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OBITUARIES

1935

Abraham M. Sirkin, retired government executive, Bethesda, Md., on January 7, 2007. Born in 1914 in Barre, Vt., Sirkin graduated from Townsend Harris H.S. in NYC and earned a degree from the Journalism School in 1936. After serving in the Army in WWII, he started a long career in government public relations. Sirkin worked for General Douglas MacArthur’s press office in Japan and was chief of information of the U.S. Marshall Aid Mission in London. When the USIA was formed under Edward R. Murrow in 1953, Sirkin joined its mission in London and later was director of the U.S. Information Service in South India and counselor for public affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Athens. He was an advocate of freedom of the press and human rights, believing that the United States could have a positive influence by sharing information, supporting education and literacy, and promoting cultural exchanges. He challenged authoritarian regimes while in Greece during the military junta (1967–72) and later in drafting human right foreign policy positions as the USIA representative on the State Department’s Policy Planning Staff. Sirkin remained active in human rights organizations for many years. He is survived by his wife, four children and six grandchildren.

1936

William K. Kraft Jr., retired sales representative, Maplewood, N.J., on January 26, 2007. Kraft entered with the Class of 1936 and earned a B.S. from the Business School in 1936. Born in Brooklyn, he lived in Westfield, N.J., and Leisure Village West, Fla., before moving to Maplewood in 2002. At Columbia, Kraft was president of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. A WWII Army veteran, he was stationed in the Pacific. In 1979, Kraft retired from Celanese America after a 36-year career in domestic and international plastic sales. In retirement, he was a member of the VFW and the Leisure Village golf and fishing clubs and a volunteer for the Livewire Kimball Hospital Auxiliary and the Deborah Heart & Lung Hospital. Kraft was predeceased by his wife of 61 years, Helen Graves Kraft. He is survived by his daughter, Margaret Cherep; sons, William K. III and Peter; and seven grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to Center for Hope Hospice, 1900 Raritan Rd., Scotch Plains, NJ 07076.

1938

Herbert C. Rosenthal, retired writer and visual communicator, Santa Barbara, Calif., on January l5, 2007. Raised in Brooklyn, Rosenthal graduated from the College with honors. He was a Jester editor and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa as a junior. Rosenthal founded Graphics Institute in l944; at the same time, he became graphics editor for the newspaper PM. Through the years, the firm specialized in the production of annual reports for both small and Fortune 500 corporations. Rosenthal co-authored Sex Habits of American Women; A Visual History of the United States; the Medigraph Manual; and The Lighter Side of Tennis. The English language edition alone of Sex Habits sold l.25 million copies. A lifelong tennis fanatic, Rosenthal was a perennial favorite in local tennis leagues, from Long Island to Santa Barbara. He wrote many humor pieces for Tennis West, Inside Tennis and Tennis Magazine. Rosenthal also was active in many local causes, including working as a literacy volunteer in local schools. He is survived by his wife, Rhoda; stepchildren, Maria, Terry and Bill; first wife, Margaret Halmy; their children, Larry, Steve and Rob; and several grandchildren, including Sam Rosenthal ’09.

1940

Harrison W. Moore Jr., retired military servicemember and business executive, Bronxville, N.Y., on January 16, 2007. Born in Bennington, Vt., on September 9, 1918, Moore was licensed as a ham radio operator as W2JQS in 1936 in high school and kept this key active into his 80s. He served 41 years in the Army and Army Reserves, ending as COL Commandant of 2086 Army Reserve Service Unit (Norfolk, Va., USAR School). Moore attended Haverford College and earned his B.A. from the College in October 1946. He had been a sales manager for Fisher Radio in NYC, worked with radio stations in Massachusetts and Virginia and owned WRVC-FM in Norfolk. Moore became the community affairs director with the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce and in 1967 moved to Sleepy Hollow, N.Y., to become the staff executive of the US Chamber of Commerce, where he served for 15 years. He retired in 1983, and with his wife, Elizabeth (Betty) Crane Moore, started the New York Institute For Management Studies. He retired again 15 years later, after his wife died in 1995. Three years later, Moore married Martha Rhodes Bennett, who survives him, and they were active in many local organizations. Moore was predeceased by a sister, Ethel, and is survived by a son, Chris, and his wife Mary Sue; and two grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to the White Plains Red Cross.

