Remembering The Heights 50 Years Later
Inside of Gould Memorial Library at NYU Heights
On March 28, 2023, Heights alumni received this “call to action” from NYU Arts & Science Alumni Relations, with the Subject Heading: Remembering the Heights — 50 Years Later: Remembering The Heights 50 Years Later Published by The College Alumni Association — Heights Steering Committee This book was developed and created by the CAA Heights Steering Committee of volunteers and reflects the individual memories and experiences of the alumni mentioned within.
On March 28, 2023, Heights alumni received this “call to action” from NYU Arts & Science Alumni Relations, with the Subject Heading: Remembering the Heights — 50 Years Later. The Call NYU at the Heights — old photo 2 page
Sent on behalf of the Heights Steering Committee WE’RE MAKING A MEMORY BOOK TO COMMEMORATE THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SALE OF THE HEIGHTS & WE NEED YOUR HELP! Dear Fellow Heights Alumni, This year (2023) marks the 50th anniversary of the sale of NYU’s University Heights campus. As alumni, we want to commemorate this event by paying tribute to our campus and our years spent there. On October 28, 2023, during NYU’s Alumni and Parents Weekend, we are having a reception for all graduates of the University College of Arts and Science and the School of Engineering and Science to honor the Heights. We’re hoping you will pitch in to help in the observance of this anniversary year. Please share your memories of the campus: a class you took, a professor or friend who influenced you, a building or structure that had meaning to you, an activity you were involved in, your response or the campus reaction to an historic event that took place while you were a student. Really, any remembrance you’d like to impart. We’ll compile these written histories for all to read, and, importantly, we’ll archive these personal stories to keep the spirit and the history of the Heights campus alive—never to be forgotten. Submit your recollection(s) to: [email protected] no later than July 1, 2023. Please submit them as an attachment to your email, and include on the attachment your name, class year, and any other information you’d like to provide readers. You can also submit anonymously. Questions? Email them to [email protected], and an alumna or alumnus will be in touch with you. Stay tuned to NYU’s website and our follow-up emails, and be sure to update your contact preferences to learn more about this event and Alumni and Parents Weekend. Help bring the history of the Heights to life by sharing your memories made there! Sincerely, Elizabeth Pimentel, Chair Heights Steering Committee College Alumni Association page 3
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We received more than 100 replies. Here they are. The Response NYU at the Heights — photo by Ira Silverman, Class of 1968 page 5
6 page /23, 2:04 PM IMG_E4563.jpg Photo by Bruce Prussack E ’71, ’73, ’81
Israel Louis Schneier — (Probably) the Oldest Heights Alumnus One hundred and seven year-old Israel Louis Schneier was born in the Bronx on September 4, 1915. He enrolled at NYU’s University Heights College of Arts and Science when it was still all male, in about 1932, and graduated in 1936. The owner of a wholesale grocery business, Schneier and Held, at the Bronx Terminal Market, Lou never left the Bronx! He married a Bronx girl and had four children. Lou loved the Heights so much that two of them followed in his footsteps at the Heights— Roger Schneier, A’64 and Stephanie Schneier Rubin. (And we guess that whatever math courses he took at the Heights served him well — he still corrects our arithmetic mistakes when we help with his checkbook!) Israel Louis Schneier Class of 1936 Roger Schneier Class of 1964 Faye Menken Schneier Class of 1968 Stephanie Schneier Rubin Heights Alumna Here’s a recent picture (today!) of Faye Menken Schneier (A’68), Israel Louis Schneier (A’36) and Roger Schneier (A’64) Bronx Terminal Market photo Wikipedia. page 7
8 page Norman Menken Class of 1940 Norman Menken, DDS, Attended NYU at University Heights from 1937-1940 The Heights had some wonderful traditions — and one, when it was an all-male campus was “Medley,” its student-produced humor magazine. After Norman Menken died in February of 2019, we found a large collection of “Medley” magazines in his attic and arranged to donate them, in July of 2022, to the Tisch School. Norman was born in New York City on May 21, 1921. After graduating from DeWitt Clinton High School at the age of 15, he enrolled at NYU’s University Heights campus. A pre-med student (he would follow in his father’s footsteps to become a dentist), teenage Normie also threw himself into campus activities, including joining the staff of the humor magazine. Norman completed his pre-med requirements early. Then, because the wartime army needed dentists, he left the Heights after three years, for Columbia Dental School. But he loved the Heights so much that he sent two of his three children there (Faye Menken Schneier, Arts ’68 and Alan Menken, Arts ’72 and Hon ’00). And even though Norman didn’t technically graduate from NYU before starting dental school, in later years, at all sorts of NYU events he attended with or in honor of Alan, Norman was always embraced as an alumnus! Norman, who practiced dentistry to the age of 89, and lived to be almost 98, carefully saved these “Medley” magazines which represented a happy, busy time in his life. — FMS, 5/23
Daniel Scheyer Class of 1947 DANIEL SCHEYER — Arts ’47 7 Tibbits Lane Sands Point, NY 11050 (516) 883-9029 I entered the Heights in February 1945 — at the age of 16 — with World War 2 on, we were known as “Feb/Seps”. I joined the staff of the Heights Daily News. It was a time when many Colleges — Brooklyn College was one — monitored closely what went into the College paper, and even suspended Editors. Professor Knedler — later Dean — was our Faculty Adviser at the Heights News. He said to us — “I don’t want to know in advance what you intend to print — but don’t make me embarrassed that I didn’t.” That was a special responsibility to place on a 16 year old in war time — and it was a responsibility I never forgot in all of my life dealings. After I graduated, I corresponded with Dean Knedler at Christmas time until he passed away. Photo of Heights Daily News 10/15/1970 contributed by Harold Schultz page 9
10 page Robert Weller Class of 1948 Morty Spinner, Stewart Ain, Robert Weller, Harold Teplitz, Harold Kraman The Class of Art ’48 was very unusual. When it started World War II was still being fought and all the students went to school summer and winter to try to get as much done before being drafted. The faculty was very lean with so many at war but two outstanding professors were Professor Drake teaching the bible and Professor John Knedler teaching Shakespeare. At lunch we’d all eat together and throw quotes at each other. I can still recall the soliloquy from Hamlet — “that undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveler returns puzzles the will and makes us rather bear those ills we have than fly to others that we know not of; thus the native hue of resolution is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought.” When I started at the Heights in September ’48 as a predental student, I was distracted, and elated to be able to write a daily column in the Heights Daily News based on my previous experience as a columnist in the Lincoln Log at high school. Unfortunately, that involved going to the printer every night to proofread leaving no time to study. I was failing important courses, like biology and the wartime college had no mechanism for redirecting me. Fortunately for me, selective service put me in the army in Fort Eustis, Virginia for a view of how people lived when uneducated. and Professor Sanborn propelled me into NYU Dental School.
