Winter 2012–13
Obituaries
1936
Irwin Grossman, retired president of clothing manufacturing company, Roslyn, N.Y., on March 1, 2012. Grossman was born in New York City on July 30, 1915. During his fourth year at Columbia, he also received a year’s credit in the Law School, and for the rest of his life regretted not obtaining a law degree. At Columbia, Grossman developed his keen wit and dry sense of humor, which were sharpened by the vicissitudes of life. His close friend, Ambassador Arnold Saltzman ’36, delivered the eulogy at his funeral. Grossman served in the Army from 1941–46, including service in the European theatre, where he rose to the rank of captain. After the war, Grossman joined his father, Isidore, and younger brother, William, in running the family business, Grossman Clothing Co. He and William were founders of Temple Sinai (Reform) and Temple Beth Sholom (Conservative), both in Roslyn Heights, N.Y. Grossman served as the second president of Beth Sholom. He and his wife, Sylvia, were charter members of the Shelter Rock Tennis and Country Club in Manhasset, N.Y. Grossman was predeceased by her and his oldest son, William, and is survived by his sons, Edward and Richard; and one grandson.
1940
Justin N. Feldman, retired attorney, New York City, on September 21, 2011. A graduate of the Law School in 1942, Feldman served in the Army Air Force in WWII, became an assistant to Rep. Franklin Roosevelt Jr. and later his law partner, helped manage Robert Kennedy’s 1964 Senate campaign and helped broker a $5 billion rebuilding program for the city’s public transportation system. Feldman entered reform politics in the late 1940s as a leader of the Fair Deal Democratic Club, dedicated to breaking the control of Tammany Hall. According to Mayor Edward Koch, “Justin Feldman was a reformer before reform in Democratic politics became popular.” Later, Feldman headed the litigation department of Kronish, Lieb Weiner and Hellman (now Cooley, LLP), retiring from the practice of law at 90. He is survived by his wife, Linda Fairstein; three children; and two grandsons. A public service fellowship has been established in his name at the Law School.
Philip M. Greenberg, retired psychiatrist, Jupiter, Fla., on June 16, 2011. Greenberg was born in New York City and raised in South Fallsburgh, N.Y. He graduated from NYU School of Medicine, did a surgical residency at the Hospital for Joint Disease, served in the Army and then took over his father’s general practice in Miami Beach. In 1966, Greenberg completed a residency in psychiatry and practiced in that field in Miami, donating a half-day of his time every week to running Coping with Cancer, the first support group in Miami for cancer patients, survivors and their families. He retired in 1990 and soon after moved to Jupiter. He enjoyed fishing, bicycling and growing roses and orchids, and played bridge several times a week. He is survived by his wife, Joan; son, Mark; and two nephews.
1941
Louis Cohn-Haft, retired professor, Castellina in Chianti, Siena, Italy, November 15, 2011. Born and reared in New York City as “Louis Cohn,” he added “Haft,” his mother’s maiden name. Cohn-Haft earned an M.A. (1949) and a Ph.D (1955) from GSAS. During WWII, he was an instructor in navigation with the Army Air Corps. In 1953, after three years of teaching at Columbia College, he arrived at Smith, where he introduced students to the history of ancient Greece, Rome and the Near East. Cohn-Haft’s scholarly work on Ancient Greece includes The Public Physicians of Ancient Greece (1956), after 30 years still the standard work on the subject, and articles on ancient Greek marriage, notably “Divorce in Classical Athens” (Journal of Hellenic Studies, 1995), and, most recently, “Violence to Women,” in Mazzo Di Fiori, a Festschrift for Herbert Hoffman (2010). He is survived by his wife, Betty Schlerman; children, Hera, Tony and Mario; and four grandchildren.