1942

James L. Dougherty, retired executive, Houston, on March 11, 2007. Born in Dallas on August 15, 1920, Dougherty graduated from North Dallas H.S. and won a scholarship to Columbia, where he majored in economics and played varsity basketball. Upon graduation, he was commissioned into the Navy and was a communications officer in the Seventh Fleet, aboard a patrol vessel designated PCE(R)-850. During the Battle of Leyte Gulf, a bomb struck his ship; he received the Purple Heart. Discharged in 1946, Dougherty then worked for Lion Oil Co. in El Dorado, Ark., where he met and married Martha Galbraith. The Navy recalled him during the Korean War; he left as a lieutenant commander in 1951 and returned to Lion Oil. Monsanto Chemical Co. acquired Lion Oil in 1958 and transferred Dougherty to Houston, where he became director of personnel and administration of Monsanto’s Production & Exploration Division. After retiring in 1982, Dougherty wrote on management and labor relations and published four books. He was an avid tennis player and received the University Alumni Medal in 1990. Dougherty was predeceased by a brother, Guy Jr., and a son, Newton. He is survived by his wife; sister, Hettie Kuhfuss; and children, Pattie Dougherty White and her husband, Richard, James L. Jr. and his wife, Anne, and Bert; and four grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Luke’s UMC, the Houston Chapter of the American Heart Association or a charity of the donor’s choice.

Edwin G. Ross ’42

Edwin G. Ross ’42

Edwin G. Ross, retired comptroller, Boca Raton, Fla., on March 19, 2007. Ross entered with the Class of 1942 and earned a B.S. from the Business School in 1942. At Columbia, he was the captain of the basketball team and worked on Spectator. A decorated veteran, Ross served in WWII as 1st Lieutenant in the Signal Corps. He earned an LL.B. from NYU Law School in 1951 and was a v.p. for Revlon, introducing the first computer systems to retail cosmetics. He also was a director and co-owner of REA Express and later was the comptroller for the District of Columbia, from which he retired in 1995. Ross is survived by his children by his former wife, Susan, James and Carolyn; wife, Barbara; and two grandchildren.

1943

Joseph R. Grisanti, retired orthodontist, Bronxville, N.Y., on December 1, 2006. Educated at Manhattan College, Columbia and NYU Dental School, Grisanti was a fellow of the American Board of Orthodontics. He served in the Army during WWII and in the Air Force during the Korean War. An orthodontist for 35 years to thousands of Yonkers children and adults, Grisanti was a devoted servant to the Yonkers’ needy causes as a lifelong member and past president of the East Yonkers Kiwanis Club; he received numerous community service awards. A leader in his profession with board certifications and teaching and pro bono treatment contributions to hospitals and universities throughout New York and New Jersey metro area, Grisanti was a pioneer in the Begg method of orthodontic treatment. He was an avid fly fisherman and Alaskan outdoorsman. Grisanti is survived by his wife of 59 years, Rosalie; daughters, Andrea and Diane; and two grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital, 501 St. Jude Pl., Memphis, TN 38105-1942 or St. Cabrini Nursing Home, 115 Broadway, Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522.

1945

Marvin L. Mausner ’45

Marvin L. Mausner ’45

Marvin L. Mausner, environmental scientist and advocate, retired chemist, Teaneck, N.J., on March 6, 2007. Mausner earned an M.A. in chemistry from GSAS in 1946. Over a career in the soap and detergent manufacturing industry, he worked to improve phosphate-free detergents for decreased eutrification of water bodies and developed formulas for dishwashing and spray-dried detergents. His name appears on 85 patents, and he published papers in the areas of organic synthesis, chemical kinetics, detergent formulations, biodegradability, physical properties and analytical methods. Mausner was involved in community arts and civic activities, among them, the Hackensack River Greenway Advisory Board, Teaneck’s Environmental Commission, Municipal Open Space Trust Fund Advisory Board and Water Management Area 5 Steering Committee. He helped found the Teaneck Community Chorus and the Teaneck Cultural Arts Coalition. An accomplished violinist, Mausner performed with chamber ensembles and orchestras, often as concertmaster (beginning at Columbia). He was a member of The Ethical Culture Society of Bergen County and worked on Teaneck’s Community Relations Advisory Board. Mausner is survived by his wife, Laura; daughter, Claudia; and son, Dan. Memorial contributions may be made to the Teaneck Community Chorus, PO Box 3188, Teaneck, NJ 07666, or The Ethical Culture Society of Bergen County, 687 Larch Ave., Teaneck, NJ 07666.

