1951
David H. Zinman, journalist, Point Lookout, N.Y., on February 12, 2023. Zinman wrote for Spectator and lettered in track, earned a master’s from the Journalism School in 1952 and served as a lieutenant in the Navy during the Korean War. In 1969, he won a Rockefeller-Sloan Kettering Fellowship for the Advanced Science Writing Program at Columbia and thereafter spent his journalism career as the medical and science specialist for Newsday. Zinman wrote several books, including The Day Huey Long Was Shot and 50 Classic Motion Pictures. He ran marathons and road races late into his life, sometimes wearing a shirt announcing “Grandpa just passed you.” He spent his retirement years as a columnist, playwright and adjunct professor teaching film history. Zinman was predeceased by his wife of 50 years, Sara, and is survived by his son, Daniel (Lauren Bauer-Zinman ’90); daughters, Caroline and Elizabeth; and three grandchildren, including Matthew ’21 and Samantha ’21.
1952
George I. Gordon, attorney, Bronx, N.Y., on January 8, 2023. After graduation from the Law School in 1954, Gordon clerked for a federal judge and served as chief appellate attorney for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. He practiced law for many years, specializing in real estate and business law, and was chair/co-chair of the real estate department at Rosenman & Colin. Gordon had a lifelong passion for classical music, was an avid opera buff, loved to travel and had an abiding interest in public affairs. His first marriage, to Erica Levy BC’54 SW’77, BUS’78, ended in divorce. He is survived by his second wife, Anna Lederer Gordon; sons, Mark ’81, SIPA’82 (Anne Zweibel SEAS’82, SEAS’83) and Stephen ’81; daughter, Louise BC’79; stepson, Laurence Lederer; and six grandchildren.
Aldo F. Ippolito, entrepreneur, Toronto, on December 3, 2022. Born on May 7, 1924, in New York, Ippolito graduated from high school in Florence, Italy, and served in WWII as a translator for the U.S. Army. After graduating from the College on the G.I. Bill, he worked for several consumer packaged-goods companies in sales before moving to Montreal to launch Manley, the biggest name in popcorn at the time, into the Canadian market. Settling in Toronto, he had a 55-year career as president of Aldo Ippolito & Co., an importer and distributor of grocery and consumer goods. Ippolito was a man of traditional values, financial prudence, fervent work ethic and a strong sense of what he thought was right. Ippolito was predeceased by his wife of 54 years, Patricia Manley, and is survived by his by his sons, Gregory and Garret (Jill Deitch); daughter, Leslie McCarthy; and six grandchildren.
1954
Joel J. Belson, English and humanities professor, Jamaica, N.Y., on July 10, 2022. Belson majored in English and was chancellor of his fraternity, Beta Sigma Rho. He earned an M.A. in 1955 and a Ph.D. in 1964, both from GSAS in English. Belson taught English 1958–99 at SUNY Maritime College and chaired the Department of Humanities 1975–92. He had a lifelong passion for learning, from people and experience as well as from books. He was greatly admired for his well informed and considered opinions — and for his willingness to change his mind. Belson is survived by his wife of 66 years, Abby BC’56 (née Avin); daughters, Gabrielle Belson Rattner BC’80 (Donald Rattner ’79) and Nicole Belson Golubuff ’87, LAW’90 (Erik Goluboff ’86); and grandchildren, including Ross Goluboff ’15.
Stanley Friedman, English professor, Hingham, Mass., on November 18, 2022. Friedman earned a master’s in 1955 and a Ph.D. in 1963, both in English from GSAS. After serving in the Army, he became a professor at CUNY’s Queens College where he taught for more than 36 years. Friedman is survived by his wife of 55 years, Lita (née Fine); sons, David (Keren Rimon) and Jeremy (Tracy Gerritsen); three grandchildren; and sister-in-law, Barbara, widow of his brother, Arthur ’61, SEAS’65.
