Gershel passes away

George Gershel passed away in Rougemont, Switzerland, on Sept. 20 at the age of 89 after a period of illness.

Born in Hartford, Connecticut, USA, Gershel was a fourth-generation tobacco man with a reputation for morals, product knowledge and fairness.

Gershel graduated from Cornell University and served in the U.S. Army during the Korean conflict. He joined Consolidated Cigar in 1961 and retired from its successor company, Altadis USA, at the end of 2008 as executive vice president of tobacco.

Gershel is survived by his wife, three children and multiple grandchildren.