Other Deaths Reported
Columbia College Today also has learned of the following deaths. Complete obituaries will be published in an upcoming issue, pending receipt of information. Due to the volume of obituaries that CCT receives, it may take several issues for the complete obituary to appear.
| 1926 | Malcolm Warnock, retired attorney, Maplewood, N.J., on October 9, 2012. |
| 1935 | Armen Matigan, dentist, Glendale, Calif., on February 21, 2012. |
| 1937 | George W. Hoyns Jr., retired real estate broker, Sugar Land, Texas, on September 29, 2012. |
| Donald W. O'Connell, emeritus professor of economics, Pennington, N.J., on October 10, 2012. | |
| 1938 | Thomas M. DeStefano, dentist, Leonia, N.J., on August 13, 2012. |
| 1939 | Edward C. Biele, retired attorney, Seattle, on November 3, 2012. |
| John McCormack, retired business executive, Dallas, on October 19, 2012. | |
| 1940 | Stanley M. Daugert, emeritus professor, Bellingham, Wash., on September 4, 2012. |
| Asher Hiesiger, attorney and real estate developer, Point Clear, Ala., on August 11, 2012. | |
| Nikolai Stevenson, sugar broker, Princeton, on October 3, 2012. | |
| 1941 | Frederick H. Kramer, salesman, Los Angeles, on August 14, 2012. |
| 1942 | Warren C. Baum, retired economist, Bethesda, Md., on August 22, 2012. |
| Paul M. Cohen, retired financial services v.p., New York City, on August 24, 2012. | |
| 1943 | David Norr, financial analyst, investment adviser, CPA, Scarsdale, N.Y., on August 19, 2012. |
| Harold C. Vaughan, retired history teacher, Fort Lee, N.J., on September 22, 2012. | |
| 1944 | Joseph N. Leff, business executive, New York City, on August 26, 2012. |
| Edwin M. Zimmerman, attorney, Washington, D.C., on October 6, 2012. | |
| 1946 | Charles J. Fabso, retired sales manager, Durham, N.C., on January 17, 2012. |
| Frank J. Martin Jr., newspaperman, Tempe, Ariz., on September 2, 2011. | |
| 1948 | Bernard W. Wishy, history professor, San Francisco, Calif., on April 28, 2012. |
| 1949 | George V. Cook, attorney, Garden City, N.Y., on October 20, 2012. |
| Robert A. Dietshe, PR executive, Andover, Vt., on September 6, 2012. | |
| Matthew J. Domber, St. Petersburg, Fla., on September 19, 2012. | |
| 1950 | Emmett C. Harris, international banking executive, Bloomington, Ind., on September 20, 2012. |
| Arthur A. Iodice, scientist, Rome, N.Y., on March 16, 2012. | |
| Alfonso A. Lordi, sales manager, Denver, on January 22, 2012. | |
| Walter G. Nilsen Sr., chemist, Brooklyn, N.Y., on August 21, 2012. | |
| 1950 | Daniel L. O’Keefe, retired magazine editor, Chappaqua, N.Y., on August 29, 2012. |
| Robert C. Runyon, physician, Concord, Mass., on January 16, 2012. | |
| Harold L. Tapley, physician, Bakersfield, Calif., on August 19, 2012. | |
| 1951 | Avrom S. Waxman, attorney, Garrison, N.Y., on August 27, 2012. |
| 1952 | John W. Edwards, IT executive, Little Compton, R.I., on October 18, 2012. |
| Anthony Misho, insurance executive, Orlando, Fla., on October 15, 2012. | |
| 1953 | Robert D. Wanselow, engineer, Bryan, Texas, on August 16, 2012. |
| 1954 | Richard A. Koerner, attorney and judge, Toms River, N.J., on August 10, 2012. |
| 1956 | Michael I. Spiegel, attorney, San Francisco, on August 3, 2012. |
| 1957 | Edward A. Earle, Wilmington, N.C., on April 25, 2012. |
| Pasquale “Pat” A. Loconto, retired management consultant, Austin, Texas, on August 9, 2012. | |
| 1958 | Walter M. Stern, Forest Hills, N.Y., on May 18, 2011. |
| 1959 | Jose W. Noyes, financial executive, New York City, on October 18, 2012. |
| Arthur L. Schatten, attorney, West Orange, N.J., on August 31, 2012. | |
| 1961 | David M. Blicker, Sacramento, Calif., on October 26, 2012. |
| 1962 | Capt. Howard D. Bohaboy, Navy officer, Alameda, Calif., on August 10, 2012. |
| 1963 | Gilbert W. Einstein, artists' representative, New York City and Wilmington, Mass., on September 21, 2012. |
| Charles J. Piera, retired supervisor of volunteer services, Sundown, N.Y., on August 1, 2012. | |
| 1964 | Michael H. Heim, professor and translator, New York City, on September 29, 2012. |
| Nicholas Rudd, business executive, Westport, Conn., on September 14, 2012. | |
| Peter K. Shack, attorney, Davis, Calif., on July 3, 2012. | |
| 1976 | Andrew E. Thurman, medical ethics expert, educator, Pittsburgh, on October 22, 2012. |