1955
Mortimer M. Civan, professor of physiology, Philadelphia, on April 17, 2022. After earning an M.D. from VP&S in 1959, Civan did an internal medicine internship and residency at Columbia University Irving Medical Center/NewYork-Presbyterian. He studied salt and water transport across kidney epithelia at the National Institute of Arthritis and Metabolic Diseases, then at the lab of Alex Leaf at Massachusetts General Hospital. In the Leaf lab, and then as faculty at Harvard Medical School, Civan contributed to the discovery of the need by cells for an energy-dependent mechanism to effectively extrude water. In 1972, he joined Penn as an associate professor of physiology and medicine; he became a full professor in 1979 and was there a total of 43 years. Civan also had an interest in ocular physiology and contributed to the understanding of the underlying mechanisms of fluid transport. He was predeceased by his wife, Judith GSAS’63 (née Hochstein), and a son, David; he is survived by sons Ethan and Jesse (Mindy); and five grandchildren.
1956
Alan Broadwin, mechanical engineer, White Plains, N.Y., on December 17, 2022. Broadwin, a dual graduate in the 3-2 program (SEAS’57), was born on April 20, 1935, in Brooklyn. He earned an M.S. in industrial engineering from Stevens Tech in 1959 and began his professional career as a manufacturing engineer with Ainslie Knitting Machine Co. Broadwin was a project engineer, Intertype division, Harris Co., 1962–69; manager, medical systems, Ultrasonics division, Cavitron Corp., 1969–79.; director, technical development, Cooper Laser Sonics, Stamford, Conn., 1979–85; VP research and development Cavitron Surgical Systems, division Cooper LaserSonics, 1985–88; and director, ultrasonic technical, Valley Laboratory, a Pfizer company, since 1988. He held several patents and was a member of many industry associations. Broadwin was predeceased by his wife of 57 years, Naomi, and is survived by his daughters, Esther Fendrick (Lee Weiner) and Valerie Mutterperl (Jeffrey); and five grandchildren.
1957
John B. Ahouse, archivist and librarian, Long Beach, Calif., on April 3, 2023. Ahouse earned an M.A. from Texas and an M.L.S. from Southern Cal. He grew up in Yonkers, N.Y., and was an avid Dodgers fan when the team played in Brooklyn. One of his last smiles came when the Dodgers won their 2023 season opener; he had caught up with the team when his career as an archivist and special collections librarian brought him to Southern California. Ahouse, who wrote about composers Hector Berlioz and Daniel Pinkham, ended his career as a librarian and archivist at Southern Cal as the curator of its American Collection. His years in Germany helped his work as a historian and educator with the Wende Museum of the Cold War in Culver City, Calif., during retirement. Ahouse was predeceased by his son, Gregory; and is survived by his companion, Carolina; son, Jeremy; and grandchildren.
Lewis V. Ciardullo Sr., urologist, Sun City, Ariz., on January 16, 2021. Born in 1935 in Brooklyn, Ciardullo graduated from SUNY Downstate and eventually founded a private practice. He was a lover of good food and conversation. Ciardullo is survived by his wife, Teresa Hawking Ciardullo; sons, Lewis Jr. and Michael; stepchildren, Matthew Tresner, Erin Bussey and Christopher Tresner; a brother and a sister.
Alan I. Fine, primary care physician, Warren, N.J., on February 18, 2022. Born in Brooklyn, Fine was the first of his immediate family to finish college and was captain of the cheerleading squad. After earning an M.D. from New York Medical College, he was chief cardiologist at Sheppard AFB in Texas before settling in New Jersey. Fine and his partner built a 50-year practice based on attentiveness and compassion, the only way they believed to “doctor.” Fine also taught at Rutgers’ Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. In his final hours, his family played him the radiocast of the seventh game of the 1955 World Series, in which his beloved Dodgers finally overcame the Yankees. Fine is survived by his wife of 63 years, Karen; sons, Jon and Neil, and their wives; and two grandchildren.