Stanley (Stan) Goldberg Class of 1952 I graduated Lincoln High School, in Brooklyn, and entered what I thought was a very unique school in September 1948. The Heights was an attempt by a city university to create a more typical collegiate campus and experience in what was probably a more remote part of the city at that time. I was fortunate in having a Pi Lambda Phi fraternity scholarship that allowed me to live on campus and there were other fraternity houses and a dormitory. However we were still primarily a commuter school and I well remember my 3 1/2 hours of daily commute time my first year. The student body, supposedly highly selective, was all male, primarily from New York, and with a high proportion of bright, competitive pre-meds. Despite all this, I felt there was a certain camaraderie, a certain pride among us. The education was solid. For most of us the make or break course was comparative anatomy with Dr. Stunkard; without his blessing, there was no medical school. I remember going back to Brighton Beach, having to buy a live lobster, euthanize it in boiling water, to my mother’s horror, so that I would have a fresh specimen for dissection for Dr. Stunkard. On a lighter vein, I remember running a campaign to be a representative to a national student organization (Stan’s the Man) and losing to a fellow student who would later own the World Trade Center. My fraternity provided friendship and support and I smile when I think of our times together in the house, our dinners, our meetings, and, of course, our week-end parties, endlessly planned and anticipated. Next to the fraternity house was a small student center run by an “elderly” gentleman beloved by all. It was four years of hard study, as a pre-med, but there were many good times, and many fond memories — and success. I was admitted to NYU School of Medicine. Stanley (Stan) Goldberg ’52 page 11
12 page Robert Matz Class of 1952 Feel free to use these cards in any way you see fit. I hope this is useful. I graduated from NYU, [Heights] College of Arts and Science in 1952. Also NYU Med in 1956. Please let me know if there is anything else I can do to assist you. As I have said before, I would like to donate my NYU Card collection [both of the Heights and Washington Square] to NYU for safe keeping if someone will figure out a way to simply take or accept them. Eager to see the final “memory book”. Sincerely, Robert Matz, MD, A’52, M’56 All photos contributed by Robert Matz Class of 1952
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14 page Stanley A. Plotkin Class of 1952 Stanley Plotkin shared the following excerpt from an autobiography he is writing: “The first year at NYU was rather difficult, including the fact that my classmates were two to three years older than me. However, I gradually adjusted and in the second year took General Biology, taught by Albert Stunkard, a legendarily difficult and demanding teacher who had been a fighter pilot in World War I but who had subsequently gone to Germany to learn biological science. He had a reputation as an anti-Semite, although I never saw any confirmation of that. However, as a teacher he was demanding and did not tolerate dumb questions. At the end of the year there was a difficult final exam. When the grades were posted I remember joining the crowd searching the list of students’ names and grades. Very few of the grades were As, but there was one next to my name. On leaving the building I met three of my friends on the steps. As it turned out all of us had received As, and one of us commented that this was the first time in the history of the school that four As in biology had been in the same place at the same time! I subsequently majored in biology including a course in microbiology. After the latter course, I was able to become an unpaid assistant to the professor of microbiology, Prof. Hall, doing things like passaging bacterial cultures and making preparations for class. I was proud to do that.. He was a large man, a Southerner, but very kind and gentle. The job meant long hours in the evening doing preparatory work for his courses in bacteriology and protozoology, but I found it pleasant to be alone amidst the votive fires of the Bunsen burners. But biology was not my only interest. I minored in English and philosophy. As part of the former I took a Shakespeare course with the Dean of the college and learned to love the Bard. It was one of the most important experiences of my scholastic life. I cannot imagine anyone, even if not an English speaker, considering himself educated without knowledge of the Shakespeare canon. At one point I competed in an elocution contest, choosing first John Donne’s sermon “For Whom the Bell Tolls” and was able to change my Bronx accent to an English one. I remember holding the audience rapt while building to the peroration “Ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee.” Unfortunately, in the finals I chose to switch to one of Hamlet’s soliloquies and did not win the first prize, but only the third. Perhaps I had been influenced by the course in Shakespeare I took with Professor John Knedler, who kindled my life-long delight in the Shakespeare canon. . Philosophy was another minor which was also interesting and although it lacks the rigor of science and often seems circular, it does reinforce the need for critical thinking. I should also mention that I joined the NYU Debating Team. I don’t think I was a particularly great debater but I learned one important thing: that there are always two sides to an argument and that one should not be too cocksure of one’s opinions, and indeed one should always be skeptical of opinions, mine and other people’s.” Stanley A. Plotkin, MD. Class of 1952 Emeritus Professor of Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania Emeritus Professor of Virology, Wistar Institute
Arthur J. Cooperman Class of 1955 Memories of the Heights: Arthur J. Cooperman, A ’55 I began living in a dorm on campus (Gould) in the middle of my junior year. Construction was underway on a new dormitory. One spring evening, a police patrol car was seen leaving the area with a 2X4 protruding out of the front passenger window. As the vehicle made its way past Gould on the narrow driveway, the wooden beam struck a tree and forced the beam backwards, totally dislodging the rear passenger window out of the car. The police made a getaway and several students brought the window into Gould and we all had a laugh. Then there was a knock on the door. Two cops, with saw dust on their uniforms, appeared, asking for their window. We turned it over to them. They left, and we laughed again. The library on campus was a memorable structure. In warmer months, students tended to sit on the impressive steps leading up to the entrance. Pigeons also congregated at that location. It was not unusual to be struck by their droppings. At one point, I decided to write an article in the Heights Daily News, the campus paper, about the proliferation of pigeon droppings. Dean Baer, who was my instructor in an English course on the King James Bible, took exception to the pigeon issue. He confronted me regarding the negative aspect of the story. “Well, I’ve never been hit,” he concluded. Dean Baer was the subject of a false obituary in the New York Times years before he actually died. It was apparently the result of a prank. A big issue on campus during my time there was the plan to demolish a building that served as an English Department facility (Browne House) and replace it with one serving the ROTC program. Needless to say, the mood at the HDN was not