News

Remembering Our Firm’s Founder, Jesse H. Oppenheimer

After having passed on October 9, 2009, the firm stops to reflect on the outstanding contributions made by its founder to the legal profession and to the San Antonio and South Texas community.

It was in 1969 that Jesse co-founded Oppenheimer, Rosenberg & Kelleher, Inc. – San Antonio’s first practice specific law firm. Known today as Oppenheimer, Blend, Harrison and Tate, Inc., the firm continues to uphold the ethics and beliefs that Jesse founded the original firm upon.

A passionate advocate for human rights and social justice, Jesse was a prolific writer of “letters to the editor,” often published in many national and local periodicals. Within his law firm, attorneys and staff were subjected daily with articles from a wide variety of publications, all “edited” by Jesse with an accompanying handwritten commentary designed to correct what Jesse perceived to be educational lapses of the individual recipient as to the particular subject matter.

Jesse firmly believed every person should give back to their community. Together with his wife, Sue, he established the Jesse H. and Susan R. Oppenheimer Foundation which dispensed generous gifts to a wide range of charities and funded scholarship programs for students at Alamo Community College.

Jesse proudly served his community on the Boards of the Marion Koogler McNay Art Museum (as well as President of that organization); the Robert B. Green Hospital; Santa Rosa Children’s Hospital; the Symphony Society of San Antonio (past President and Chairman); the United Way; the Bexar County Mental Health Association; Children’s Service Bureau; Ursuline Academy; and Saint Mary’s Hall. Jesse was most proud of his idea for and creation of a tax exempt organization which became the Argyle Club designed to support the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research.

Jesse had a scholarly grasp of American Foreign Policy and was deeply concerned with the moral responsibility of the United States in an ever changing and inter-dependent world. He served as a Trustee of the Woodrow Wilson International Center of Scholars for 7 years, and on the World Affairs Council of San Antonio.

He was an avid rancher, hunter and outdoorsman. He was a founder and Trustee of the Southwestern Cattle Raisers Foundation (now the Cattle Raisers Museum in Fort Worth). Many of his happiest times were spent on weekends in South Texas with his many friends, and especially his grandsons. It was a special privilege to be included in one of his hunting or fishing ventures and the always interesting and entertaining people he brought together.

We thank Jesse for the impact he had upon each employee of our firm - for his strong leadership, friendship and ability to create positive change in the world around him. He shall forever hold a place in our hearts.

For further information please contact the firm's Marketing Department at 210.224.2000.