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OBITUARIES
COLUMBIA COLLEGE TODAY
COLUMBIA COLLEGE TODAY
OBITUARIES
lishing the link between poor oral
hygiene and periodontal disease. He
was a recipient of the PHS Meritorious
Service Medal. Suomi was a life
member of the American Dental
Association and the American Association
of Public Health Dentistry as
well as a diplomate of the American
Board of Dental Public Health.
During WWII, he served with the
Army in Europe. Survivors include
his wife, Anne; daughters, Susan
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.
1936 Malberry Smith Jr., attorney and former state legislator, Savannah, Ga., on June 11, 2012.
1938 Howard G. Law Jr., retired attorney, Oak Harbor, Fla., on May 14, 2012.
1943 Walter A. Petryshyn, retired otolaryngologist, Sarasota, Fla., on May 15, 2012.
1945 Thaddeus J. “Ted” Czarnomski, retired technical director, Scotch Plains, N.J., on July 10, 2012.
David R. Hays Jr., physician, Fincastle, Va., on May 23, 2012.
1947 Edward N. Costikyan, political adviser and University trustee emeritus, Mount Pleasant, S.C., on
June 22, 2012.
1948 George J. Poris, retired advertising executive, Haworth, N.J., on May 29, 2012.
1949 Howard J. Baker, engineer and project manager, Basking Ridge, N.J., and Greenacres, Fla., on
February 22, 2012.
Stephen Jarvis Jr., mathematician, Bandon, Ore., on June 17, 2012.
Walter H. Mitton, retired engineer, San Diego, on February 27, 2012.
1950 William H. Dickie Jr., retired, Douglaston, N.Y., on October 5, 2010.
F. Theodore “Ted” Reid Jr., physician, Ajijic, Mexico, on July 15, 2012.
1951 Arthur Schon, musician, singer and endodontist, West Palm Beach, Fla., February 27, 2012.
1952 Jay R. Carver Jr., retired, Atlantic Beach, Fla., on May 25, 2012.
Mark Flanigan, retired naval officer, Washington, D.C., on May 26, 2012.
Albert K. Roemermann Jr., Middletown, Conn., on April 22, 2012.
1953 Charles M. Fainsbert, retired CFO, Somerset, N.J., on April 23, 2012.
1954 Peter D. Ehrenhaft, attorney, Washington, D.C., on July 25, 2012.
Edward G. Holteen, retired dentist, Ambler, Pa., on July 13, 2012.
Melvin Goldstein, chemist, Beer Sheva, Israel, on May 13, 2012.
1955 Samuel Astrachan, novelist, Gordes, France, on August 5, 2012.
James J. Phelan, bank executive, New York City, on May 21, 2012.
1956 David E. Boyer, civil engineer and project manager, West Caldwell, N.J., on July 8, 2012.
Leonard M. Florentino, retired, Hartford, Conn., on July 19, 2012.
Charles B. Grace Sr., dentist, Manchester, N.J., on June 29, 2012.
Michael I. Spiegel, attorney, San Francisco, on August 3, 2012.
1960 Leonard Lustig, real estate practitioner, Stony Brook, N.Y., on April 1, 2012.
Nelson S. Lyon, screenwriter, New York City, on July 17, 2012.
1961 Thomas E. Bratter, psychologist, Salisbury, Conn., on August 3, 2012.
Edward R. Hotelling, retired pilot, Somis, Calif., on May 21, 2012.
Barry H. Jacobs, eye surgeon, New York City, on May 9, 2012.
Louis R. Tomson, attorney, New Scotland, N.Y., on May 8, 2012.
1962 Charles R. Miller, bookseller, Salem, Ore., on May 10, 2012.
1963 William M. Guttman, retired attorney and professor, Palm Beach, Fla., and New York City, on
July 13, 2012.
Charles J. Piera, retired supervisor of volunteer services, Sundown, N.Y., on August 1, 2012.
Robert T. Schiro, land developer, Bergenfield, N.J., on April 28, 2012.
