1941
Edward Alexander, diplomat, Bethesda, Md., on October 5, 2023. Born in New York City in 1920, Alexander majored in musicology and earned an M.S. from the Journalism School in 1942. He served in the Army in Europe on the staffs of Generals Eisenhower and Bradley in the Psychological Warfare Division. After WWII, Alexander was public relations director for Sir Laurence Olivier on the Shakespearean films
Henry V and
Hamlet. In 1950 he joined Voice of America, organizing broadcasts to Soviet Armenia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and Tatarstan, and was appointed chief of the Armenian Service, where he remained for 10 years. A career diplomat, Alexander was a public affairs officer in Berlin, Budapest and Athens and played a key role in the visits of Presidents Kennedy to Berlin in 1963 and Nixon to Bucharest in 1969. Alexander is survived by his wife, Roseann; sons, Mark (JoAnn Palazzo), Scott (Cathy Davis) and Christian (Arlene Saryan); and five grandchildren.
1943
Gerard A. Forlenza, chemical engineer, Montclair, N.J., on July 17, 2023. Born in Brooklyn in 1923 to Italian immigrants, Forlenza was raised in New Hyde Park, N.Y., during the Depression, a time he called “dehumanizing” for Americans. At Columbia, he lettered in wrestling and was accelerated during WWII to graduate with a B.S. in chemical engineering. After serving in the Army as a lieutenant in the Philippines, he returned to Columbia Engineering to earn a Ch.E. in 1948. Forlenza had a long career as an executive in chemical engineering including 30 years at American Cyanamid, where he was president of several divisions. He was predeceased in 2008 by his wife of 49 years, Grace (nee Caskin) GSAS’48, and is survived by his sons, Gerald ’76 (Linda), Michael ’78 (Karen Kane) and Francis; daughters, Grace (Dr. Stephen Cosgriff) and Catherine (Noah Oremland); and five grandchildren.
1944
Martin L. Beller, orthopedic surgeon, Gaines, Pa., on June 6, 2023. Beller, who wrote for
Spectator and was a member of ZBT, Nacoms and Phi Beta Kappa, earned an M.D. from VP&S in 1946. He practiced orthopedic surgery in Philadelphia for 34 years and was a clinical professor in orthopedic surgery at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. After retirement in 1987, Beller moved to Gaines, the hometown of his wife of 73 years, Wilma, who predeceased him in 2020. He is survived by his sons, Alan and Peter ’77 (Adriane); daughter, Trixie (Bob); nine grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.
1949
Robert C. “Doc” Lincoln, oral surgeon, Hingham, Mass., on May 11, 2023. Born on April 5, 1927, Lincoln graduated from Bayonne (N.J.) H.S. and played football at Columbia in 1944 before enlisting in the Navy during WWII, where he was assigned to the
U.S.S. Alabama. Returning in 1946, he played two more seasons for the Lions under Lou Little. After graduating from Harvard Dental School, Lincoln was a surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital for more than 40 years and taught at Harvard Medical School. A passionate golfer, Lincoln was a team surgeon for the Boston Bruins, New England Patriots and Hartford Whalers. He was a loyal supporter of Columbia and especially the football program, for which he helped recruit more than 70 players. Lincoln was predeceased by his wife, Catherine T. “Kitty” Brennan; son Bobby; and sister, Patricia; and is survived by sons Richard, Tom, Jack and Michael; daughters, Patricia, Susan and Marian; sisters, Mary Ellen Connolly and Margie Rose Blaha; 24 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.
William J. Lubic, attorney, Red Bank, N.J., on July 18, 2023. Lubic, who served in the Navy, was a member of Phi Kappa Psi, competed in varsity crew and fencing and was class president for two decades. After graduating from Penn Law, he practiced real estate law in Manhattan and in 1973 started Kagan & Lubic, which continues as Kagan, Lubic, Lepper, Finkelstein & Gold. He married nursing student Ruth Watson in 1955 and encouraged and supported her higher education and development of maternal and child health care centers. Lubic took great pride in her establishment of the first out-of-hospital, midwife-guided childbearing center in the United States in 1975, and her receipt of a MacArthur Fellowship “Genius Grant” in 1993. In addition to his wife, Lubic is survived by his sister, Mildred Weisberg; son, Douglas (Ann M. Dougherty); and two grandchildren, including Charles ’12.
