In Memoriam: Michael Alan Bander
Michael Alan Bander, a 45-year resident of Miami, U.S. Army veteran, and one of the deans of the immigration bar, died suddenly at his summer home in Spruce Head, Maine on Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018, at the age of 79. He was a founding member of IMMLAW, the consortium of outstanding U.S. immigration lawyers providing services in port cities and was recognized in publications such as Best Lawyers in America. Most importantly, he was a devoted husband to JoAnne Bander for almost 49 years, father to Stephen M. Bander and Deborah R. Bander and active member of his community.
Michael was born in Haverhill, Mass., and raised in Chevy Chase, Md. graduating from Bethesda Chevy Chase High School, University of Virginia with honors in 1960 and University of Virginia School of Law, 1963. He was a committed fan of UVA and the Washington Redskins. Following law school, he served in the U.S. Army Medical Service Corps in Vicenza, Italy, rising to the rank of captain. He returned to Washington and joined the Department of Justice, where a legal case took him to Paraguay. He and JoAnne later spent two-and-a-half years with the there with Agency for International Development. With his mastery of Spanish and knowledge of Latin America, a relocation to Miami in 1973 was both logical and prescient.
Michael's law practice developed along with Miami's growth as a capital of Latin America and enjoyed being a leader in his field and a booster for South Florida. He served as president of the local chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association; president, American Jewish Committee, South Florida Chapter; board member, Florida Bar Foundation; board member, Prologue Society; member, Coral Gables Pension Board, member, Governor's Commission on Affordable Housing and board member, Gables Cinema.
Michael dedicated his career to helping thousands of people from around the world attain U.S. residency and citizenship and contribute to the growth of his chosen city. Without fanfare, he helped organize and finance a successful effort to oppose Proposition 187, an anti-immigrant referendum effort in Florida in the mid-1990s.
He was a founding member of the Miami Book Fair and a founding subscriber of New World Symphony and could be found in the front rows of Chapman at the Book Fair; at some 15 New World concerts seasonally; and chatting with his Doctors Hospital exercise group at the Coral Gables Farmers Market. He was an avid reader of history.
In addition to wife JoAnne, of Coral Gables, he is survived by his children Deborah, of Brooklyn, and Michael and Stephen of Miami; sisters-in-law Natalie Fisher Guerin and Anne Grimsley Bander; nieces Liz Bander and Ari Lawson Prater; nephews David (Deborah Fisher) and Jason Fisher; great-nephews Gabriel and Jacob Fisher; and remembered by many friends and grateful clients.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 23, at Temple Israel of Greater Miami, 137 NE 19th St., Miami. There will be a memorial service in Maine at a later date. The family requests that in lieu of flowers donations be made to American Jewish Committee, 9200 S Dadeland Blvd., Ste 500, Miami, FL 33156 or Americans for Immigrant Justice, 3000 Biscayne Blvd., Suite 400, Miami, FL 33137.