Paul S. Frommer, naval commander, Alexandria, Va., on January 21, 2023. A graduate of Stuyvesant H.S. and an Eagle Scout, Frommer earned an M.A. from UC Berkeley before joining the Navy. After serving in Vietnam, he rose to the rank of commander before his retirement. Frommer was active in the Greater D.C. community, where he was VP at large of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, VP development for the Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia and president of Agudas Achim congregation in Alexandria, and was involved with a number of other community organizations. He and his wife, Elizabeth, founded the Gesher Jewish Day School in Fairfax, Va. He was predeceased by brothers, Herbert ’54, DM’57 and Alan ’57, SEAS’58. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his sons, Joshua (Melissa) and Samuel (Richard); daughters, Alexandra Schnitzer (Daniel) and Leah Bondy (Daniel); and three grandchildren.
Robert J. Lehner, attorney and justice official, North Miami Beach, Fla., on January 15, 2023. Lehner grew up in Washington Heights and played baseball and basketball at the College, receiving the Blair Bat in 1957 for the highest batting average in the Ivy League. After one season of minor league baseball with the Cleveland Indians organization, he graduated from the Law School in 1961 and began his career in public service as an ADA in Manhattan and as chief of the Homicide Bureau under DAs Frank Hogan CC 1924, LAW 1928 and Robert Morgenthau. In 1976 Lehner became deputy chief counsel for the U.S. House of Representatives’ Select Committee on Assassinations, where he led the investigation into the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. He served in the Department of Justice from 1978 to his retirement in 2022, as chief of the Organized Crime Strike Force (Miami) and then assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida.
Jerome H. Rettig, attorney, Lake Worth, Fla., on February 5, 2023. A Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar at the Law School, from which he graduated in 1960, Rettig was a lifelong New Yorker before retiring to Florida. He was a history enthusiast and a longtime Mets fan after his beloved Dodgers abandoned Brooklyn. Rettig is survived by his wife of 59 years, Elaine; sons David and Andrew; daughter-in-law, Renee; son-in-law, Alex; two grandchildren; brother, Leo; and sister, Goldie.
Herbert D. Sturman, attorney, Los Angeles, on April 2, 2023. Born in NYC on September 22, 1936, Sturman grew up in the Catskills in Liberty, N.Y., and graduated from Blair Academy Prep in Blairstown, N.J. After graduating from the Law School in 1961, he served as a federal prosecutor in the Los Angeles Office of the U.S. Attorney, where he met Dick Sherman and formed the firm of Sherman & Sturman. Subsequently, he partnered with Harvey Fierstein to form Fierstein & Sturman. Toward the end of his career Sturman practiced at Freeman, Freeman & Smiley before becoming a sole practitioner. Highlights of his career included representing a taxpayer in the Supreme Court in
United States v. Janis and receiving a personal commendation from Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and the Department of Justice for handling cases under the Internal Revenue Code. He also was counsel for The Beach Boys. Sturman is survived by his wife of 61 years, Beverly; children, Elise Museles (Steven), Tracy and Robert; and two grandchildren.
1958
Morris J. Amitay, political advocate, Rockville, Md., on February 10, 2023. Amitay earned a J.D. from Harvard and an M.P.A from the Harvard Kennedy School, where his seminar teacher was Henry Kissinger and with whom he maintained a professional relationship for more than five decades. He was in the Foreign Service in Italy, South Africa and the United States 1962–70 and was a senior U.S. Senate aide 1970–74. After heading the American Israel Public Affairs Committee for six years, Amitay founded the pro-Israel Washington Political Action Committee, which he ran for more than 40 years, and represented clients involved in a variety of issues and government programs. Most recently, Amitay and his lobbyist son Stephen ’87 were part of a team that brought about changes to U.S. terrorism and foreign sovereign immunity laws that have enabled victims to collect billions of dollars of compensation from state sponsors of terrorism. Amitay is survived by his sons, Michael (Mayumi) and Stephen ’87 (Sharlene); daughters, Cheryl (Gian) and Rae; five grandchildren including Matthew ’24; and ex-wives, Sybil and Martha.
attorney, Cambridge, Mass., on February 18, 2023. Gonson majored in public law and government and graduated from Harvard Law before joining Hale and Dorr, now WilmerHale, in 1962. During the Vietnam War, Gonson advised young men subject to the draft under the auspices of the American Friends Service Committee. He chaired the Massachusetts Community Development Finance Corp., headed the Cambridge United Way and was a director of Cambridge Family and Children’s Services, president of the Cambridge Center for Adult Education and on the board of the Boston Psychoanalytic Institute. In 2000, he became an adjunct professor of international law at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy; he also was a visiting scholar at Oxford. Gonson is survived by his wife, Dotty BC’60; two daughters; and three grandchildren.