1946

Daniel Mandel ’46

Daniel Mandel ’46

Daniel Mandel, retired millwork executive, Durham, N.C., on February, 19, 2007. A New York City native and graduate of Stuyvesant H.S., Mandel entered with the Class of 1946. After serving in the Army in WWII (1943–46), during which he received the Purple Heart, Mandel returned to the College for his sophomore year and then transferred to the Engineering School. Elected to Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honor society, he graduated with a B.S. in industrial engineering in 1949. During his career in the millwork industry, Mandel served in top management positions at Level Line in Lakewood, N.J., from 1954–76, and Blackstone Co. in East Brunswick, N.J., from 1978 until retiring in 1989. He was a member of the Institute of Industrial Engineers for 50 years and a past president of its New Jersey chapter. Mandel also was a former president of Paul Kimball Hospital in Lakewood. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Rosalie Smolin Mandel; children, Joe ’71 and his wife, Alicia Scotti, Larry and his wife, Karen, and Marcia and her husband, Daniel Assael; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

1951

Thomas Darlington, retired stockbroker, Palm Bay, Fla., on March 14, 2007. Born in Manhattan, Darlington lived in Short Hills, N.J., for 47 years and lived in Palm Bay, Fla., the last year of his life. He served with the Navy during WWII and was a past president of the Sons of the Revolution. Darlington was predeceased by his wife of 51 years, Marcia, in 2003. He is survived by his son, Thomas III, and his wife, Rita; and two grandchildren.

George C. Keller, writer, educator, higher education expert and former CCT editor, Dickeyville, Md., on February 28, 2007. Keller was born in Union City, N.J., on March 14, 1928. He left the College after his first year and enlisted in the Navy, where he served as a radar specialist aboard the aircraft carrier USS Valley Forge. He returned to Columbia and earned a degree in government and political science as well as an M.Phil. in political science in 1954 from GSAS. Keller was academic director for the Great Books Foundation in Chicago, where he was also a calligrapher, graphic designer and printer. While living in Oak Park, Ill., he established Acorn Press. In the late 1950s, Keller returned to Columbia as a political science instructor. He was promoted to assistant dean of the College and was CCT’s editor in the 1960s. From 1963–65, CCT won the Sibley Award from the American Alumni Council as the best alumni publication in the nation. President Johnson presented Keller with the U.S. Steel Foundation Award for distinguished service to higher education in a 1965 and Newsweek recognized him for excellence in education reporting in 1967. The next year, CCT’s most famous issue, an in-depth and controversial analysis of the student uprisings of 1968, earned Keller the Atlantic Monthly’s award as Education-Writer-of-the Year. He was named assistant to the chancellor of the SUNY system and editor of Search magazine in 1969, and 10 years later, he became an assistant to the chancellor of the University of Maryland system. In the late 1980s, Keller was a strategic planner for the Barton-Gillet Co. before joining Penn’s faculty in 1988. From 1988–94, when he retired, Keller was chairman of the department of higher education at Penn’s graduate school of education and editor of Planning. After retiring, Keller was a writer and educational consultant to institutions and governments and the author of several books, the last of which, Colleges, Universities, and the New Society, will be published next year. Keller held honorary degrees from Misericordia College, Concordia University, and Roanoke College and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for College and University Planning in 2006. Surviving are his wife of 31 years, the former Jane Eblen; son, the Rev. Bayard Faithfull; daughter, Coby; and two grandsons. An earlier marriage to the former Gail Faithfull ended in divorce.

1955

Robert Palmer

Robert M. Palmer ’55

Robert M. Palmer, corporate and university administrator, Ogunquit, Maine, on January 4, 2007. Born in Boston, Palmer graduated from Brookline H.S. and entered the College with the Class of 1955, graduating in 1957 after two years in the Army Signal Corps. He went to work for Polaroid Corp. and rose to director of corporate relations. Edwin Land, the company’s founder, “encouraged Bob to involve Polaroid in the community,” said Palmer’s former wife, Barbara Holt Palmer ’56 Nursing. Part of that outreach included work with the state’s prison system. As chairman of the Governor’s Advisory Committee on Corrections, Palmer became an instrument of change in the early 1970s when the riots at the Attica Correctional Facility in New York prompted systems across the country to contemplate reform. His advocacy helped lead to the prerelease programs for inmates that significantly reduced recidivism. Palmer was named vice-chancellor for university relations at UMass in 1983 after 25 years with Polaroid and appointive positions under five Massachusetts governors. In addition to his former wife, he is survived by a son, Robert; daughter, Catherine; three grandsons; brothers, Charles and E. Samuel; and sister, Judith Muggia.