favorable to the plan. In any event, there was little that could be done to alter the plan. However, a set of circumstances occurred that set in motion a suspension of the editor in chief of the paper. The HDN was a daily newspaper. It was published every school day and was a source of pride on campus. The printer for the paper was located on Fourth Street, in Manhattan. Every day, a member of the staff, who lived in the Village, would bring that day’s copy to the printer where it would be printed that night and delivered to the campus in the morning. On one fateful day, the courier forgot to do his job. I was at the printer, typing my article about the NYU basketball game at Madison Square Garden that night (then located at 50th Street and Eighth Avenue). Suddenly, three editors of the paper rushed into the printing shop and proceeded to re-create the missing copy for the paper. It was an arduous task. In order to fill up a portion of the editorial page, they utilized a photograph of the doomed building with a brief, if inappropriate, comment related to the proposed demise of the structure. As a result, the editor in chief was briefly suspended from school. Another memory. Dean Baer was succeeded by Tom Robinson in the ‘60’s. He was my first instructor at the Heights in February 1955. A New Yorker, he had been a childhood friend of Jackie Gleason, the TV personality and actor, growing up in Brooklyn. Gleason had a routine as a bartender, in which he referred to the local customers — Fatso Fogerty, Crazy Guggenheim and Bookshelf Robinson, among others. The latter went on to higher education and became a history professor, a college dean and the head of a major foundation. page 15
Irving F. Miller Class of 1955 Memories of the Heights I became a Freshman in Chemical Engineering at the NYU School of Engineering and Science in January, 1952. We were a “Feb-Sep” class, obligated to complete a full Freshman year by September so we could catch up to the class that started in the Fall of 1951. That meant completing 19 semester hours over the Summer. Thirty-five of us started that Summer. The curriculum included three laboratory courses during a time before air conditioning. The hardest class was Mechanical Drawing where we did engineering drawings in pencil and ink (remember, this was before computers). We had to complete ink drawings while sweating profusely. Inevitably, sweat dripping from our faces would spoil the drawings before they were completed. That Summer was indeed a “trial by combat”. Of the 35 of us that started that Summer session, I recall that 3 of us completed it on time. The others either decided to start the Fall of 1952 as Freshmen or dropped out completely. Successfully completing that Feb-Sep year made us feel we could do anything! When I was a Junior, I started working part-time as a lab technician at Dr. Max Kronstein’s Surface Technology Laboratory, located in Engineering Research Building No. 2. There were about 6 or 7 of us, mostly doing testing with various paint formulations on such properties as durability, elasticity, corrosion resistance, etc. Max was very fatherly toward us and taught us a lot about how research is conducted. We also learned how to be a team. Much of the mindset I later developed for my own successful academic research career started with what I learned from Max and my fellow team members. That Junior year, I also became Associate Editor of Quadrangle, the engineering magazine. My chief responsibility was the last page, called “Quadlings”, for which I collected bits of odd information, poems, jokes, etc., as well as my own writings. It became an outlet for my love of reading and writing which carries forward to this day. I have very fond memories of the Heights as a physical place. Having grown up in the East Bronx, with its noisy dirty streets always in shadow, coming to the Heights every morning was my “Shangri-La” or “Eden”. I spent as much free time as I could find just wandering around the campus, the Hall of Fame colonnade, etc. — the grass and trees always lifted my spirits. My time at the Heights ended with graduation in June, 1955. I then went on to graduate school at Purdue and the University of Michigan and an academic career as Professor, Department Head, Dean, and Associate Vice Chancellor for Research, at Brooklyn Polytech (now the NYU Tandon College of Engineering), University of Illinois at Chicago, and University of Akron, retiring in 2000. I look back on my career with fondness and satisfaction — it all started at the Heights. Irving F. Miller, BChE, 1955 16 page
Arthur Gudeon Class of 1956 I’m Dr. Arthur Gudeon (BA, ’56), and now an 88 year old still (part time) practicing, student mentoring podiatrist, and still playing (quite senior ) tennis 3X/week. Even though I was pre-professional, I majored in English & minored in History (and Biology) to try to become a more well rounded human person. I lived in the Loew Hall Dorms my first two years there. I’m sort of busy at this moment, but I can probably come up with a few memories if my disintegrating brain permits , so if you’ll remind me in a couple of weeks, I’ll see what I can come up with for you. We loved studying, and even some classes, on the lawn outside the Hall of Fame, overlooking the Hudson. Also, I was the Heights intramural unofficial Ping Pong champ, a sharpshooter in the Rifle Club, and Captain of the Intramural Bowling Team. Good Luck & Best Wishes, Doc G Oh yeah, quick remembrance … I played clarinet in the NYU football band, mostly in Ohio Field!! (Yup, there was football at that time, shortly before they discontinued the athletic programs) page 17
Marinos A. Petratos Class of 1956 My first memory of the Heights was that I was part of what was called the Feb-Sept class. We completed a full year of credits during that period. I was a commuter, and have many memories of the long subway trip from mid Manhattan, and then the uphill walk to the campus! The campus was beautiful!! Artistic buildings, unique in design and size. Many manicured lawns, and green space. Sometimes long walks from class to class, remembering the Engineering students with their Slide rulers hanging from their belts. PreMed students were quiet, focused, and very competitive. I only recall one Professor, and that was Prof. Stunkard, chairman of Biology, respected and feared by the pre-med students, including myself, because he was very demanding of his students. Getting a good grade in Biology was a very difficult endeavour. I still believe that my A in biology was one of the reasons I was accepted into Med School. I graduated with a BA in 1956. Many fond memories of the Army ROTC that I was enrolled in. Wearing the old style WW2 uniforms, drilling and marching, military sciences, all wonderful things that served me well not only during my 3 years of Active duty with the US Army, but for the rest of my life!! I received my Commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Infantry of the US Army in 1956, following intensive basic training at Ft. Bragg in North Carolina. An unforgettable experience at the Heights, the Pearl of NYU, was followed by being accepted into the Charted class at Seton Hall College of Medicine in Jersey City, NJ. I graduated with an MD in 1960. I had a General Internship at the famous Philadelphia General Hospital, which prepared me well in general medicine for the Army. Active duty in the US Army, in 1961, as a General Medical Officer, with the rank of Captain, followed by overseas service in Germany and other NATO countries. My Army years were invaluable, a tremendous experience, and a sense of pride. I returned from duty in 1963. Following my service, I returned to the NYU-Bellevue Medical center for a 3 year Residency in Dermatology. I earned my Specialty in 1966. I stayed on the Staff of the Medical Center, with an academic position in the famous, Skin & Cancer Unit, for several years, then pursued a lifelong career in private practice in NYC, and during retirement I continue to reside in NYC, spending lots of time at the NYAC, where I am a life member. Also active with Veterans Associations, and Historic Military Organizations. Marinos A. Petratos, MD Heights Class of 1956 [email protected] 917-922-5769 18 page
