William Steinhardt

William “Bill” Steinhardt, an advertising and direct marketing consultant for 60 years, died July 28, at Menorah Medical Center, Overland Park. He was 83.
Bill was the retired president of Steinhardt Direct, a consulting firm he founded in 1979 in Overland Park. He was a past president of the Kansas City Direct Marketing Association and of the Greater Kansas City Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.
He was born June 1, 1927, in the Bronx, New York, as he liked to say, in the shadow of Yankee Stadium. A lifelong fan of baseball, boxing and other sports, he once played in a semi-professional baseball league.
Bill earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Ohio University and a master’s degree in literature from Columbia University. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy.
He began his career in 1950 as a copywriter at the mail-order advertising firm of Huber Hoge & Sons in New York. In the early 1960s he formed General Consultants Corp. of Sanford, Maine. In the 1970s he served as director of the office of public information at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
He was a well-known speaker and guest lecturer and entertained many when he performed as Ben Franklin, the original postmaster of the United States. He taught marketing classes at UMKC, Webster University, Park College and the Center for Direct Marketing. He also served as executive consultant with the Titens Consulting Group.
In recent years Bill became CEO emeritus of InfoFaith Communications Inc., dedicated to building bridges between Judaism and Christianity. The organization was founded by his brother, Dr. Roy Hanu Hart, a physician and author.
Bill was a member of the Public Relations Society of America, National Speakers Association, American Society for Training and Development, American Humor Association, American Association for Therapeutic Humor and the Friends of Franklin.
In June Bill celebrated his second bar mitzvah , a blessed event in which he was surrounded by friends and family.
In addition to his brother, of Alexandria, La., he leaves his beloved wife of 53 years, Barbara Steinhardt; his three children -- Anne Siegel, of Shawnee; Steve Paul (and his companion, Carol Zastoupil) of Kansas City; and Harold Steinhardt (and his wife, Lori Levens), of Overland Park -- and grandson Jeff Nelson, of Austin, Texas.
A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 1, at Congregation Beth Torah, 6100 W. 127th St., Overland Park.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Congregation Beth Torah or Jewish Family Services of Greater Kansas City, 5801 W. 115th St., Overland Park, Kan., 66211.