Indulging Passions
One of 12 SU alumni in his family, Ornstein hones a creative process first begun at Syracuse

By Rob Enslin

J. Alan Ornstein ’48 is a man of letters, but one word not found in his eclectic vocabulary is “retirement.” A successful businessman, author, playwright, and visual artist, he shows little sign of slowing down. “I’ve always needed an outlet,” admits Ornstein in his stylish office at the eastern edge of Long Island in Southampton, New York. “I do it because I enjoy the creative process. It’s a way for me to express myself outside of my work.”

Ornstein is as busy as ever. He is rewriting his stage comedy, The Women I Knew, and workshopping several plays at the Bay Street Theatre in nearby Sag Harbor (he has two award-winning plays to his credit). He continues to indulge a passion for welding large outdoor painted steel sculptures. “South Tower,” one of 30 such Ornstein pieces, was created in memory of the victims of 9/11 attacks. The New York Times described it as “ascending positive form, contrasting with … negative image of destruction.”

Businessman Ornstein reasserts himself in a collaborative partnership with his wife, Pamela: the opening of their Southampton spa, Ananas (French for  “pineapple,” a universal symbol of welcome). “The creative aspect of my life started at Syracuse University, but now almost everything, including writing, is done here,” he says, motioning toward a desk flanked by original abstract art and a collection of antique rifles. One area, which he calls his “ego wall,” displays a variety of personal artifacts, including a 45rpm recording of “Please Make Up Your Mind,” whose lyrics he wrote for singer Ray Allen; notification of his nomination for a New York Emmy Award for hosting and producing a late-night TV program; the Playbill for Friday Night, an off-Broadway show he produced in 1967; two framed Snickers bar wrappers from a local business deal; and an assortment of diplomas and certificates.

Ornstein admits that he is part of a proud legacy at SU, stretching back more than 80 years. His father, Theodore ’22, a banker, was the first of 12 family members to graduate from the University. Since then, at least one Ornstein has graduated each decade. “I didn’t choose Syracuse as much as it let me in,” he says smiling. “They were some of the best years of my life.” Steve Ornstein ’60 (a.k.a. Oren Stevens), Alan’s cousin and a successful actor, broadcaster, and restaurateur, echoes these sentiments. “Each one of us who came here has had the best experiences,” he says. “It’s a family tradition.”

Born and raised in Long Beach, New York, about 80 miles west on the South Shore of Long Island, Ornstein enrolled at SU at age 16 with “no idea of what to do.” A chance visit to the campus radio station, WAER, inspired him to major in broadcasting and join SU’s radio club, Segue, of which he eventually became president. (Ornstein also served on the men’s student government.) The experience of writing and producing for radio dovetailed nicely with a burgeoning interest in creative writing. “I wrote some of my first sketches in Lowell Johnson’s radio scriptwriting class. I also got a lot of help from Daniel Curley, who was a great teacher, novelist, and short story writer.” Ornstein credits both professors for persuading him to become a writer.

After graduation, Ornstein flirted with television production before pursuing successful careers in real estate development and matrimonial law. (One of his earliest bosses was real estate pioneer Sol. G. Atlas, for whom Ornstein served as a construction field supervisor and wrote New York’s first open-air shopping mall lease.) Along the way, he taught himself painting and turned out dozens of plays, short stories, and poems. His most famous—or infamous—work was The Lion’s Share: A Combat Manual for the Divorcing Male [Times Books, 1978]. The controversial best-seller, denounced by the Associated Press as “brutal,” has since become a cult classic. “I wrote it because, as a lawyer, I realized that divorce was no different for a man in Chicago paying $10 million to his wife than for a man in Anchorage paying $10,000. The emotions were the same for everyone,” he says.

For several months, Ornstein crisscrossed the country, promoting—often defending—his book on television and radio. He remembers an interview at a Baltimore radio station that logged more than 2,500 calls in four minutes and a single appearance on The Phil Donahue Show that sold more than 10,000 books. “I wouldn’t call Lion’s Share ‘politically correct’ by today’s standards,” notes Leonard Elman ’52, Ornstein’s former law partner, “but it’s insightful and witty. If you’re a man in a matrimonial situation, it’s a great book.” Novelist/playwright Jess Gregg attributes Ornstein’s notoriety to the fact he is never boring. “Alan has a wicked sense of humor that’s well thought-out and is a little abrasive,” Gregg says. “Of course, there’s no satire without abrasion. He makes people think.”

While Ornstein evokes such descriptions as “renaissance man” and “shrewd negotiator,” his wife of 28 years offers up perhaps a more telling assessment. “He’s a great father, a terrific husband, and a born-again feminist,” says Pamela, a successful entrepreneur, goldsmith, and jewelry maker. “Alan has incredible support and admiration for who I am. We are ‘partners’ in every sense of the word.” Cousin Steve adds this: “I don’t think a day goes by that I don’t call Alan or lean on him for advice. He has this make-it-happen approach to life that pervades his art, his work, and his family.”

Ornstein, who boasts six children and nine grandchildren, takes all praise in stride. “I owe much of my success to Syracuse, where I had a lot of freedom and learned how to get into and out of trouble,” he confides with an impish grin. “The University gave me the ability to understand the creative process and to use it well. My life is living proof.”

Photography by Stephen Sartori