I am a graduate of the Feb-Sept class which entered the Heights in the winter of 1954 and graduated in 1957. I recall several professors, who were unique and outstanding teachers and people. Dr. Robert Fowkes was Professor of German. My two close friends and I took classes he taught for 3 years. He was not only a great teacher, but was funny as hell. He called us “the unheiliger drei” (the unholy three). I remember Dr. Paul Gross, a young professor at the time, who taught Dynamic Biochemistry. He always came to class rubbing his eyes as if he just got up from sleep. He subsequently became famous and moved to other universities. I recall Dr. Elkin Calhoun Wilson, Professor of English Literature. He taught by reading his notes to class. I was so inspired by him that I bought and read a book of poetry by Edmund Spencer. Finally, I recall Professor Wiley, who taught Biology. He told the class that no one would get into medical school unless that got an A in his class. He was tough, but superb. Fortunately, I got an A in his class. I recall riding the subway from Brooklyn to the campus and back with my two friends. I did homework on the subway and finished it at home later. We took the same trains each day and boarded on different stations. On day, one of us arrived late, but the conductor held the train until he showed up. This would never happen today. The Heights was a great college with wonderful professors and great memories. I’m sorry it was sold. Harold M Maurer, M.D. Chancellor Emeritus Professor of Pediatrics Emeritus University of Nebraska Medical Center Omaha NE 68198 [email protected] Harold M Maurer Class of 1957 page 19
Philip Zimbardo Professor, New York University in the Bronx, 1960-1967 Philip Zimbardo remembers his time teaching at New York University in the Bronx, 1960-1967. I had just graduated from Yale University with my PhD in social psychology, and this was the only available job on the market that year. I was delighted because I grew up in the Bronx and the campus was near to where my parents were living. I had a heavy teaching load of five courses, among them were several large lectures in introductory psychology, and one in social psychology. I loved teaching introductory psychology because it allowed me to explore so many different topics with my students. My classes were filled with hundreds of students in an auditorium that had stadium seating so that I could see each of them. I also prepared a seating plan with each student’s name so that I could call on them individually, as if I had memorized them, which many students believed. I always tried to add vivid demonstrations to enhance my presentations, such as hypnosis, rats learning mazes, rats having sex on this stage, and many more. I also tried diverse ways of administering examinations, such as taking an exam with a partner; sometimes discussing answers, sometimes with a partner who took the test separately but each student’s grade was the average of both of their scores. I also included funny wording, or puzzles, or Yiddish terms, given that 90% of my classes were filled with second generation Jewish students. My teaching goal was simple, I wanted my lectures to be dazzling and I spent a lot of time trying to achieve that objective. Phil Zimbardo Professor Emeritus of Psychology, Stanford University President & Founder, Heroic Imagination Project Visit the official Stanford Prison Experiment website to learn more about the experiment that inspired the film: www. prisonexp.org Twitter: @PhilZimbardo | HIP Instagram | HIP Facebook Heroic Imagination Project 20 page
Paul Stephen Spiegler Class of 1960 Linda Weiss Spiegler Class of 1963 In the spring of 1959, just before I was to graduate from Hunter College High School, ready to begin college at Barnard (all women, no classes with the Columbia men back then…), NYU announced it was admitting 100 women to its uptown campus, to join the 2000 men already there. I and six of my best friends all applied and became seven of those 100 women! Having been in an all-girls school from 7th – 12th grades, this was a deal made in heaven. I got a great education at The Heights, dated about 10% of the student body, met my husband of 61 years there, and left after my junior year to move to Washington DC to marry Paul, then a Naval Security Group officer stationed in DC — where we’ve been ever since. Paul hears from NYU frequently, I never. I did my last year of college at American University, knew no one there, but our commencement speaker that June of 1963 was President John F Kennedy, who delivered his Nuclear Disarmament Address at my graduation. So it’s the AU Alum Association to which I belong, never having heard again from NYU. But I will always think of NYU — The Heights — as the college I really went to. I’m now Paul’s care-partner as he’s not well (or we would come to your event), having practiced medicine for 45 + years, now retired. We never moved back to NYC, but did visit the Heights a few times, decades ago. The Memory Book will add to our great memories of those days 60 + years ago. Paul graduated with a BA and I, as well, was in the School of Arts “In The Heights”! All my best, Linda Weiss Spiegler (almost NYU Heights Class of ’63) (202) 234-5883 land line [email protected] Paul Stephen Spiegler, Class of ’60 (202) 669-3657 cell [email protected] photo credit: NYU Archives page 21
22 page Martin Elliot Brody Class of 1961 / 1965 Having celebrated 2 degrees from NYU (including attending the Heights for my Graduate Engineering degree), my family attended 2 memorable graduations at the Heights Ohio Field. My brother, David Marshall Brody also received 2 degrees from NYU, getting his Bachelor’s Degree in 1966 from the Heights and a Medical Degree in 1970. Besides having a beautiful campus, the Heights had the honor of hosting the Hall of Fame for Great Americans. It was very special to tour this structure. It is sad that this place has not been maintained very well. Similarly, we were not happy that the Heights campus was sold 50 years ago. Since then, NYU has greatly expanded its facilities in the New York City area and all over the world. And NYU has become one of the premier universities in the world. Martin Elliot Brody BA (Math), WSC, 1961 ME (Ind. Eng’g), 1965 Photo: George Argento NYU Alumni Relations
page 23 Robert P. Lisak Class of 1961 50th Anniversary Memories Fours years commuting from Brooklyn, Brighton Beach Express from Prospect Park to 14th St, the Jerome-Woodlawn Express to Burnside Ave, and back. Lots of great faculty. Joseph Reither was my history honors advisor, John Ricci who was chair of Pre-Med advisory committee. I spent a fair amount of me in the Student Center since I was privileged to serve as the Chair of the Concert Committee of the Student Center Policy Board (SCPB) in my junior year and as President of the Board in my senior year. That lead to a personal highlight as I met the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. when he talked at the Heights in 1961. His talk was co-sponsored by the SCPB and the Student Governing Board. I have a framed copy of the front page of the Heights Daily News with a picture of me with Dr. King in my office at work and another at home in my study. Robert P Lisak, MD, FRCP. FAAN, FANA Emeritus Professor of Neurology Wayne State University School of medicine NYU College of Arts and Sciences, Class of 1961 page 23