1964 Peter K. Shack, attorney and singer, Davis, Calif., on July 3, 2012.
1967 James N. Woodruff, legislative specialist, Washington, D.C., on April 5, 2012.
1977 Marcel D. Desbois, sales manager, Scarsdale, N.Y., and Bangor, Pa., on May 1, 2012.
1980 Brian F. Smith, teacher, Norwich, Conn., on April 17, 2012.
1991 Juan J. Calderon, attorney, San Antonio, Texas, on June 12, 2012.
1992 Robert A. Ray, management consultant and attorney, Tampa, Fla., on June 26, 2012.
Herchenroether and her husband,
Peter, and Linda Bethke and her
husband, Paul; and four grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may
be made to the Suomi Scholarship
Fund c/o Westminster College, New
Wilmington, PA 16142.
1953
Rolon W. Reed, retired attorney,
former mayor, Mount Dora, Fla., on
September 18, 2011. Reed was born
in Pittsburgh on April 8, 1931. An
aspiring journalist, while in junior
high school and high school his
sports writing appeared in The New
York Times. At the College, Reed was
on the Spectator staff, rising to managing
editor. He also participated
in the editorial decision to endorse
Adlai Stevenson for President during
the 1952 campaign. Stevenson’s
opponent, Dwight Eisenhower,
was Columbia’s president at the
time, which made the endorsement
controversial. Reed was a member
of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity.
After graduating from Yale Law, he
joined Simpson Thacher in 1956,
where he was named partner and
remained until his 1984 retirement.
He also took part in government
service in the Village of Dobbs
Ferry, N.Y., his home from 1963–89.
Entering local politics in 1974, Reed
successfully ran for Village Trustee
as a self-proclaimed “irate taxpayer.”
After twice being re-elected,
he accepted an appointment by
New York Gov. Mario Cuomo to
serve as a Justice of the Westchester
County Court. Following his court
service, Reed and his second wife,
Diana, relocated to Florida. Reed is
survived by her; his three children
from his first marriage, Rolon ’82,
Hilary Yeo and Jennifer Simon; and
four grandchildren.
1955
Denis A. Haggerty, retired executive,
Melbourne, Fla., on July 11,
2011. Haggerty was born on May
26, 1933, in Brooklyn, N.Y., and
grew up in Saint James, N.Y. He
attended Columbia on a Hayden
scholarship and played football.
Haggerty served two years in the
USMC as a reserve officer. He lived
much of his life in Suffolk County,
Long Island, working in the electronics
industry as an owner of
TX Sales and then as v.p. of JACO
Electronics. He retired to Titusville,
Fla., in 1997. Haggerty was active
in the Big Brothers of Brevard and
was a member of the Stony Brook
Yacht Club and the St. George Golf
Club, both on Long Island, and
the LaCita Golf and Country Club
in Titusville. He is survived by his
wife, Jacqueline; children, Timothy,
Peter and his wife, JoEllen Gasior,
and Lynn Haggerty King and her
husband, David; four grandchildren;
and sister, Patricia Stoddard.
He was predeceased by a son,
Christopher. Memorial contributions
may be made to Hospice of
Saint Francis, 1250-B Grumman Pl.,
Titusville, FL 32780 or the American
Cancer Society.
1956
James S. Williams, retired executive,
Fallbrook, Calif., on May 22,
2011. Williams was awarded a
Varsity C in baseball in 1955 and
1956. He joined the Marine Corps
following graduation and was
honorably discharged with the
rank of captain. Williams spent
his early years in the advertising
business on Madison Avenue,
then moved to Denver in 1977. He
founded Evergreen Resources, an
oil and gas exploration company,
with Terry Dreisewerd, his longtime
business partner. Evergreen
was sold in 2004 to Pioneer Natural
Resources. Throughout his life,
Williams entertained family and
friends by playing the piano. He is
survived by his wife, Shirley, and
her children, Ken Plattner, Paul
Plattner and Kelli Garecht; his children,
Mitch ’80 and Erin Hurley;
and seven grandchildren. Memorial
contributions may be made to
Nadia’s Gift (nadiasgift.org).