1957

John G. Colvin, engineer, Boca Raton, Fla., on April 1, 2007. Colvin was born in Manhattan on October 31, 1934. He served in the Army Corps of Engineers, the Air Force reserves and the Coast Guard auxiliary. Colvin believed in peace and satyagraha and fought for civil rights his entire life. He was one of the first IBM managers who refused to fire women for wearing pants to work and was unofficially banned from entering South Africa. An active member of the Unitarian Universalists church and NOW, he also was president of the Mercedes-Benz Club of Manhattan and loved fast cars and boats. Colvin designed and built his family’s homes in Palo Alto, Calif.; Warwick, N.Y.; and Montour Falls, N.Y. He is survived by his sons, Ashley and Joshua; and daughters, Heather, Jessica and Kalissa.

1963

Stephen B. Bauer ’63

Stephen B. Bauer ’63

Stephen B. Bauer, managing director, Pound Ridge, N.Y., and Naples, Fla., on March 18, 2007. Born on November 5, 1941, in the Bronx, Bauer graduated from Stuyvesant H.S. He played baseball and basketball at the College and remained an avid athlete throughout his life. Bauer earned a degree from the Business School in 1964. He was managing director of RSM McGladrey in Stamford, Conn., was a member of its board of directors from 2000–04 and was the former tax partner-in-charge of the New York/Connecticut economic unit. Bauer enjoyed golf and was a member of Tamarack County Club in Greenwich, Conn., and The Club at Pelican Bay. He is survived by his children, Diane ’88 and her husband, Eric Orlinsky, Lauren ’90 and her husband, Daniel Zinman, and David ’97; seven grandchildren; wife, Linda; former wife, Marian Bauer (née Mandel) ’63 Barnard; and sisters, Renee Goodman and Joyce Shwab. Memorial contributions may be made to the Columbia College Fund.

1969

Peter E. Turner, literary agent, Woodland Hills, Calif., on December 27, 2006. Turner was head of the Peter Turner Agency in Santa Monica and a former v.p. of the William Morris Agency (WMA). A Chicago native, he began his career in 1968 in the CBS News Election Unit, then continued his television career on CBS Evening News With Walker Cronkite. For his conscientious objector service during the Vietnam War, Turner worked on the PBS debut of Children’s Television Workshop’s Electric Company and in the early 1970s was an artists’ relations manager at Warner Bros. Records. He became news director of KCRA in Sacramento, and later opened his first business in Hollywood, the Turner Famous Agency. With Annette Handley, he created the Turner-Handley Agency, which eventually they sold to WMA. Turner joined WMA, where he worked for 10 years before opening the Peter Turner Agency. He is survived by his daughters, Julia and Veronica; their mother, Karen Smythe; his partner, Mary Lowenbach; brother, David; sister, Susan Turner Jones; four nieces; four nephews; and mother and stepfather, Joyce Turner Hilkevitch and Aaron Hilkevitch. Memorial contributions may be made to the Julia and Veronica Turner Education Fund, c/o Jon Brauer [’69], Merrill Lynch, 9560 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90212.

1970

Michael C. Browning, newspaper feature writer, Gainesville, Fla., on December 30, 2006. Browning was born in Valdosta, Ga., on October 28, 1948. He attended Bishop Kenny H.S. in Jacksonville and won a scholarship to Columbia. Browning majored in Latin, minored in Greek and planned to become a teacher until the Army drafted him out of graduate school in 1972 (he earned an M.A. in classics from GSAS in 1973). He was stationed at Fort Belvoir, Va., with the 11th Engineering Battalion. When his unit was disbanded, Browning briefly worked at The Castle, the base newspaper. After teaching Greek and Latin for a year in Rome at Stanford’s Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies, he returned to the States and worked at The Florida Times-Union from 1975–78 before joining The Miami Herald, where he spent 20 years, nine of them in Asia, where he was Beijing bureau chief. Browning joined The Palm Beach Post in 1999. His accolades include Florida’s top honor for newspaper writing, the Paul Hansell Award, in 2004 for his stories in the Post. Browning enjoyed astronomy and collected rare books. He is survived by his sons, Matthew and Noah ’08, a John Jay scholar; sister, Eve; and half-sister, Barbara Brown.