24 page Photo by Bruce Prussack E ’71, ’73, ’81 Martin Schain Class of 1961 The Heights I went to the Heights for all of the wrong reasons, and by the end of my first year, in 1958, I knew that they were wrong. I grew up two blocks south of the campus. The Heights was my backyard. I played on the canons as a child, watched baseball at Ohio Field when I was older, and, when I was in High School, managed to sneak into fraternity parties at the edge of the campus. I was about to graduate from Stuyvesant, and was certain to become an engineer—electrical or mechanical. I was admitted to NYU and Columbia, and finally chose NYU because it was only two blocks away. A year later, I knew that I had made the wrong decision—and I knew it for the right reasons. I travelled to Europe and Israel between High School and College, and began to discover the world. By the end of my freshman year, I switched to Arts and Science, and discovered that I had probably made the right decision after all. The Heights enabled me to become a different me. I had wonderful teachers who opened up and enhanced the world for me. I learned Russian and French (I am fluent in French). Most of all, through my major in political science, I developed a curiosity to explain as well as a calling. I was nurtured at the Heights, encouraged and expanded. I learned political science, but also Shakespeare, American literature, history, and two languages. Most of all, I was encouraged to go well beyond my comfort zone. The Heights was a classic example of the virtues of American higher education. Unlike my European friends, I was able to discover, and rediscover myself, at an age when I was able to get beyond my own perceived limitations. When I left the Heights, I went to Cornell with an NDEA grant in Soviet Studies, that required me to continue my study of Russian, but also to delve deeply into political science and history. I returned to the Heights as a professor in 1966, after a year in Europe, and a year as a teaching assistant at Cornell. I imagined that I would teach for a few years, perhaps work in Washington (I had passed the Foreign Service examination), and then … After all, it was the ’60s! Suddenly, a few years evolved into 50, and a rich and rewarding career. Martin Schain A’61 10/3/23, 2:03 PM IMG_4570.jpg
Susan Tabor Wahman Class of 1961 Sam White, great grandson of Gould Memorial Library architect Stanford White, and who is currently in charge of renovations for GML, has asked me to help out, if I can, with information on the library at the Heights after it ceased to be the main library. I don’t actually know too much about that because I graduated before the campus was sold. I do know that for some time it was used as an art gallery, and could also be rented for parties. We theater folk from the Heights rented it out more than once for Halloween or other get-togethers. I do remember fondly an event I attended in either 1960 or 61, which might be of interest. This was when the library was still very much a most active library. But the downstairs auditorium would sometimes be used for special events, one of which was a fantastic evening with Duke Ellington’s big band, playing all his famous numbers with all the first string players. I’ve checked with several of my friends from the years before and after the campus was sold, but most are too old to know much about what happened to the library in later years. But they all used the library on a regular basis and loved it, and there are a great many Heights alums who will not return to the campus, due to resentment over its and the entire campus’ sale. Included in that group, as a matter of fact, was Heights Russian History professor, and later NYU President, Dr. Jay Oliva. He also refused, as nearly as he was able, to let any of the rest of us return. Nevertheless, there have been a number of gatherings of alumni at the Heights over the years, including visits to Gould Memorial Library. Susan Tabor Wahman, Arts ‘61 page 25
26 page Photos this page and previous contributed by Susan Tabor Wahman Class of 1961
page 27 Richard C. Feyl Class of 1962 REMEMBRANCES OF THE NYU HEIGHTS CAMPUS RICHARD C. FEYL COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE, CLASS OF 1962 I was a commuter student at the Heights campus from 1958 – 1962. I lived in the Bronx and could walk to the campus or take public transportation. I majored in Economics and minored in German. There are two professors whom I remember as being memorable: Professor Seymour Flaxman, German Department Professor Benjamin Katz, Economics Department I took several classes with each professor. They presented very interesting classes and interacted well with the students They were both instrumental in facilitating my attendance at a graduate program at the University of Leiden. The course of study was the Economics of the European Common Market. Credit for the course were accepted by the NYU Graduate School of Arts and Science. I enjoyed using the Gould Memorial Library. It was a very imposing building. A very good place to study. I specifically remember being able to go into “the stacks” to look for books I needed for some of my classes, especially German and history classes. Another feature of the library I remember were the pictures in the main entrance hallway of NYU students who were veterans who lost their lives during World War II. My time at the Heights was a very positive part of my life. page 27
28 page Harold Appel Class of 1963 A few random memories of the Heights: I recall when Malcolm X had somehow been invited to give a talk on campus. I was still too timid to cut a class to see him but with my class over, I went to the mall (the big lawn that now looks so tiny) and there he was, crossing the lawn, surrounded by some students. Someone asked him what he thought about people calling him a radical. He said: “Do you like the way things are, are you satisfied, or do you want to make change?” The answer: “Yes I want to make the world a better place.” Malcolm: “Well, you’re a radical too!” I also recall watching the TV will classmates in the dorm during the Cuban missile crisis and feeling anxious for a week! Afterwards, one professor called JFK “Jack the Knife.” Scandal! The only student demonstration on campus, however, was a protest of an increase in some fee. It was the early 60s. I recall the French Professor Zulli suddenly climbing onto a table to continue his lecture. He’d do anything for attention, I guess. My dear roommate Elliot Cohen, station manager of the radio station, let me have a 1/2-hour show on the nascent WNYU that worked over a closed circuit when you plugged a radio into a campus socket. I doubt that anyone ever tuned in to my show. I taught myself a lot and learned to love music by preparing every week by reading the giant Grove Dictionary of Music in the library. I used a tiny piece by Anton Webern as the intro music. I sure was playing at being an intellectual! Harold Appel NYC UCAS Heights 1959-1963 [email protected] While on the Heights Mall Malcolm X said: “Do you like the way things are, are you satisfied, or do you want to make change?”