1957
Frederick W. Korz, retired educator,
horologist, Middletown, Conn.,
on April 4, 2011. Born on October
26, 1935, in New York City, Korz
was raised in New Hyde Park. He
graduated from Sewanhaka H.S. in
Floral Park, N.Y., and received a full
Joint Industry Board of the Electrical
Industry Scholarship to the College,
where he was president of Delta
Phi. Korz earned an M.A. in history
from Teachers College and was a
history teacher and administrator
in Lawrence H.S., Cedarhurst, N.Y.,
for 34 years. He did further graduate
work at Hofstra, earning a degree in
administration. The author of articles
on history and teaching, Korz also
was on the faculty of Long Island
University, where he taught in the
Arts and Antiques Institute. Long
an active horologist and appraiser,
he was the author of a major work
on antique clocks and consultant
to various museums and historical
societies. He is survived by his wife,
Virginia; sons, Frederick ’93E, ’94E
and Charles; brother, Alan ’61 and
his wife, Margaret; sister-in-law,
Barbara Nielsen; brother-in-law,
Richard Wagner; and numerous
nieces, nephews, great-nieces and
great-nephews. Memorial contributions
may be made to the Columbia
College Fund (college.columbia.
edu/giveonline).
1958
Joachim Neugroschel, literary
translator, Brooklyn, N.Y., on May
23, 2011. Neugroschel was born in
Vienna on January 13, 1938, and immigrated
to Rio de Janeiro in 1939.
His family arrived in New York
City in 1941. The son of Yiddish
Galician poet Mendel Neugroschel,
he took an interest in translating
from Yiddish and translated more
than 200 books — from that language
as well as from French, German,
Russia and Italian — including
the work of Nobel Prize-winner
Elias Canetti. Neugroschel’s Yiddish
anthologies, The Shtetl and Yene Velt,
reached a wide audience, and his
translations of S. Ansky’s play The
Dybbuk and Sholem Asch’s drama
God of Vengeance were produced.
Neugroschel also was a critic and
poet, and he founded and edited
the poetry journal Extensions, which
was published from 1970–75. He
is survived by his former partner,
Aaron Mack Schloff.
1959
George R. Carmody, biology professor
and DNA evidence expert,
Ottawa, Ontario, on June 13, 2011.
Born on March 29, 1938, in Brooklyn,
N.Y., Carmody was educated
at Brooklyn Technical H.S. and
Columbia, where he earned a Ph.D.
in 1967 from GSAS in biological
sciences. He was a post-doctoral
fellow at Chicago and in 1969
joined the Department of Biology at
Carleton University, Ottawa, where
for 42 years he taught courses in
evolutionary biology, population
genetics and forensic science. He
also was associate dean of science
and head of Carleton’s Integrated
Science Program intermittently.
Carmody developed an interest
in forensic DNA and statistical
biology, and became a consultant
to government agencies, testifying
on DNA evidence issues at trials
in Canada in the 1990s as well as
assisting with 9-11 and Hurricane
Katrina. He lectured internationally
and assisted with victim identification
efforts in Chile and Guatemala.
Carmody enjoyed photography,
jazz, vintage Cadillacs, railroading,
fine dining and ethnic cuisine, and
was an amateur mechanic. He is
survived by his wife, Zoë; sons,
Chios and Ian; daughter, Daphne;
and two grandchildren. Memorial
contributions may be made to the
George Carmody Memorial Award
for Forensic Biology, Department of
University Advancement, 510 Robertson
Hall, Carleton University,
1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa ON
K1S 5B6 (carleton.ca/giving).
1961
Arthur D. Friedman, retired professor
and publisher, San Diego, on
October 24, 2011. Born in New York
City on April 24, 1940, Friedman
earned an M.S. (1962) and a Ph.D.