1950
David Berger, advertising executive, Madison, Wis., on October 28, 2023. Born on September 22, 1928, in Paris, Berger graduated from Great Neck (N.Y.) H.S. and majored in English. At Columbia he played four years of football as well as freshman basketball and baseball. Berger earned an M.B.A. from Harvard and was an advertising executive, rising to international director of market research for the Chicago-based agency Foote, Cone and Belding. He enjoyed camping, canoeing and anything that had to do with nature, and participated in the Madison Paddle and Portage event for many years. Berger, who was predeceased by one grandchild, is survived by his wife of 69 years, Barbara; son, Michael (Andrea); daughters, Susan (Tom Asch), Deborah and Laura Gallagher (Brett Paufler); former son-in-law, Sean Gallagher; six grandchildren; and brother, Daniel (Elena).
1951
Phillip A. Bruno, art dealer, Glasgow, on September 22, 2023. Born in Paris in 1930, Bruno studied art history and architecture under Meyer Schapiro CC 1924, GSAS 1935 and was captivated by
Lust for Life, Irving Stone’s fictionalized account of the life of Van Gogh. While a student, Bruno learned about the art market by working part time at the Weyhe Art Gallery and Bookstore. After graduation, he met Matisse, Giacometti and Brancusi in Paris in the 1950s and got to know the Van Gogh family, staying with them in Laren, Holland. For 57 years Bruno was a key figure in the New York art world, working in several famous galleries along Madison Avenue and 57th Street. In 2019, in celebration of his 90th birthday, Bruno donated more than 70 works to the Hunterian Art Gallery at Glasgow University in Scotland. He is survived by his wife, Clare Henry; sons, Clarke and Will; stepson, Damian Henry; stepdaughter, Zara Green; and six grandchildren.
1956
Stanley Soren, orthopedic surgeon, Staten Island, N.Y., on August 18, 2023. Born in Brooklyn on December 16, 1935, Soren graduated from Abraham Lincoln H.S. at 19 and earned an M.D. in 1961 from the Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science. He interned at the Kings County Hospital Center and was a resident at the Brooklyn VA Hospital/Kings County Hospital Center/St. Charles Children’s Orthopedic Hospital. In addition to a private practice that spanned nearly 60 years, Soren was chief orthopedic surgeon with the FDNY and an honorary surgeon with the NYPD. He was a member of the Class of ’56 Scholarship and Reunions Committee and enjoyed reading, traveling, participating in barbershop quartets and the music of Al Jolson. Soren was predeceased by his wife, Ruth Ann (née Meyers), and son, Steven ’86, GSAPP’88; and is survived by his daughter-in-law, Karen; sister, Helene Kaplan; sister-in-law, Janet Rossmiller (Leroy); and two grandchildren.
1958
Fredric “Rick” Brous, consumer appliance retailer, Los Angeles, on August 26, 2023. Brous, who grew up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, majored in economics and earned an M.B.A. from the Business School in 1960. He was president of Gordon-Brous, a family-owned appliance retailing business in Madison, N.J., that was founded in the 1940s by his father-in-law, Sam Gordon. Brous moved to Los Angeles in 2014 to be closer to his daughter, Rabbi Sharon Brous ’95, GSAS’01, and grandchildren. He is a former CAA board member and was awarded a Columbia Alumni Medal in 2000. Brous is survived by his wife of 54 years, Marcia; daughters, Devorah (Larry Weber) and Sharon (David Light ’95, SOA’02); son, Michael ’98 (Michal); and nine grandchildren, including Eva Brous-Light ’26.
1959
Eugene “Gene” Appel, mechanical engineer, Portland, Ore., on August 16, 2023. A son of Hungarian immigrants, Appel grew up in Sharon, Pa., and competed for the Lions in football and wrestling for four years. He played guard and linebacker in football and in 1957–58 was presented the Gus Peterson Award as Columbia’s outstanding wrestler. In 1958 he was named the school's Outstanding Sportsman, in 1959 his class voted him the Outstanding Athlete and in 2011 he was inducted into the Mercer (Pa.) County Hall of Fame. Appel earned a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Columbia Engineering in 1960 and a M.S. in environmental engineering from North Carolina in 1973. He worked for DuPont, Brown & Caldwell, KCM and the City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services. Appel is survived by his wife, Linda; son, Mark; daughter, Heather Dotson; and three grandchildren.