Elliot L. Cohen Class of 1963 50 Year NYU Heights Reunion My name is Dr. Elliot L. Cohen I attended the NYU Heights Campus from 1959 to 1963. My major was psychology (Dr. Philip Zimbardo), and I minored in French (Dr. Floyd Zulli). I took enough science courses to allow acceptance into medical school upon graduation. My memories focus on the 4 years I spent at Lowe Hall. I rode my Triumph 500cc motorcycle from my Brooklyn home to the Heights campus and parked it in front of the dorm. A fond memory is going out the back door of Lowe Hall, flipping over the metal fence on University Avenue (I was younger then) and going down Burnside Avenue to get a snack at Spivak’s Deli near Jerome Avenue. When not using my bike, I would travel from my Brooklyn home to the Bronx on the 4 train (swing and sway on the Woodlawn J). My extracurricular activities over the 4 years focused on the NYU radio station (on campus only), which was based in that old building (Maccrachen Hall??). I had a popular radio program of jazz and rock and roll music, which was based on a then famous radio DJ called Jocko. I called my once weekly program “the Rockhouse Show” and I became known as “The Rockhouse”. Over time I became the program director of the radio station in charge of on-air programming. The engineering students (Dean Ragazzi) ran the technical end. I still have some tapes of my shows. Some years later (maybe 25 or so) I encountered a young Urology resident whose last name reminded me of one of my college classmates. When I mentioned my classmate’s name, the resident responded, “he is my father.” I asked the resident to ask his father if he remembered me and sometime later, he told me his father said, “I’m not sure about Elliot Cohen but I remember “The Rockhouse”. I hope to see some old friends at the alumni weekend. page 29
30 page Seymour Kaplan Class of 1963 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SALE OF THE HEIGHTS My memories of the campus are from the point of view of a graduate student and a faculty member. I started as a graduate student in 1961, going for my Ph.D in operations research in the department of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research. I received my degree in 1963 and was appointed as an associate professor in that department, where I served until the campus closed, and I then transferred to Brooklyn Polytechnic and taught there until I retired in 2010. My campus memories primarily revolve around my faculty associates, my department head, Norman N. Barish, and the many students I helped. Our department was located in the ‘Old Engineering’ building which looked as if a strong wind could blow it away. I also remember the huge gym and going swimming there. Another pleasant memory was going for lunch down the hill to Burnside ave. I attended the previous reception some years ago at the Heights, and look forward to the forthcoming reception. Seymour Kaplan Ph.D Engineering, Class of 1963 Photo from www.nyuuniversityheights.com
photo by Ira Silverman, Class of 1968 page 31
32 page My absolutely favorite professor during my years at the Heights, was PROFESSOR FLLOYD ZULLI … He was intensely brilliant and knew so very much about EVERYTHING not only French lit and authors … He was droll and extremely funny, with an incredible dry sense of humor. He once walked into class and the shades were down, and he asked, “ Why are the shades down, are we going to do nefarious things ” I was always chewing gum, and he used to call me, MADEMOISELLE MASTICATION!! I was trying to sign up for one of his classes and when I went to register, i was told it was full. So i went to Prof. Zulli and told him, he marched holding my hand across the whole campus, barged into the registrar’s office, and told them in no uncertain terms that, “ this girl, is to be in my class, NO MATTER WHAT.” Guess what, I took the class and enjoyed it immensely!! I shall always remember him, and his astounding knowledge … he certainly enriched my college education. Sent from my iPad Melinda Melinda Eisenberg Friedman Class of 1964 Dr. Floyd Zulli presents his lecture on the set of Sunrise Semester. Photo NYU Archives Professor Floyd Zulli, Jr. confers with students enrolled in Comparative Literature 10, the first Sunrise Semester course, before the final inperson exam, January 1958. — at New York University via NYU Alumni Facebook.
Mark Moses Class of 1964 NYU Uptown Walking to class on the Heights Campus always felt to me like being in “the country.” There was the feeling of being isolated from the “hub bub” surrounding us. Many of the buildings were outstanding architecturally. Who could forget the Gould Library. I spent many evenings there studying and doing homework. There were some grand old engineering buildings with ancient equipment in the basements. Perhaps the most unique place on campus was the Hall of Fame. Unforgettable! The professors I remember the most were Dean Salma, Dr. Landis and Mr. Rabins. There was a Senior Year engineering project required. Three fellow classmates and I built a “ground effects machine,” a hovercraft, which was funded by the school and pictured in the 1965 College of Engineering Catalog. The basketball team was a Division 1 powerhouse in those days. Many games as well as NCAA Tournaments were played in Madison Square Garden. We walked to the El and took the train downtown. I was in the City for a wedding in the late nineties. I took a walk through the Campus on my way back upstate. It looked good and of course it was nostalgic and saddening that it was no longer part of NYU. To make it worse, the College of Engineering also ceased to exist many years ago, so I feel like an orphan. I’m sure that all the alumni who were on campus in November 1963 remember the fateful day when Kennedy was assassinated as being the worst day of college life. I had a job interview with a recruiter in the Student Center. Walking through the cafeteria on the way to my dorm, it sounded like the NYC Mayor had been shot. The radio was on in my dorm room with the terrible news that the President was shot. And after a while, Walter Cronkite made the terrible announcement that the President was dead. It was a sad train ride upstate, the only time it was “standing room only.” Everyone, students, and others, wanted to get home to be with family. Mark Moses — Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering 1964 Photos courtesy of Mark Moses, E ’64 Newspaper article on the Hall of Fame from late 1990s. page 33
34 page Michael J. Pollack Class of 1964 Since its founding in 1831, the main campus and central location of New York University has been Greenwich Village in the borough of Manhattan adjacent to Washington Square Park. However, in 1960, NYU also owned a campus in the University Heights section of the Bronx which hosted its Arts and Science and Engineering Schools. My four college years at the Heights Campus of New York University produced a potpourri of wonderful memories and experiences. I wish to present this memoir by conveying a top 10 list, five stories, and a description of alumni involvement. My top two memories and experiences, my relationship with Sherrie and serving as editor-in-chief of the 1964 Violet, NYU’s yearbook at the Heights campus, can be found in the “Meeting Sherrie” memoir. A third very sad memory required a separate memoir entitled “The Day JFK Was Shot.” The remaining seven on the top 10 list are set forth below in no particular order. My social life centered around my fraternity, Phi Epsilon Pi (Phi Ep), which is now part of Zeta Beta Tau (ZBT). We socialized, played together in intramural fraternity sports competitions (I helped lead our fraternity to bowling and handball championships), fraternity brothers taught me bridge, and friendships, some of which continue today, were formed. We have had two reunions in the past five years, Sherrie and I had dinner with two fraternity brothers and spouses when we vacationed in Washington D.C., and a third reunion is being planned after the COVID-19 pandemic departs. I worked for NYU Food Services during my junior and senior years. As a junior, to provide security, I watched the vending machines in the Gould Student Center from 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m., Monday - Friday. Payment equaled $1.25 per hour and a free dinner each evening. In my senior year, I performed bartending services. Both provided important social and learning opportunities. The NYU Men’s basketball team reached its peak my freshman year. Our freshman class was considered one of the five best in the country. It included Barry Kramer, a high school All-American choice from Schenectady, New York; Happy Hairston, who later played for the Los Angeles Lakers; Clem Gaillard, a center from New Jersey; and Bob Paxton, a forward from Ohio. The Heights campus hosted the gym, and I served as an engineer on the WNYU