(1965) in electrical engineering from
the Engineering School. After doing
research in computer science-electrical
engineering at Bell Telephone
Laboratories, he joined the faculty at
the University of Southern California
and then moved to the George
Washington University, where he
taught for more than 20 years. The
author of numerous articles and
books, Friedman was elected a fellow
of the Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers. In 1974, he
and his wife, Barbara, founded Computer
Science Press, which published
more than 100 text and reference
books and was recognized by Inc.
500 magazine several times as one of
the nation’s 500 fastest growing, privately
owned companies. Survivors
include Friedman’s wife; sons, Michael
and Steven ’01 Business, and
their wives; four grandchildren; and
a brother, Stanley ’54, ’62 GSAS. Memorial
contributions may be made
to the Cardiac Treatment Center at
David Rakoff ’86, Humor Essayist and Actor
PHOTO: PAUL ROOSIN
David Rakoff ’86, a
prizewinning humorist
whose essays examined
everything from a 1996 stint
portraying Sigmund Freud in a
window display at Barneys New
York to his battles with cancer
more than 20 years ago and
again soon before his death,
died on August 9, 2012. He was
47 and lived in New York City.
Rakoff was born in Montreal
on November 27, 1964, and
raised in Toronto. His College
degree was in East Asian studies
and after graduating he
worked in Japan as a translator
with a fine arts publisher,
though his stay was cut short
by a diagnosis of Hodgkin’s
lymphoma. He moved back to
Canada for 18 months of treatment
and remained cancer-free
for two decades.
Returning to New York,
Rakoff worked as an editor and
publicist for various publishers
before becoming a full-time
writer in 1998. A letter Rakoff
wrote to humor writer Davis
Sedaris in the early 1990s, after
hearing him on the radio, and
Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla,
PO Box 2669, La Jolla, CA 92038; or
the American Cancer Society, 2655
Camino del Rio North, Suite 100, San
Diego, CA 92108.
1969
Joseph J. Okon, physician and
medical educator, Norwalk, Conn.,
on May 6, 2011. Born in New York
City, Okon earned an M.D. at the
Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
He devoted his career to obtaining
funding for the advancement of
medical education and devoted his
life to his family and his friends. A
Sedaris’ subsequent support
of Rakoff’s work led to
Rakoff’s own radio career. He
became a frequent contributor
to “This American Life” on
public radio, and his books
include Fraud: Essays and
Don’t Get Too Comfortable: The
Indignities of Coach Class, The
Torments of Low Thread Count,
The Never- Ending Quest for
Artisanal Olive Oil, and Other
First World Problems, both of
which received Lambda Literary
Awards. Another book, Half
Empty, received the Thurber
Prize for American Humor.
[Editor’s note: See Bookshelf,
September/October 2010.]
Rakoff’s print essays, which
appeared in, among other publications,
The New York Times, GQ,
Details, Salon and Slate, formed
much of the basis of his books,
which wryly detail his real-life
escapades. In 2009, he contributed
a piece to a New York
Magazine selection of essays
titled “My First New York,” in
which he wrote about his arrival
at Columbia and in New York.
Rakoff also acted, appearing
in several plays by Sedaris
and his sister, Amy, as well as
in bit parts on several television
shows. He appeared in the
2005 film Capote and wrote the
screen adaptation for, as well
as starred in, a 20-minute film,
The New Tenants, a comedy
about a horrendous New York
rental experience. It won the
Academy Award for best liveaction
short film in 2010.
Rakoff is survived by his
father, Vivian; mother, Gina
Shochat-Rakoff; brother,
Simon; and sister, Ruth.
Lisa Palladino
lifelong philanthropist, he was especially
dedicated to spreading a Jewish
education to those in need. Okon
was a member of several boards of
directors, including the UJA Federation
and Bi-Cultural Day School. He
is survived by his sons, Benjamin,
Ezra and Alexander; friend, Sandy
Samuels; and late brother Paul’s
family. Memorial contributions may
be made to the Okon Family Philanthropic
Fund II (2474) of the Jewish
Communal Fund, 866-580-4523.
Lisa Palladino
FALL 2012
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FALL 2012
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