| 1977 | Gregory J.M. Ersek, Miami Gardens, Fla., on February 27, 2012. |
| Paul R. Pastorini, urologist, New London, N.C., on September 28, 2012. | |
| 1980 | Clifton Boone, attorney, Sparta, Ga., on August 20, 2012. |
| 1997 | Laura L. Tatum, architectural records archivist, Guilford, Conn., on October 13, 2012. |
| 2011 | Gelseigh Karl-Cannon, nanny, Bristol, Conn., on November 6, 2012. |
1943
Edward M. Buyer, retired electrical engineer, Adamstown, Md., on February 4, 2012. Born in 1921, Buyer was the valedictorian of New Rochelle (N.Y.) H.S., earned a B.S. in engineering from Columbia and flew with the 493rd Bombardment Group, Tenth Air Force in India and Burma. An accomplished sailor, athlete and swimmer, he earned an M.S. from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn and was an electrical engineer who helped pioneer the development of electronic reconnaissance. After retiring he lived in Oriental, N.C., for 25 years and more recently Adamstown and Sykesville, Md. Buyer’s wife, Marilyn, predeceased him after 58 years of marriage. He is survived by their three children and seven grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to Heifer International.
1944
Richard D. Hunter, retired minister, Arlington, Mass., on February 25, 2011. A minister of United Church of Christ churches in Michigan, Ohio, upstate New York and Massachusetts, Hunter was born in Mt. Vernon, N.Y., in 1922, and was a graduate of Union Theological Seminary. He served his country and began his life of Christian ministry as a Navy chaplain aboard the U.S.S. Mann in the Pacific after WWII. He began serving churches in Manchester, England in 1948, served the Congregational Christian Church of Ravena, N.Y., from 1960–87 and then was interim pastor for churches in upstate New York and Western Massachusetts before retiring in 2007. Hunter is survived by his wife of 60 years, Sara; daughters, Anne, Rebecca and Elizabeth; and one granddaughter.
1949
Ross J. Wilson, retired actuary, Hilton Head Island, S.C., on September 23, 2011. Born on February 16, 1925, in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, N.Y., Wilson attended P.S. 97 and Franklin K. Lane H.S., graduating in 1942. At 18, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps as an aviation cadet, serving as a 1st Lieutenant and bombardier in the 15th Air Force during WWII. After the College, Wilson entered the actuarial training program at Home Life Insurance Co., NYC, and later joined the small actuarial consulting firm of David G. Stone in Newark, N.J., where he became a partner with the then-named firm Stone, Young and Associates, which merged into Watson Wyatt Worldwide Consulting Actuaries in the early 1980s, and from which he retired in 1987. Wilson was a member of the Academy of Actuaries, an associate of the Society of Actuaries and, while actively consulting, a fellow of the Conference of Actuaries in Public Practice. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Geraldine; daughter, Leslie R. Degenaars; sons, Keith C. and Craig L.; seven grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
1951
Francis L. “Frank” Raimondo, real estate development and construction consultant, Newton, N.J., on December 7, 2011. Raimondo earned a master’s from Teachers College. He worked in public education in Fort Lee, N.J., for 25 years, first as a teacher and coach of basketball and football. At 28, he was named principal of the new Fort Lee Middle School, and later was a district-wide administrator. In 1978, Raimondo joined the firm of C. Raimondo & Sons Construction, founded by his father, Carmelo, in 1923. In 2001, he joined his son and grandson at Sonrize Developers, where he was engaged until the time of his death. Highly active in civic affairs throughout his life, Raimondo served on the Bergen Community College Board of Trustees for 12 years, six as chairman. He also served on various scholarship committees and received numerous honors recognizing his civic activities. Raimondo was married for 33 years to Patricia Grover Raimondo and was the father of five children. Memorial contributions may be made to the Frank Raimondo Scholarship Fund, c/o CHARITYSMITH Nonprofit Foundation, PO Box 10750, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110.