broadcasts. I followed the team to their NCAA game at Cole Field House on the University of Maryland campus. Unfortunately, they lost to Duke, led by Oceanside, Long Island’s Art Heyman. In my junior year, I received a political internship from the Metropolitan Center for Education in Politics. I worked on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons at the New York City Department of Personnel. My assigned projects ranged from doing research on labor-management problems to rewriting a public- relations questionnaire, which circulated to all city agencies. The essential lesson I learned was that human relationships are just as important as technological advances for achieving progress in society. As a student leader, I received invitations and attended a variety of social events including at least four receptions hosted by James Hester, president of NYU. By graduation, my social skills improved and my comfort around accomplished people accelerated. Three professors played significant roles in my college education. Robert Hatcher was a brilliant economics professor who also offered excellent practical advice, particularly in his course on investments. We dedicated the 1964 Violet to him with these words: “Your love of teaching is only exceeded by our feelings towards you.” As I debated in my mind between attending law school or seeking an MBA, he wisely said, “You can become a businessman with a law degree, you cannot practice law with an MBA.” Ralph Straetz, a political science professor, was my pre- law and political mentor. He took a strong personal interest in me. He made sure I attended a Martin Luther King lecture on the Heights campus, told me law school was in my best interest and advised me to take an active interest in politics. He offered one piece of advice I ignored: “Save the application fee and don’t apply to Harvard Law School.” Professor Garniez taught second-year college French, a language that was “totally foreign” to me, but I needed to satisfy the language requirement. The
lectures were in French. Two friends took the class as well: my fraternity brother, Alan Berkovsky (now Alan Berk) and Gene Friedman, a pre-med student. Gene understood spoken French; Alan and I did not. Alan and I sat on either side of Gene and copied his notes. One day, Gene didn’t attend class. Professor Garniez announced, “Since Mr. Friedman is not here today, I will speak very slowly for the benefit of Monsieur Pollack and Monsieur Berkovsky.” Protests and sit-ins took place frequently during the 1960s in the United States. In the fall of 1963, a sit-in occurred in the main lounge of the Silver Hall dormitory to protest tuition, housing, and food price increases. A festive mood prevailed with guitar playing, singing, and camaraderie. The New York Daily News said they would report on it if the protests continued beyond 2 am; Channel 4, the local NBC television station, agreed to send cameras after 5 am. My parents were furious with me, but I felt a certain exultation for participating. My favorite NYU story concerns the senior class night exercises held on June 8, 1964, at the Gould Memorial Library Auditorium. I won the Sandheim Oratorical Competition and the $100 prize would be presented to me that night. My parents proudly attended. For the last presentation that night, the Heights Colleges Alumni Association Award, a beautiful black NYU Chair, was granted to a senior for distinction in scholarship and student activities. The recipient was not disclosed prior to the ceremony. John W. Knedler Jr., Dean of the University College of Arts and Science and a distinguished Shakespearean scholar, approached the lectern. In his Oxfordian accented voice, he announced my name. My 4’10” mother bolted from her seat, mounted the steps to the stage, grabbed a leg of Dean Knedler, and in a booming voice declared, “I’m the chair’s mother.” I can’t recall a moment that touched me more. Phi Ep hosted fraternity parties at a fraternity house on Friday evenings. Female high school seniors affectionately referred to as “Burnside Belles” usually attended. (Burnside Avenue was a major street near the NYU campus). One day, in the winter of 1964, a large headline blared from The Heights Daily News. “Girl Attacked At Phi Ep Party.” School administrators and national Phi Ep executives were furious and demanded to know what happened. Phi Ep asked me to communicate with representatives of the school and national fraternity executives. Phi Ep’s continued existence on campus was in question. We conducted an internal investigation. Not one attendee at the party knew of any such incident and none of the fraternity brothers had any clue to the identity of the girl who remained unnamed. I met with Dean Knedler and demanded to know the source for the story. Steve Carson, the editor-in-chief of The Heights Daily News, refused to disclose his source. I countered that a slander had occurred, and the fraternity wanted to defend itself. As a compromise, Carson divulged his source to Dean Knedler but on his promise not to reveal the information to me. Knedler investigated. It turned out the girl in question had been ignored at the party She told her mother she had been attacked. Her mother told her best friend, Steve Carson’s mother, the story, which was relayed to Steve. Phi Ep remained in good standing on campus. During my senior year, I served as a residence hall advisor in Loew Hall. One night, Bruce Kaplan, a freshman, approached me for advice. Bruce was a standout high school basketball player in the New York City Public High School league and a pre-med student. He planned to take chemistry in summer school to ease his academic burden. Shortly before he came to see me, he received an invitation to play on the USA basketball team in the Maccabiah Games (restricted to Jewish athletes) to be held in Israel that summer. A tremendous honor to be selected it presented Bruce with a real dilemma. We talked it through at some length, but I told Bruce he had to make the decision. He chose chemistry over the Maccabiah Games. As an upperclassman, I befriended Norman Sevitz, a freshman who looked up to me. He came from upstate New York and his fondest wish was to go to Yankee Stadium and see a New York Giants home football game. Foolishly, I said I will treat you. With the exception of 4400 bleacher seats held out for a day of game sale, all tickets for all home games had been purchased previously. On the day of the game chosen, we took the “4” subway a few stops to Yankee Stadium. To my horror, it appeared there were about 10,000 potential customers waiting on line. I couldn’t face the embarrassment of not getting tickets and losing face in Norman’s eyes. I came up with a desperate plan that was a long shot at best. Not far from the beginning of the line there was a ticket window that said “G.O. Sales.” This was a vestige from years earlier when they set aside tickets for students. I started banging furiously on the window. Finally, a clerk opened it and glared at me. “My Uncle Irving left two tickets for today’s game for me and I have tried everywhere to find page 35
36 page them. Please help me.” After rejecting my plea, I continued to beg and plead. Finally, the clerk agreed to ask around. While the clerk was searching, the bleacher ticket window ahead opened. As the line moved, I grabbed Norman, we followed the crowd, I purchased two tickets, and we headed to the bleachers. Norman asked me quizzically, “What about the two tickets your uncle left for us?” I smiled and replied, “What tickets?” My most embarrassing college moment occurred the day I overslept for a sociology exam. I raced to the classroom to arrive before the test ended and prior to any student leaving the room. I apologized and explained the situation to my professor. I assured her there was no way I could cheat if she let me take the examination the following period. She agreed. To my amazement, I finished the test 15 minutes early and met some classmates at lunch. “Which essay did you elect to skip?” I asked. They stared at me. “You had to answer all of them,” one of my classmates replied. Back to see a very understanding professor who agreed to let me make amends by writing a ten-page paper on a subject she chose. How lucky could I be? The Heights Campus of NYU was sold in 1975 because of the dire situation of NYU’s finances. In the 1980s NYU decided to construct the Heights Lounge on the Washington Square campus. Through the years, Sherrie and I contributed in response to NYU’s fundraising appeals, and we made a donation for the lounge as well. The Heights Lounge opened in 1988 and Sherrie and I are listed on the donor board. Possibly as a result of our donations, at my 25th reunion in 1989, Jay Oliva, NYU’s president, invited us to a small cocktail party in his NYU apartment. In 1999, Adrienne Rulnick, a new hire in NYU’s development office, came