Robert S. Waldbaum, urologist, Manhasset, N.Y., on January 29, 2023. A lifelong New Yorker, Waldbaum entered the College at 15 as a Ford Foundation Scholar and majored in zoology. He was president of his Class of 1962 at VP&S and a member of AOA, the national medical honor society. After serving as a naval surgeon with the Second Battalion Third Marine Division, Waldbaum was the founding chair of the Department of Urology at North Shore University Hospital, a position he held for more than 30 years. He also chaired the Medical Board, was a trustee of North Shore LIJ Health System (now Northwell) and a founding partner and president of Urology Associates for more than 35 years. Waldbaum chaired the Urology Section of the Academy of Medicine and was a leader with the American Urological Association He is survived by his wife, Ruth; daughters, Nicole Moser (Michael), Alexandra “Ali” Kinnie (Bob) and Hillary; four grandchildren; and sister, Myra.
1961
Joseph H. Berke, psychotherapist, London, on January 11, 2021. Class valedictorian at Weequahic H.S. in Newark, N.J., Berke completed his undergraduate studies in three years and graduated from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in NYC. He opposed the Vietnam War and he did two years of an alternative civilian service to substitute for military service, with approval from his Selective Service Board, working with R.D. Laing and the Philadelphia Association in London. He was a resident at Kingsley Hall, where he helped Mary Barnes, a nurse diagnosed with schizophrenia, regain her sanity and become an artist and writer. They co-wrote Mary Barnes: Two Accounts of a Journey Through Madness, which was adapted as a play. Berke was co-founded the Arbours Association in 1970, and was founder and director of the Arbours Crisis Centre (1973–2010). He authored many articles and books on psychological, social, political and religious themes. Berke married Roberta in 1968; they had two children, Joshua and Debbie, and five grandchildren. Following divorce, Berke married Shree in 1993.
Irwin M. Wall, history professor, New York City, on January 27, 2023. Born on April 21, 1940, Wall earned a Ph.D. in history from GSAS in 1968. He was a historian of modern Europe, with a specialization in modern French history. Wall taught at UC Riverside for 30 years, delivering his last lecture a month before his death. He was the author of four books, two of which were translated and published in French editions, and numerous book chapters, articles and book reviews. Wall enjoyed classical music, opera, chess, film, travel, Paris and Central Park. He is survived by his wife, Judy; daughter, Alix; stepdaughter, Racy; and brother, Mark.
David M. Wilson, Foreign Service officer, Bethesda, Md., on February 27, 2023. Born on May 3, 1939, in Pittsfield, Mass., Wilson loved the energy of New York City during his time at Columbia, often going to jazz and music clubs, Broadway shows and myriad events on campus or at NYU. He spent three semesters at NYU Law before joining the Foreign Service with the U.S. Information Agency, with which he had postings in the Ivory Coast, South Africa, Canada, Switzerland, Belgium and Washington, D.C., in a 40-year career. An active member of the Columbia Alumni Association’s Washington, D.C., chapter, he enjoyed art, theater, classical music, good food and wine. Wilson was predeceased by his wife, Myra Specthrie, and is survived by his sons, Whitney (Dawn) and Josh (Stephanie); five grandchildren; and sister, Elizabeth.
1962
Walter B. Hilse, organist and composer, New York City, on December 31, 2022. Hilse, who grew up in Astoria, Queens, earned a master’s in 1966 and a doctorate in 1972, both in music from GSAS. As a solo performer, he appeared throughout the United States, Europe and the Far East and gave five critically acclaimed solo organ recitals at NYC’s Alice Tully Hall. He was a prize-winning fellow of the American Guild of Organists and had recently retired from the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music. Hilse’s compositions included an a cappella Mass for SATB chorus; more than 20 anthems and psalm settings; a setting of various Sabbath-morning texts; compositions for solo organ; a piano suite; and numerous works for instrumental ensemble. He was the artist-in-residence at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, where he gave numerous recitals; the associate organist at Congregation Rodeph Sholom; and the organist for Redeemer Presbyterian Church. Hilse is survived by his wife, Patricia; daughter, Alix; stepdaughter, Racy; and brother, Mark.