1953
Richard J. “Dick” Gershon, retired advertising executive, Milan, N.Y., on November 15, 2011. Gershon was born October 8, 1932, in Yonkers, grew up in Morningside Heights and graduated from Stuyvesant H.S. After earning a degree from the College and Army service, he earned an M.B.A. from Harvard. Gershon began his career at Benton & Bowles, a large full-service advertising agency in New York, where he rose to head the Media Department. In 1966, he left Benton & Bowles to form the first independent media buying service, Independent Media Services. He left Independent Media to found the Lois Pitts Gershon agency. In the early 1980s, Gershon devised a marketing strategy that brought the then-unknown MTV cable channel into communities across the United States. In the 1990s he became a media consultant to several Viacom entities, including MTV, Nickelodeon and VH1. An avid birder, Gershon was v.p. of the New York City Audubon Society and spent many retirement hours watching birds in Central Park, where he discovered this passion at 8. A devoted fan of Columbia basketball, Gershon was a lifelong season ticket holder. He is survived by his wife, Leslie Fenn Gershon; children, Russ, Andy ’83, ’86L and his wife, Gail, Jill and Laurie ’87; and three grandchildren.
1955
Ferdinand J. Setaro, consultant, Haddonfield, N.J., on September 2, 2011. Setaro was born on Staten Island, later moving to Haddonfield. He was a consultant with T.L.E. Consulting. His sports interests were football and fencing, and in his leisure time he was an avid reader, gun enthusiast, Western movies fan and American history buff. Setaro served in the Army and developed a medical record system for the military. He was predeceased by his wife, Irene, and is survived by his nieces, Elizabeth Mercer and Mary Cotogno; nephew, John Manzione; stepson, Scott Miller; and many cousins.
1956
Donald R. Nunziato, civil engineer, developer and contractor, Amherst, Va., on December 22, 2011. Nunziato was born in West New York, N.J., on December 6, 1933. At the College, he played football. He became a civil engineer, developer and contractor, working for Wiley & Wilson, Nelson County Service Authority and JMT. Nunziato was a member of the Antique Auto Club of Lynchburg. In addition to his wife of 23 years, Terese K. Linton, he is survived by one child and three stepchildren, Stephen and his wife, Marija, Lorraine Levinson and her husband, Dan, Robert Linton and his wife, Susan, and Tricia Holden and her husband George; nine grandchildren; one step-great-grandchild; and brother, Bill. He was preceded in death by a daughter, Gail. Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, PO Box 823, Lynchburg, VA 24505, or the American Cancer Society, 2316 Atherholt Rd., Lynchburg, VA 24501, or to Centra Hospice, 3300 Rivermont Rd., Lynchburg, VA 24503.
1960
Donald S. Keller, sheet metal fabrications executive, Wayland, Mass., on November 6, 2011. Born on February 21, 1939, in Brooklyn, N.Y., Keller graduated from Stuyvesant H.S. After the College, he began a long career in the metals fabrication industry, ultimately owning and managing Apahouser-Elcom Inc. in Watertown, Mass. He played an active civic role in his town of Wayland, chairing public commissions and serving for more than 30 years on the board of Wayside Youth and Family Support Network, including the last 12 as chairperson. He oversaw the expansion of Wayside’s facilities and services, which served tens of thousands of children and families during his tenure. His great recreational passion was skiing and, through the years, he followed the snow throughout the United States, Europe and even South America. He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Judith Boorky Keller; sons, David and his wife, Emily, Todd and Gregg; two granddaughters; and brother, Kenneth ’56, ’57E. Memorial contributions may be made to Wayside Youth and Family Support Network (waysideyouth.org).
1961
Barry H. Jacobs, retired ophthalmologist, New York City, on May 9, 2012. Jacobs was an eye surgeon who managed his own practice in the Boston area and also served at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and the Harvard Community Health Plan, and New Hampshire Eye Associates in Manchester, N.H. He was a graduate of Bronx Science and SUNY Downstate Medical Center. He enjoyed woodworking, building model ships, traveling, exploring the outdoors and sharing jokes. In 2007, Jacobs and his wife, Barbara, moved to Texas to be near his daughter and grandchildren. Jacobs is survived by his wife; brother, Dennis and his wife, Judith; sister-in-law, Patricia; stepmother, Renee; daughter, Alison; son-in law, Michael; and two grandchildren.