Barry D. “David” Peck, entrepreneur, Richmond, Va., on July 8, 2023. Born in Baltimore on May 17, 1937, Peck grew up in Portsmouth, Va., and graduated with a degree in English. He returned to Virginia and began working for Peck Iron & Metal, a scrap metal recycling company founded by his father, Julius. Peck designed the company’s 100-acre facility, installed one of the country’s first automobile shredders to accommodate steel mills’ growing demand for the recycled product and purchased decommissioned ships from the Navy for their scrap value. He sold the company in 1997 and transitioned into commercial real estate with The Peck Co. An avid reader and a talented writer, artist, singer and sculptor, he was active in Richmond’s civic life and Jewish community. Peck was predeceased by his wife of 30 years, Rosann, and is survived by his companion, Patti Lancaster; brothers, Stanley and Aaron; sons, Daniel GSAPP’91, Mitchell ’91 and Joshua; daughters-in-law, Rachel and Suzanne; and four grandchildren.
1963
Burton A. Brody, physics professor, New York City, on October 3, 2023. Brody, who majored in physics, earned an M.A. from GSAS in 1965 and a Ph.D. from Michigan in 1969. He began teaching at Bard College the following year and was a professor in the division of Science, Mathematics and Computing for 32 years. Upon retirement Brody became an emeritus professor with an endowed chair and laboratory named for him. For most of his career, he maintained a presence at Columbia in the Atomic Physics group as a researcher working with graduate students and designing and developing experimental techniques and equipment. Brody was an avid patron of the arts with a particular fondness for dance and poetry, and was a constant presence at Bard student events. He was predeceased by his wife, Susan; and is survived by his companion, Pamela Hull.
Sheldon R. “Shaya” Isenberg, rabbi and religion professor, Gainesville, Fla., on June 14, 2023. Born on October 21, 1941, in Fall River, Mass., Isenberg graduated magna cum laude and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa before earning an Ph.D. with honors in religious studies from Harvard in 1969. After teaching at Duke and Princeton, he joined the faculty at the University of Florida, where he taught Jewish mysticism, comparative mysticism and perennial philosophy. Isenberg retired as chair of the Department of Religion in 2008 after helping to create its master’s and doctoral programs and co-founding the Center for Spirituality and Health. In 1995, he was ordained as a Renewal rabbi and along with his wife, Bahira Sugarman, was committed to spiritual eldering and conscious living. Together they founded organizations devoted to aging consciously. Isenberg, who was fondly known as “Reb Shaya,” is survived by his wife; daughters, Jennifer (Scott Blacker) and Michelle (Dave Pearlstein); and four grandchildren.
attorney, Haverford, Pa., on September 30, 2023. Born in the Bronx, Pittinsky graduated from Bronx Science and was president of his senior class at the College, during which time a part-time clerical job at the law firm Proskauer ignited a love of the law. After graduating from Yale Law, Pittinsky joined Dilworth Paxson and rose to become chair of the litigation department. He joined Ballard Spahr in 1992 and built a reputation as one of the finest trial and appellate lawyers in Pennsylvania, achieving precedent-setting wins in several high-profile cases. He defended corporations such as DuPont, PNC, Lucent Technologies, Northrup Grumman and AT&T against multimillion-dollar claims, while his individual clients included Frank Sinatra. He was a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and a recipient of
The Legal Intelligencer’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Pittinsky is survived by his wife, Alecia; daughter, Alexandra (Chris Giorno); son, Parker Palmer (Brisa De Angulo); and five grandchildren.
1964
Jonathan S. Goldberg, literature professor, Decatur, Ga., on December 9, 2022. Born in Kew Gardens, Queens, on June 11, 1943, Goldberg earned a Ph.D. from GSAS in 1968 and received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1984. He taught at Temple, Brown, Johns Hopkins, Duke and Emory, from which he retired as Distinguished Professor of English Emeritus. The author of 17 scholarly monographs, most recently
Being of Two Minds, Goldberg was a leader in the fields of early modern British literature, LGBTQ studies and queer theory, and contributed to the integration of these fields. He was a founding co-editor of the influential book series
Series Q and edited the journal
English Literary History 2001–06. Goldberg is survived by Michael Moon, his partner of 38 years; brother, Franklin; and daughters, Julia and Abigail.