DA, Canandaigua, N.Y., on December 7, 2022. A lifelong public servant, Relin, who earned a J.D. from the University of Buffalo, was Monroe County’s DA 1983–2003, the longest serving DA in county history. First appointed by Gov. Mario Cuomo and reelected five times, Relin served as president of the District Attorneys Association of the State of New York and on the board of the National District Attorneys Association. He was active in many civic groups. Relin and his wife of 34 years, Betsy, were known for opening their home for parties, gourmet meals, fundraisers and rousing conversation. He was a lifelong opera aficionado who, when wintering in Arizona after retirement, taught opera at the University of Arizona’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. He previously taught criminal justice at Rochester Institute of Technology. In addition to his wife, Relin is survived by three children, 10 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
1963
Gerald P. “Jerry” Dwyer, attorney, New York City, on January 31, 2023. Born in Plymouth, Pa., Dwyer was a 1967 graduate of Fordham Law and a founder of the NYC law firm of Dwyer & Brennan. He passionately practiced law in the New York State and federal courts and was admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court together with his son, Daniel, in 2016. Dwyer was a wrestler and football player in high school and college and later enjoyed biking, tennis and skiing with family and friends. He was a longtime attendee of the Class of 1963 lunches at the Columbia Club and on Zoom class get-togethers, and a regular attendee of events at Baker Athletics Complex at and Homecoming. Predeceased by his brother, David, Dwyer is survived by his wife of 60 years, Jane GS’68 (née (Dugan); son, Daniel (Heather Benson); daughter, Vivian; two grandchildren; and sister, Bonnie.
Kenneth M. Master, internist, Boynton Beach, Fla., on March 2, 2023. Master, who earned an M.D. from Temple, was also a pulmonary specialist. He is survived by his wife, Anne Carlisle; sons, Howard (Nicole Rica) and Rabbi Jeremy (Rabbi Alana Wasserman); daughter, Leah Master Huth (Karl); eight grandchildren; and brother, Richard (Susan).
1964
Daniel S. Press, attorney and advocate, Rockville, Md., on October 5, 2022. Raised in Flushing, Queens, Press majored in sociology. After a year at the Law School, he took a leave of absence to join Volunteers in Service to America and spent a year on the Crow Reservation in Montana, tutoring children, setting up a library and creating an after-school program. After graduating from Yale Law in 1972, Press moved to Washington, D.C., and worked on behalf of Native American tribes for economic justice, first as a consultant, then as a solo practitioner, then with law firms including Van Ness Feldman, which he joined in 1960 and where he rose to partner. For more than 40 years, Press provided legal and Washington representation assistance to Native American tribes and organizations, as well as companies doing business with them. He also was an adjunct professor in Columbia’s Anthropology Department, teaching courses on Native American issues.
Daniel P. Schechter, attorney, Millerton, N.Y., on March 12, 2023. A graduate of South Side H.S. in Rockville Centre, Schechter majored in economics and played football, and graduated from the Law School in 1967. After serving as clerk to the Hon. Richard H. Levet in the Southern District of New York, Schechter joined Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson, where he was a partner from 1975 until his retirement in 2001. He was instrumental in helping the firm expand and provided expertise in all aspects of corporate law, including mergers and acquisition, public offerings and bankruptcy, while managing key administrative functions. He was an avid sportsman who traveled from England to Africa in pursuit of his passion. Schechter is survived by his wife, Elizabeth; son, Matthew ’93, SIPA’95; daughter, Ellen Tannebaum; three grandchildren; and brother, John.