Joel J. Karp, international tax and estate planning expert, Washington, D.C., on January 16, 2011. A 1964 graduate of the Law School, Karp grew up in Brooklyn, raised by parents who emigrated from Russia. He headed the tax departments of Greenberg Traurig and Paul, Landy, Bailey & Harper, a now-defunct Florida law firm, and was a world-recognized expert in international tax and estate planning. Karp recently had worked at his own firm, Karp & Genauer. He lived in Miami from the 1970s until 2011, when he retired and moved to Washington D.C. Karp also was a behind-the-scenes person in Florida politics, serving as a DNC delegate in 1984 and 1988. He was a fundraiser for presidential candidates, including Gary Hart. Karp also worked with NACPAC, the nation’s largest pro-Israel political action committee, and lectured in tax at several South Florida law schools, including FIU and the University of Miami, and had written extensively on international issues.
Robert P. LaFiandra, physician, Middlebury, Vt., on September 3, 2011. A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., LaFiandra was a coxswain on the freshman crew. He studied medicine before joining the Public Health Service and served in Chile, where he developed a love for South American culture. After returning to the United States, he moved to Vermont for a residency in internal medicine and in 1970 opened a solo practice in Middlebury, devoting his life to the health of his patients, his community and the profession. LaFiandra enjoyed skiing to his office, became a master gardener and supported local athletics and arts. He is survived by his wife, Ann; children, Matthew, Andrew and Alessandra; and sisters, Annette and Alba. Memorial contributions may be made to United Way of Addison County, Town Hall Theater or Friends of Middlebury Hockey.
1965
David R. Wallace, inventor, San Francisco, on March 2, 2012. Wallace earned an M.A. in mathematics from UC Berkeley and a Ph.D. in math and computer science from Tulane. He taught at Emory and Boston Universities and later worked for several technology companies in the Bay Area that were founded on work he invented. He is survived by his wife, Lynn Klamkin; and daughter, Kira.
1977
Damien C. Bona, Academy Award expert, writer, New York City, on January 29, 2012. Bona was born on March 18, 1955, in Sharon, Conn. He and his fellow Spectator staff writer Mason Wiley ’77, ’78J formed a writing partnership after graduation, and they went on to author Inside Oscar, a history of the Academy Awards that was published in 1986 and went on to several other editions. He also was the author of Opening Shots, a look at unlikely film debuts, and Starring John Wayne as Genghis Khan: Hollywood’s All-Time Worst Casting Blunders. In 2009, he was a consultant on the Academy Award ceremonies with Oscar-winning director-writer Bill Condon ’76, one of the show’s producers. Bona also held a law degree from NYU and briefly practiced. He is survived by his partner, Ralph Peña; mother, Alma; sister, Amy Bona-Cohen and her husband, Neil; and three nieces. Memorial contributions may be made to God’s Love We Deliver (glwd.org) or Kings Highway Cat Rescue in Brooklyn, N.Y.
2016
Martha A. Corey-Ochoa, student, Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., on August 27, 2012. Corey-Ochoa moved with her family to Dobbs Ferry from Brooklyn when she was 2. She attended Dobbs Ferry schools from elementary school until she graduated from Dobbs Ferry H.S. as valedictorian. Corey-Ochoa maintained a rigorous course load while at DFHS and planned to double major in English and mathematics at Columbia. She told Rivertowns Patch in September 2011 that she was working on a political romance novel set in the 17th century and a sonata on the violin, which she had played since the third grade. Corey-Ochoa, a finalist in the 2012 National Merit Scholarship Program, was a member of the DFHS orchestra, participated in the Westchester Youth Orchestra and All-County Intermediate Orchestra, and was a member of the Spanish Honor Society. She was known for her kindness and reaching out to students who were having difficulty as well as volunteering to help people to learn English at Cabrini Immigrant Center. Corey-Ochoa is survived by her parents, George Ochoa ’81 and Melinda Corey ’95 Arts.
Lisa Palladino