Irving J. Spitzberg Jr., educator and attorney, Gaithersburg, Md., on October 13, 2023. Born in Little Rock, Ark., on February 9, 1942, Spitzberg majored in government, was president of WKCR and graduated cum laude. He pursued a B.Phil. in political and legal philosophy at St Catherine’s College, Oxford, on a Kellett Fellowship, and in 1969 earned a J.D. from Yale Law. Spitzberg was a professor at Brown, the Claremont Colleges and SUNY Buffalo, where he was dean of the colleges before becoming general secretary of the American Association of University Professors. During the last years of his professional life, he practiced immigration law while helping run The Knowledge Co., which he founded with his wife, Virginia Thorndike. In recent years, Spitzberg was active in the environmental protection of his Maryland community. In addition to his wife, Spitzberg is survived by his sons, Edward (Neesham) and David (Mariana); brother, Paul ’68 (Barbara); and three grandchildren.
Richard A. Stein, cardiologist and educator, New York, on September 24, 2023. Born on April 7, 1942, in New York, Stein grew up in Great Neck and graduated from NYU Medical School. He underwent clinical training at Kings County and Downstate hospitals in Brooklyn before serving in the Air Force, where he attained the rank of major. After completing military service, Stein finished his residency and joined the faculty at Downstate Medical Center, becoming the chair of cardiology. Stein focused on exercise and cardiac rehabilitation and strove to make complex medical concepts accessible. He was president of the New York Heart Association, chair of the Committee on Exercise for the American Heart Association, and an NIH researcher and grant reviewer. In 2016, Stein earned an M.P.H. in health policy and management from the Mailman School of Public Health. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Roselle Shubin; daughter, Beth ’81, VPS’96 (Christopher); son, Ken ’91, PH’18 (Sam); and four grandchildren.
1967
Joseph B. Solodow, classics professor, Woodbridge, Conn., on October 4, 2023. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., on November, 13, 1946, Solodow graduated from Erasmus Hall H.S., where he developed a love for Latin. After earning a Ph.D. in classics from Harvard in 1971, he began his teaching career as a professor of world languages and literatures at Southern Connecticut State, where he taught Spanish in addition to Latin. Solodow was awarded the Rome Prize Fellowship in 1980 and spent a year at the American Academy in Rome. In 1985, he joined Yale’s Department of Classics, where he taught Latin and developed a loyal student following. He wrote three books:
The Latin Particle Quidem (1978),
The World of Ovid’s Metamorphoses (1988) and
Latin Alive (2010). Solodow, who was predeceased in 2014 by his wife of 47 years, Graziella Patrucco, is survived by his partner, Laura Harris; and brother, Michael.
1968
Robert C. Cook, businessman, artist and photographer, Sedona, Ariz., on February 10, 2023. Born and raised in Manhattan, Cook was an avid fan of the Yankees and Knicks, especially Willis Reed. He majored in anthropology, was a varsity fencer, played for the Lions’ rugby team and later for the renowned Old Blue, and hosted a Sunday night Motown show on WKCR. After earning an M.B.A. from Harvard and serving in the Army, Cook became the founder and CEO of Securitron Magnalock and also president of its sister company, Medeco Security Locks. His passion was art and his work included oil paintings, pastels, watercolors and several types of photography, including wildlife, architecture, nighttime, panoramas, infrared and photography of fine art. Cook was married for 37 years to Zeina, an artist who works in sculpture, jewelry and many metal mediums. Together they moved to Sedona and opened a gallery, A Propos, and both were featured in various exhibitions.
1973
Mark E. Lehman, financial services sector general counsel, EVP and director, New York City, on August 27, 2023. Born on March 14, 1951, Lehman earned a J.D. from NYU in 1976 before launching a distinguished career that culminated with his positions as the general counsel, EVP and executive board member of Bear Stearns. Upon retirement in 2003, Lehman was honored by the College with a John Jay Award for distinguished professional achievement. He served on New York State’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative post–9-11 and committees within the Department of Homeland Security. Lehman led fundraising efforts for the American Jewish Committee and the United Jewish Appeal and served on the Missions Committee, raising funds and awareness for struggling Jewish communities. He was a member of the College’s Board of Visitors, a Columbia College Fund Class Agent, and an Alumni Representative Committee interviewer. He also helped to fund the
Scholar’s Lion sculpture that stands near Havemeyer Hall. Lehman is survived by his son, David ’05; daughter, Abigail; and brothers, Bruce and Bob.