1965
Peter W. Herman, attorney, Scarsdale, N.Y., on February 19, 2023. Born on July 5, 1944, Herman was raised in Washington Heights, was an Eagle Scout and received the God and Country Award from the Collegiate Church. After two years in the Navy, first aboard the
U.S.S. Hermitage and subsequently on the operations staff of the commander-in-chief, U.S. Atlantic Command, he graduated cum laude from the Law School in 1970. Herman spent his legal career at Milbank as an associate, partner and, following retirement, a consulting partner. He represented David Rockefeller and his family in their real estate investment and development projects and was a principal attorney in the development and financing of Embarcadero Center in San Francisco. Herman was the head of the Milbank real estate department for more than 18 years and was the partner liaison with its lawyer alumni for 25 years. He is survived by his wife of 38 years, Alice; son, Peter Jr.; and daughter, Caroline.
Nicholas E. Pingitore Jr., geoscientist and professor, El Paso, Texas, on October 24, 2022. Born on July 21, 1944, in New York City, Pingitore earned a Ph.D. from Brown and was on the faculty of Brooklyn College for five years before moving to the University of Texas at El Paso, where he was a professor of earth, environmental and resource sciences for 45 years. He was a geoscientist and analytic geochemist with a half-century of research experience in environmental and economic geology, sedimentary geology, remote sensing and geographic information systems, materials science, environmental health and archeology. Pingitore was a founding partner of
Scientific American Discovering Archaeology and science editor until 2002. He received the 2008 UTEP Distinguished Professor in Research Award, and the 2007 and 2008 UT System STAR awards. Pingitore is survived by his life partner and research collaborator, Maria Alvarez Amaya.
David P. Sard, psychologist and playwright, West Orange, N.J., on February 28, 2023. Born on November 10, 1943, in Boston, Sard received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology at CUNY. He worked as a school psychologist in the Madison, N.J., public school district for several years before leaving to focus on his private practice and playwriting. As a therapist, Sard worked with families and evaluated many children for the family court system. He was caring, sensitive, and deeply concerned about his clients. As a playwright, Sard’s 2004 play,
The Ballad of Eddie and Jo, won that year’s Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute play competition, and he was a semifinalist at the 2006 O’Neill National Playwriting Conference. Sard was predeceased in 2019 by his second wife, Cheryl Thompson Sard; and is survived by his daughter, Kristen Thayer (Charles); stepson, Jason Wiggins; one grandchild; brother, Frederick Marshall Sard (Pirkko Liisa Kovanen); sister, Hannah Belloch Sard; and first wife, Sara.
1966
Edwin L. Doernberger, attorney, Woodbridge, Conn., on May 21, 2021. Doernberger was captain of the Lions track team and holds the third-longest hammer throw in school history. After earning a master’s in economics, he moved to Hawaii, where he was a member of Healani Canoe Club’s team that won the Molokai Hoe, the sport’s de facto world championship, in 1970 and 1971. After earning a J.D. from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 1976, Doernberger practiced in Hawaii and Connecticut. He joined Saxe Doernberger & Vita in 2001 and helped to grow it from a Hamden, Conn., boutique firm with three partners to a national firm specializing in representing insurance policy holders. Doernberger’s favorite role was to guide young attorneys, and in 2020 the
Connecticut Law Tribune recognized him as the Best Mentor in the state. He is survived by his sons, Ian and Jeremy; daughter, Jessie (Erin); and sister, JoAnn (Jerry).
Michael E. Feingold, theater critic, translator, lyricist, playwright and dramaturg, New York City, on November 21, 2022. Born on May 5, 1945 in Chicago, Feingold majored in English and comparative literature and took a seminar with theater critic Robert Brustein. He applied to Yale School of Drama in 1965 and asked Brustein to write a recommendation; the next day Brustein was named the school’s dean and accepted Feingold’s application. At Brustein’s suggestion, Feingold was the first literary manager of the Yale Repertory Theatre, literary director of The Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis and literary manager of the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Mass. He began contributing to
The Village Voice in 1971 and was lead theater critic 1982–2013. He twice was named a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism finalist, was nominated for two Tony Awards and was a two-time recipient of the George Jean Nathan Award for Dramatic Criticism. Feingold was a judge for the Obie Awards for 31 years, chair for nine years and in 2020 he received one of his own, a special citation recognizing “his extraordinary service to the theater.”
