Doctor of Humane Letters
"We have a great deal that we can be very proud of in our culture and YU expresses this in the very best way.”
Inventor and entrepreneur Maurice Kanbar has made an indelible impact on American culture.
Mr. Maurice Kanbar has changed the way we view films, receive medical injections, socialize after a tough day at the office, zip through traffic, see the world and pick fuzzy little balls from our sweaters. He created New York’s first multiplex theater, and invented the Safetyglide hypodermic needle protector, SKYY Vodka, a new LED traffic light, a cryogenic cataract remover and the D-Fuzz-It comb for sweaters. Mr. Kanbar is a pioneer of scientific advancements in fermentation, distillation and filtration techniques of vodka. His latest inventions include Blue Angel Vodka and Zip Notes.
A consummate inventor, Mr. Kanbar has more than 36 patents to his name and operates a personal laboratory in San Francisco. He is also a real estate investor, film producer and author, whose book, Secrets from an Inventor’s Notebook, outlines five proven steps to turning your good idea into a fortune. He produced the animated film, Hoodwinked, a offbeat and humorous retelling of the classic tale, Little Red Riding Hood, which debuted in January 2006, and is currently completing Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Mr. Kanbar graduated from Philadelphia University with a major in engineering. He talks of his success as an inventor: “There are many people out there with ideas. What I have is a gift. Some people have it, some people don’t.”
“The money I make goes to charity,” he adds. “I don’t need anything material in my life. I don’t need a jet or a yacht. But education? I give to education because it’s something you can’t take away from anyone.”
A YU Benefactor, Mr. Kanbar established scholarship support for deserving law students at Cardozo. “Cardozo is a first-rate school,” he applauds. “It’s such a vital part of Yeshiva University, and I can think of no other Jewish institution that has done more for western civilization. We have a great deal that we can be very proud of in our culture and YU expresses this in the very best way.”
An honorary degree from Yeshiva University is most meaningful to him. “I’m very proud to receive this honorary degree,” Mr. Kanbar says, “and be acknowledged as someone who has contributed to society.”