1974
Jonathan W. Cuneo, attorney, Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., on July 26, 2023. Born in Washington, D.C., on September 10, 1952, Cuneo graduated from the St. Albans School and earned a law degree from Cornell. He worked at the Federal Trade Commission and was counsel to U.S. House Judiciary Chairman Peter Rodino. He started the firm Cuneo, Gilbert & LaDuca in 1988 and was known as a gifted behind-the-scenes strategist. Cuneo was passionate about antitrust law and co-founded the Committee to Support Antitrust Laws and the American Antitrust Institute. He played a major role in several groundbreaking civil actions, including the “Joe Camel” case against R.J. Reynolds Tobacco and the Enron case, where $7 billion was recovered for defrauded investors, and represented Hungarian survivors of the Holocaust in a class action suit against the U.S. Army over looting of gold and other treasures recovered from the Nazis. Cuneo is survived by his wife of 29 years, Mara Liasson; children, Lucy, Mia and Eli; two grandchildren; and a sister, Sandra.
1978
Robert P. Kerker Jr., computer expert, Rhinebeck, N.Y., on July 10, 2023. Born on July 2, 1956, to Robert Sr. ’49, GSAS’54 and his wife, Joan, in Albany, N.Y., and raised in South Bethlehem, N.Y., Kerker majored in physics. During summers he did language immersion at Middlebury College and became fluent in German, Russian, French and Spanish and gained a reading proficiency in Latin. After he earned a B.S. and an M.S. in computer science from SUNY Albany, Kerker worked for 39 years in computers. He retired in 2021 from the Depository Trust and Clearing Corp. at 65 to hike and travel, including fulfilling his dream of hiking the entire Appalachian Trail. In 2022 Kerker hiked from Springer, Ga., to Bear Mountain in New York; he was hiking from New York to Maine when his body was found near Killington, Vt., following major flooding. Kerker is survived by his wife of nearly 39 years, Pamela Griffin; children, Justin Brisee, Shallyn Brisee and Reina; three grandchildren; and brothers, Thomas and Charles.
1980
Daniel G. Larkins, attorney and social worker, Elizabethtown, Pa., on October 7, 2023. Born in Bayonne, N.J., and raised in Jersey City, Larkins majored in sociology and earned a law degree from Rutgers. After more than 20 years as a personal injury attorney, Larkins became a social worker at Keystone Human Services, helping find employment for disadvantaged clients. An environmental commissioner and planning board member in local New Jersey government, he also was a devoted youth sports coach in baseball and basketball for many years. Larkins is survived by his wife, Kathie; son, Danny; brother, Robert; sisters, Martha and Alice; four stepchildren; and three step-grandchildren.
1992
Kimberly L. Williams-Shuker, market researcher and educator, Pittsburgh, on July 23, 2023. Born and raised in Cranford, N.J., Williams-Shuker majored in art history and archaeology and earned a Ph.D. in anthropology in 2005 from the University of Pittsburgh, with a specialty in contact period Northeast U.S. archaeology. She was an adjunct faculty member at Pitt and a senior analyst at Prescott & Associates. An accomplished flautist, Williams-Shuker was a member of the Board of Directors since 2014 and a past president of Calliope, the Pittsburgh folk music society. She loved her cats and enjoyed traveling, gardening and cooking; worked on a co-op farm; and was known for her themed dinners for the Olympics and other events. Williams-Shuker is survived by her husband, Michael; parents, John and Eileen Williams; and sister, Becky (Jeff) Randazzo.
2018
Adam J. Elkhadem, artist and writer, Houston, on May 28, 2023. Born on July 25, 1996, Elkhadem was a visual arts student at Houston’s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, where he was a National Merit Scholar and a YoungArts winner. He graduated from the College magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a dual concentration in art history and political science. Elkhadem was presented the David B. Truman Alumni Award as the senior who made most distinguished contribution to the College’s academic affairs. He returned to Houston and worked for the Harris County District Courts and continued his creative efforts. He wrote and illustrated a weekly comic strip, “Octave: The Artist,” for
Caesura magazine; published 42 issues of another strip, “Gluck,” for
Caesura; and illustrated more than a dozen album covers. Elkhadem was predeceased by his grandfather Mostafa, and is survived by his other grandparents, Richard and Deborah Lazarou, and Rita; parents, Megan K. Lazarou and Joseph; and sister, Allie.
— Alex Sachare ’71
