Barbara Freeman, with whom he had three children: Doug (Rochelle), Brian (Martine) and Mitch (Natalie), as well as five grandchildren (Alon, Omer, Hadas, Jenna and Drew) and two great-grandchildren (Shahar and Nili).
From the 1960s through the end of the century, Freeman led several volunteer organizations in Cincinnati — including the Bureau of Jewish Education, Jewish Vocational Services, and Big Brothers & Big Sisters of Cincinnati. He was also a board member of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati Investment Committee and the Orthodox Jewish Home for the Aged, as well as treasurer for Northern Hills Synagogue.
Freeman was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee on March 13, 1933 in the midst of the Great Depression to two immigrants from Lithuania. His father, Morris, fled czarist oppression in 1905 and his mother, Lena, left during the anti-Jewish upheavals following the 1917 Russian Revolution and World War I.
Harold was the younger brother of S. David Freeman, who passed away in 2020. His brother was an energy policy expert and leading early environmental advocate for energy conservation and the development of renewable green energy sources, as well as chairman of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Board appointed by President Jimmy Carter.
Harold Freeman graduated from Chattanooga High School in 1951 and from the University of Chattanooga in 1955 before serving as an officer in the U.S. Army from 1955 until 1957.
He attended the University of Cincinnati Law School, graduating in 1960 and began his career by joining Dinsmore and Shohl, then a small law firm located in Cincinnati.
During his lengthy tenure at Dinsmore, Harold forged the creation of the firm’s Labor Department and served as its chair for many years. At the same time, Harold actively and personally represented a large number of clients and devoted many hours to training and mentoring newly minted (and rising) attorneys attracted to the firm’s labor and employment relations practice. Freeman capped those activities by being elected as the firm’s administrative partner, serving in that role from 1994 through 1999.
Freeman was known for his spectacular attention to detail, his compassion, and his strong work ethic. In his role as managing partner, Freeman forged the various personalities in the firm into a successful unit. That compassionate attention to detail enabled the firm, among many other accomplishments, to become one of the first in the region to provide affordable, self-insured health benefits to its attorneys and employees. This plan used the Freeman-developed, easy-to-administer, flow chart to quantify all the disparate elements necessary each year to formulate the benefits, coverage, and associated costs.
That same dispassionate, goal oriented, detail-grounded approach, sensitively leavened with respect for those with whom he dealt, enabled Freeman to conduct arduous, employer-union collective bargaining negotiations deploying his calm and sensitive demeanor that preserved goodwill among the participants — an extraordinary achievement in an arena known to descend into angry name-calling.
Harold was also a very supportive husband, proud of the philanthropic endeavors of his wife, with whom he often discussed the needs and challenges of their volunteer work.
At the memorial service before his funeral, his three sons spoke lovingly of him as a dedicated father and husband who, despite his busy professional and volunteer schedule, also made time for annual family vacations, helping his children with their homework, attending their activities and offering advice in a positive manner.
Harold was a beloved family man, friend, co-worker and community leader who left a legacy in every part of life that he touched. He will sorely be missed.
Memorial contributions to Northern Hills Synagogue would be greatly appreciated online at https://nhs.shulcloud.com/payment.php
