Robert Logan, Uniondale activist, dies at 82

Robert Logan of Uniondale, a community activist who had been a marketing executive with several companies and later owned a local beauty supply shop, has died after a long illness, his family said. He was 82.

Logan had been homebound due to injuries suffered several years ago when he was struck by a drunken driver. He died at home on May 17, his wife, Colsome, said.

He was born in Harlem and was a standout basketball player at DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx. He attended City College of New York and played on the CCNY basketball team in its heyday. CCNY records show him on the 1950-51 team, just a year after the 1949-50 team made collegiate basketball history by winning both the NIT and NCAA tournaments in the same year.

Logan later transferred to Adelphi University and graduated with honors, his wife said. He began work as a route salesman for the Coca-Cola Co., then switched to Pepsi-Cola to become head of marketing for the metropolitan area and Puerto Rico.

"There were very few blacks in those positions at the time," his wife said. She still keeps a clipping from an industry publication that described him as part of "the new executive class."

The couple met at the Sugar Bowl, a soda fountain at Seventh Avenue and 135th Street. They married in 1952 and moved to Uniondale a few years later. Logan became involved in neighborhood activities.

"He was a great guy; a community activist for many, many years," said Ernie Catanese, a longtime friend in Uniondale. "He also worked with youngsters all over Uniondale, coaching basketball and baseball. He's just an all-around good guy."

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Catanese's wife, Marie, said Logan was "the kind of guy you always called on. We called him 'Mr. Uniondale.' "

He was a past president of the Uniondale Chamber of Commerce, was active in the Uniondale Community Council and was the driving force behind the Northgate Civic Association.

After leaving corporate work, Logan opened a store, Beauty Supply, which he ran for 18 years. "He never really retired," his wife said. "He kept working as long as he could."

He is also survived by a daughter, Lark O'Hehir, of Richmond, Va.

Friends can pay their respects at 3 p.m. Sunday at Macedonia Adventist Church, 475 S. Franklin St., Hempstead, where there will be a service at 4 p.m. Burial will be at Greenfield Cemetery in Uniondale.