the family's patriarch, abraham tanenbaum, left parczew, poland, north of lublin, for new york in 1911. two toronto-bound friends from the same town persuaded abraham to join them. shortly after arriving in toronto, abraham was driving a horse and cart through residential and industrial areas of toronto looking for scrap metal. by 1914, just before the war in europe, abraham had saved enough to bring his wife, chippa sura, and two young sons joseph and max to accompany him in toronto. abraham prospered and constructed the runnymede iron and steel company into a major steel fabrication company and real estate empire. his son, max, who founded his own company, york steel, had seven children, among them larry, who studied economics at cornell university.