Lawrence William Albrecht, an accountant for Volvo trucks who managed the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s gift shop, died of complications of cancer and diabetes Nov. 16 at his North Baltimore home. He was 80.
Born in Oakland, California, he was the son of Lawrence Albrecht, a salesman born in Denmark, and Sara McGurk Albrecht, a nurse. As a child he studied violin and piano and remained a lifelong music aficionado. He was a graduate of Piedmont High School and studied accounting at an area college.
He became a Volvo trucks accountant based in San Francisco. He was soon named a company auditor and traveled throughout the U.S. visiting Volvo’s branches.
In 1974, on a special assignment, he began operations for Volvo in Iran.
After leaving Iran he settled in Laurel in Prince George’s County and audited Volvo operations throughout Maryland.
Mr. Albrecht was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1996 and underwent surgery and radiation.
He retired in 2000 and settled on Gittings Avenue in Cedarcroft.
A friend, Norifumi Taniguchi, said, “Larry was honest and grounded and had an integrate personality. He could also be very funny and laugh at himself.”
Mr. Albrecht became involved with The Lyric Baltimore and appeared on stage as a supernumerary in several operas.
He then joined the Baltimore Symphony Associates, a volunteer organization that assists the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. For more than 18 years, he volunteered as manager and buyer for the symphony store in the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall’s lobby.
“It became his passion to open the store before every performance and during intermission,” said his life partner, Xavier Codina. “It allowed him to attend the performances. People may remember him standing behind the last row in the orchestra seating.”
Marge Penhallegon, Baltimore Symphony Associates president, said, “He had high standards for himself and what the store would be. He did not want all T-shirts and mugs. He had a good buyer’s eye. He stocked children’s books because he knew grandparents go to the symphony. Each year the store brought in between $30,000 and $40,000.”
“Larry was a model of civic commitment,” said a friend, George Johnston. “Despite misgivings about the City, he contributed greatly to its culture by his long term volunteer efforts at the Baltimore Symphony. … But for him the [symphony] shop simply wouldn’t have survived as long as it did.
“I have happy memories of going to visit him there during intermissions and always having to just wave to him since he was so busy helping customers,” said Mr. Johnston. “He had a flair for merchandising and was astute in predicting what would be popular.
“Larry was a devoted observer of the current political scene,” Mr. Johnston said. “I have lost count of how many contemporary political histories he gave me, each of which filled him with a new sense of outrage. He was a committed and informed citizen, the likes of which we clearly need more of.”
Mr. Albrecht became domestic partners with Mr. Codina in 2017. They resided in the Winthrop House in Tuscany-Canterbury.
Mr. Albrecht collected antiques and was a regular patron at the Turnover Shop on Roland Avenue. He enjoyed gimlets and beef tenderloin at the Prime Rib in Mount Vernon and dinners at Linwoods in Owings Mills.
Survivors include his partner, Mr. Codina, of Baltimore.