1967
Mark S. Golub, rabbi and media innovator, Stamford, Conn., on January 31, 2023. Golub’s roots in media dated to his Columbia days as general manager of WKCR, where he produced and hosted
Approaches to Religious Concepts.. Golub was ordained by Hebrew Union College in 1971 and was a pioneer of the chavurah movement, which aims to revitalize interest in Judaism and make it more attractive to baby boomers and their children. He founded Chavurat Aytz Chayim in Stamford in 1972 and Chavurat Deevray Torah in Greenwich in 1973 and served as rabbi of the merged congregations for nearly 50 years. Golub was president, CEO and executive producer of the Jewish Broadcasting Service and founded the Russian Television Network in 1992, the first Russian language U.S. television channel, and built it into a nationwide presence. Passionate about theater, Golub teamed with his brother, David, to produce numerous Broadway shows that won three Tony Awards. Golub, son of the late Leo J. Golub ’43, DM’47, is survived by his wife, Ruth; sons, Ari ’11 and David; daughters, Darah, Jilly and Sarit; and five grandchildren.
1968
Klaus E. von Stutterheim, banker and cowboy, Seeley Lake, Mont., on March 1, 2021. Born in Berlin on October 4, 1943, von Stutterheim grew up in post-war Berlin and was a strong believer in social justice. After immigrating to the United States, he found his emotional and political home in the Democratic Party and for three decades was active in New York City politics. Von Stutterheim worked on Wall Street for 40 years before retiring in 2012 to Seeley Lake, where he quickly integrated into the political community of Missoula County. He loved the mountains, the Western spirit, camping and his horse, Bandit, and lived his life’s motto, changing the world around him for the better. He died at his vacation home in Camp Verde, Ariz. Von Stutterheim is survived by his wife, Beate; and sister, Renate.
1969
R. Bruce Dickson, attorney, Chevy Chase, Md., on November 11, 2022. Born on June 24, 1947, in Northern Wisconsin, Dickson embraced his studies and everything about New York City. He graduated in 1972 from the Law School, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and a contributor to the
Law Journal. He began his legal career at Cahill Gordon in New York and moved to the firm’s office in Washington, D.C., before joining Paul Hastings, where he spent the majority of his career as a partner and litigator in the areas of false advertising, pharmaceuticals and consumer protection. Diagnosed with a neuromuscular disease in his 50s, Dickson adopted one of the first Segways in D.C. Dickson is survived by his wife of 50 years, Linda SW’72; daughters, Amanda, Cameron (Jan) and Caroline Roberts (John); six grandchildren; brothers, Thomas and Richard; and sister, Jane.
1972
James J. Sabella, attorney, Hillsborough, N.J., on March 11, 2023. Sabella was salutatorian at Stuyvesant H.S. before enrolling in the SEAS 3-2 program and earning a SEAS degree in 1973 in industrial research/operations research. He graduated summa cum laude from CC, was valedictorian at SEAS and was on the
Law Review at the Law School, from which he graduated in 1976. He began his career at Breed, Abbott, Morgan and became partner before moving to Brown & Wood, which merged into Sidley Austin Brown & Wood, and finally Grant & Eisenhofer. Before his 2018 retirement, Sabella worked on cases involving Wells Fargo Bank, Pfizer Securities, Arthur Andersen Worldwide and Asia Pulp & Paper Securities. He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Julia Hong BC’71; daughter, Jennifer ’06 (Brandon Hallock); sons, Jonathan (Kristen) and Jordan; three grandchildren; and sister, Terry Stuart (Alan).
1974
William F. Meehan III, strategic manager, Palo Alto, Calif., and New York City, on January 26, 2023. A graduate of Fordham Prep, Meehan majored in comparative literature and earned an M.B.A. from Stanford Graduate School of Business. He retired in 2008 after a career of more than 30 years at McKinsey & Co., where he held senior roles including chair of the firm’s West Coast practice and managing director of its San Francisco office. Meehan’s focus was mentoring chief executives on strategy, organization and leadership, including helping many new CEOs shape their organizations’ agendas. After retirement he joined Stanford Business as a professor focused on strategic leadership and nonprofits; at his passing, he was senior partner emeritus of McKinsey & Co. and the Raccoon Partners Lecturer in Strategic Management at Stanford Business. Meehan is survived by his wife, Randi; daughters, Courtney, Kelly Bavor (Clay) and Katie Conway ’02, TC’12 (Shane Conway SEAS’02); six grandchildren; and sisters, Missy and Ann.
