Roosevelt Smith Zanders (1912–1995) was the owner of New York City limousine service Zanders Auto Rental Service. Starting out with a US$3000 Cadillac, his fleet grew to sixteen cars, including three Rolls-Royces. After establishing the company in Harlem in 1946, he kept the offices and garage in the same neighborhood, even as his client roster began to represent the elite of Fifth Avenue. Early life Zanders was born in Valdosta, Georgia, on July 13, either 1910 or 1912, to the alleged Reverend Arthur Zanders and his wife, Ethel Smith Zanders. His father was actually a barber. During his childhood, he won a marbles shooting championship in Georgia and often competed in official games. When he was still a child, his family began relocating to Youngstown, Ohio, where Zanders attended the public schools. On November 3, 1919 his father killed his mother Ethel and a younger brother named Henry with a shotgun, and then shot himself after returning from a trip. With both parents dead, Zanders took a position as a locker room attendant at the Mahoning Valley Country Club to help support himself and his four siblings. In July 1941, Zanders enlisted in Co. E 15th Regiment of the New York Army National Guard and gave his birth date as July 13, 1912 in Youngstown, Ohio. Zanders served in World War II, where he achieved the rank of captain in the U.S. Army. Career Zanders was working as a construction engineer on the Alcan Highway in Canada when he developed the concept of offering combined limousine and concierge services, based on his difficulty in obtaining simple things that weren't readily available. He reasoned that travelers would find themselves in a strange environment and need someone to help obtain things they wanted, as well. Zanders had established his limousine service and was gaining prominence with his concept of personal service by the mid-1950s and was noted to go beyond expectation to provide what amounted to a concierge service to his clients. His fleet of vehicles consisted entirely of Cadillacs until December 14, 1958, when Zanders' custom-built Rolls-Royce arrived from the factory. Only he drove it. "His helpers drive the Cadillacs", said Gay Talese. In 1963, he appeared in an Ebony magazine article featuring client Muhammad Ali and a New York Life Insurance ad featured in the same edition. Famous clients Zanders' first notable client was Gertrude Lawrence, the British actress who