Ramon L. Posel, art-cinema proponent and real estate developer, born August 1928 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; died June 23, 2005, in New York City, from pancreatic cancer[1].
Posel was born to Russian immigrants in Philadelphia, next to the Lyric Theater, one of seven movie houses owned by his father, Leo. Posel grew up watching movies in his family's theaters, starting with janitorial work and eventually working his way up to usher, and then working in the projection room while in high school. He excelled in Philadelphia's Central High School, both academically and athletically, gaining local fame as a football player. As a youth, Posel preferred novels to movies, as he felt movies lacked novels' "resonance." His preferred recreational activities included jazz clubs. In 1976 he opened the regionally popular Ritz Three theater.[2]