1975
Guy Golembiewski, family physician, Boyne Falls, Mich., on January 22, 2023. Born on April 15, 1953, in Toledo, Ohio, Golembiewski was a psychology major who graduated from The Ohio State University College of Medicine in 1980 and began working in family medicine in 1981, in his family’s beloved Polish neighborhood. After marrying Dr. Andrea Naylor, the couple settled in northern Michigan, where Golembiewski put his physician skills to use in various positions, including at McLaren Northern Michigan. In addition to his wife, Golembiewski is survived by his children, Ani and Guy Jr.; sisters, Diane Nebb (Clyde) and Jan Comiskey (Jim); mother-in-law, Nancy Naylor; and sisters-in-law, Denise Renier (Pat) and Erica Murphy (Greg).
C. John McCloskey III, Catholic priest, Reston, Va., on February 23, 2023. An economics major, McCloskey worked for Citibank and Merrill Lynch before being ordained by the Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei in Torreciudad, Spain, in 1981. He studied in Rome and Spain, where he earned his doctorate in theology with a specialty in church history at the University of Navarre, Spain, in 1982. He was chaplain at Princeton 1985–90 and later director of the Catholic Information Center, an outreach ministry in Washington, D.C., where he helped converts to Catholicism. In November 2002, when McCloskey was suffering the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, he was accused of sexual misconduct, after which he left the CIC. McCloskey was prominent in the media, hosting radio and television series, appearing as a commentator on major networks and writing for Catholic and secular periodicals. He is survived by a brother, Mark; and sisters, Mary McCloskey Corzine (Paul), Ann Denise Roth (Stephen), Kathleen Marie Forst (Paul), Joann Maria Wagner (Michael), Laura Jane Marks (Joseph) and Eileen Marie Ackerman (Paul).
1981
Paulsen “Paul” K. Vandevert, attorney, Dearborn, Mich., on March 14, 2023. Born in San Francisco on August 10, 1958, Vandevert was raised in Tacoma, Wash. He attended Charles Wright Academy but left to do his senior year at Bryanston School in Dorset, England. He majored in comparative literature and was a paralegal at Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York City before earning a J.D. from Case Western Reserve in 1987, focusing on international law. In 1994, Vandevert was hired by General Motors as an international trade and customs attorney and moved to Michigan, where he later worked for Delphi and Ford. After retirement he had a solo practice, Vandevert Trade Law. Vandevert was passionate about theater dating to his time at Columbia and worked with the Players Guild of Dearborn for many years as president, lights and sound governor, finance committee chair, on the building committee and providing legal counsel. He is survived by his wife, Caroline “Carrie” Serfass BC’75; son, John; and sister, Margaret King.
2006
Ansel W. Lurio, editor and disability rights activist, Yonkers, N.Y., on September 28, 2022. Lurie, who was seen constantly zooming around Columbia in his power chair, hosted jazz programs at WKCR and played clarinet in the Marching Band. He earned a master’s from the Cooperstown Graduate Program in Museum Studies, after which he worked at the Historic House Trust of NYC and the Confucius Institute of Pace University. When his mother published a book about him and his battle with Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy, Lurio enthusiastically participated in her readings. He was the model for the character Archie in the Broadway musical and movie
13. A fierce disability advocate, Lurio consulted at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden and at Wave Hill, was on the board of Westchester Disabled on the Move, was a litigant in a lawsuit against Lyft and was involved in making Tom’s Restaurant wheelchair accessible. He is survived by his father, Dr. Joseph Lurio ’76, VPS’80; mother, Penny Wolfson; sisters, Diana Lurio Kelly and Tobi Wolf; and uncle, Laurence ’85.
— Alex Sachare ’71