2001

Arthur J. Harris, press secretary, Brooklyn, N.Y., on May 4, 2007. Harris was an editor of Spectator and a member of Columbia’s rugby team. A native of Larchmont, N.Y., he worked for Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) in Washington, D.C., and at the time of his death was press secretary to New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. Harris most recently was heavily involved in Cuomo’s investigation of university student lending procedures. “Artie was a friend and colleague to all who worked with him,” Cuomo said. “He provided invaluable public service to the people of the state.” Harris was predeceased in 2004 by his father, Jonathan ’65, ’68L, and is survived by his mother, Myra (née Levine); and brother, Robbie. Memorial contributions may be made to a charity of the donor’s choice.

Lisa Palladino

Other Deaths Reported


Columbia College Today also has learned of the deaths of the following alumni (full obituaries will be published if further information becomes available):

1929 Benjamin E. Greenberg, retired radiologist, Evanston, Ill., on May 20, 2007.

1935 John K. Lattimer, P&S professor emeritus of urology and former chairman of urology, Englewood, N.J., on May 10, 2007. Lattimer earned his M.D. and his Med.Sc.D. in 1938 and 1943, respectively, from P&S.

1938 Burton C. Rush, retired graphics and design studio owner, Gaithersburg, Md., on March 22, 2007. Rush earned a degree from Teachers College in 1939.

1939 Cecil J. Francisco Jr., engineer, Austin, Texas, on May 28, 2007. Francisco earned a B.S and an M.S. in 1940 and 1941, respectively, from the Engineering School.

1941 Robert C. Toussaint, retired actuary, Bernardsville, N.J., on August 19, 2006. Toussaint earned an M.A. in statistics from GSAS in 1950.

1942 Martin D. Meyerson, university president emeritus, Philadelphia, on June 2, 2007. Meyerson was president of Penn from 1970–81 and briefly was acting chancellor of UC Berkeley.

1943 Stephen F. Krantz, producer and writer, Bel Air, Calif., on January 4, 2007.

1946 Jay Vogelbaum, professor, Troy, Mich., on December 16, 2006.

1949 E. Rowan Steinschneider, Winnetka, Ill., on October 31, 2006.

1950 Leland S. Dennegar, East Brunswick, N.J., on March 28, 2007.
John S. (Sheldon) Youtcheff, naval reserve commander, Arlington, Va., on February 15, 2007.

1951 Richard N. Bowe, consultant, Ocean Pines, Md., on April 3, 2007.

1952 Edward P. McSweeney, CEO, Midlothian, Va., on April 9, 2007.
Stanley Garrett, attorney, New York City, on May 29, 2007. Garrett earned a degree from the Law School in 1954.

1954 John J. Hughes, sales representative, Long Branch, N.J., on April 24, 2007.
Frederick W. Kramer, retired nuclear engineer, Pittsburgh, on May 12, 2007.

1957 Sherwood V. Cohen, retired ophthalmologist, Elkins Park, Pa., on May 9, 2007.
Lee W. Plein, art college executive, Southbury, Conn., on December 27, 2006.

1958 Earl L. McFarland Jr., professor of economics emeritus, Gaborone, Botswana, on July 9, 2006.

1962 Douglas E. Ferguson, retired investment manager, Sleepy Hollow, N.Y., on April 11, 2007.
Daniel L. Schweitzer, physician, Scarsdale, N.Y., on March 14, 2007.

1964 Allan L. Eller, retired professor and university administrator, Greene, N.Y., on December 9, 2006.

1969 Christian S. Ward, writer, New York City, on November 22, 2006.

1979 Stefan R. Bodnarenko, professor, Florence, Mass., on February 12, 2007.

1987 John B. Pennywell, physician, Indianapolis, on April 13, 2007.

1990 Maile Pendleton Myers (née Leslie M. Pendleton), poet and volunteer, Missoula, Mont., on April 15, 2007.



Obituary Submission Guidelines

Columbia College Today welcomes obituaries for College alumni. Please include the deceased's full name, date of death with year, class year, profession, and city and state of residence at time of death. Biographical information, survivors names, address(es) for charitable donations and high-quality photos (print, or 300 dpi .jpg) also may be included. Word limit is 200; text may be edited for length, clarity and style at editors discretion. Send materials to Obituaries Editor, Columbia College Today, 475 Riverside Dr., Ste 917, New York, NY 10115-0998 or to cct@columbia.edu.

 

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