to visit Sherrie and me in our Port Washington home. She lived on Long Island, wanted to learn about the Heights campus, and by visiting us, she had the opportunity to talk with two graduates. One of the themes she wanted to pursue in her new job was meeting families that had many connections to NYU. We told Adrienne about Janet Felsher, Sherrie’s mom, who did not attend NYU but had 13 relatives who did. Adrienne Rulnick invited Sherrie, her mom, and me to attend a breakfast at NYU’s commencement day in June, at which time she presented us with a coffee table book about the history of NYU. In 2004, in honor of our 40th reunion, my fraternity brother and good friend Pete Lilienthal and I co-chaired a fundraising effort to create a scholarship in memory of Pete’s wife and our former classmate, Evelyn Jablow Lilienthal, who had passed within the last year. We raised $32,000 and established a scholarship in Evie’s honor at NYU’s School of Fine Arts, since creating jewelry and other art items was her passion. At our respective 50th year reunions in 2014 and 2016, Sherrie and I received pins and were inducted into the Perstare et Praestare Honor Society at the Perstare breakfast on alumni weekend. We also attended Perstare breakfasts in 2018 and 2019. At the 2018 breakfast, a NYU professor of culture addressed the group. She explained that when she addressed the 1960s, she took her students to visit the former Heights campus and that to learn about the customs, dress, and what it was like to be a student at NYU during that time, she had them peruse 1960s Violet yearbooks. At the 2019 breakfast, Sherrie and I were seated with Lester Wolff, our former Congressman, who would shortly celebrate his 101st birthday, and Charles Rangel, a former prominent Congressman for many years from Harlem. At Adrienne Rulnick’s invitation, I came to NYU as part of the distinguished visitors program. I attended a dinner with selected NYU students, made a presentation about my NYU experiences and my career, and answered their questions. In 2019, Sherrie and I were interviewed by Heather Seltzer from the Arts and Science Development Department about our meeting as students at NYU and our 50+ years of marriage. The interview was featured in the Arts and Science Blog. In 2020, I was included in NYU’s promotional video for NYU’s One Day Giving Campaign, which unfortunately was postponed because of COVID-19. Meeting Sherrie Fate? Luck? Serendipity? All I know is that, etched into my mind forever, is the moment I met the love of my life. The NYU University Heights campus in the early 1960s was an oasis. Many buildings, such as the Gould Memorial Library, had a historic feel. The busts in the Hall of Fame for Great Americans added a touch of majesty. Looking west over the Hudson River, we saw the magnificence of the Palisades. There was even a kissing rock. By subway, it was 20 minutes to midtown Manhattan.
The School of Arts and Science and its Bronx location fulfilled a number of my needs. I had a very loving, but overprotective, mother. I could not succeed in college living in our small apartment. She could not accept her only child being more than 50 miles away. The campus dormitory provided a satisfactory solution. Studies were taken seriously since most of the students were pre-med or pre-law. The school had its own teachers but also had NYU professors who came uptown from the main Washington Square campus. The school had approximately 2,000 students. There were enough people to have a variety of activities, but not so many bodies that we felt overwhelmed. Finally, several years earlier, the school began admitting women. Perhaps, I would meet my future wife. I joined a house plan which was a fraternity without a house. Less than a year later, the house plan was incorporated into the Kappa Nu fraternity. Kappa Nu merged with Phi Epsilon Pi. The president of Phi Ep, Michael Hort, was born to be a politician. His ability to maneuver, manipulate, and persuade would have brought joy to the hearts of Carmine DeSapio and Mayor Daley. He strongly felt that Phi Ep should have a strong voice in student government. Our next-door neighbors, Phi Sigma Delta, had similar feelings. Rather than leave matters to chance, the two fraternities cut a backroom deal. Each fraternity would nominate candidates for every office. After petitions were filed and nominations were closed, the two fraternities would negotiate on which candidates would withdraw. The result was that in each race one fraternity candidate would remain and one would be jointly endorsed. During the early spring of my junior year, I was chosen to be one of the candidates who would secure sufficient signatures on a petition but would later withdraw from the race. To complete the nomination petition, I went to the Gould Student Center. I searched for signatories in the cafeteria, recreation rooms, and activity offices. I walked into the office of The Heights Daily News, and sitting behind a desk was this beautiful blonde goddess with a gorgeous, friendly face, and a sparkle in her eyes. My knees shook, my stomach churned, and my brain turned to mush. I approached carefully, introduced myself, and asked her to sign my petition. She refused. She withstood my most persuasive logic, and I left the office without her signature. I resolved to find out who she was and to figure out a way to get her to go out with me on a date. I learned her name was Sherrie Felsher, and she was the assistant business manager of The Heights Daily News. As for a date, I had no clue on how to proceed. Little did I realize that it was beshert (fated). Later that spring, I received two letters which led me on a path to Sherrie, who was, is, and always will be the great love of my life. That story is told as part of the following memoir entitled “A Romantic Memoir.” A Romantic Memoir I first became attracted to girls in the fifth grade at secretly held spin-the-bottle games. During the next few years, I developed crushes that led nowhere. At Martin Van Buren, I began dating, but the girl of my heart, Sue Golden, belonged to another, and I had to settle for a wonderful friendship. Frequent dating, but without finding someone special, continued through my first two years of college. At Camp Kinderwelt, there were three summers in which I had steady girlfriends: after each of those first two summers, my flings with Reva Teller and Joyce Kleinberg ended as the camp bus left for NYC; the third summer was a different story. My relationship with Ruth continued for seven months after camp ended. The story is told in the memoir entitled “What If,” which follows this memoir. I met Ruth Biderman during my last summer at camp, which was between my second and third years at NYU. In June 1963, I received a letter from the editor-in-chief of The Heights Daily News and the senior class president appointing me editor-in-chief of The Violet, NYU’s yearbook. I was astounded by the offer since, other than writing several articles for the “Beeline,” Martin Van Buren High School’s student newspaper, I had never worked before on any publication and had no knowledge there was an opening. I investigated. I learned that two very bright guys, a senior and a junior, were the sole staff of the 1963 Violet. The senior had graduated. The junior, who was to be the editor-in-chief of the 1964 Violet, had a dispute with the director of Student Activities and resigned. Said director called in the newspaper editor and senior class president, told them it was their problem, and they had to find a solution. As I learned many months later from the senior class president, they reviewed a book listing all members of the class of 1964 and were interested in finding someone whom they believed would not say no and would not embarrass them. I met page 37
38 page their criteria. I almost said no. I had accepted an internship from the Metropolitan Center for Education in Politics and was scheduled to be assigned to a state senator, a state assemblyman, or a New York City councilman. On the other hand, the “word” was that the strongest extracurricular activity you could show on a law school application was editor-in-chief of a publication. I was intrigued (as well as frightened) by the challenge. Since both signatories of the letter had left for the summer (without forwarding addresses) and I could not turn down the offer before September, I decided I would accept the offer if I could figure out a plan of action, which I did. I would create an executive committee of an associate editor, managing editor, photographer, and business manager (Sherrie Felsher?), a series of page editors who could then put their titles on medical and law school applications; and I would solicit ideas from, and work very closely with, the yearbook publisher. A second letter invited me to participate in a NYU leadership training program a week before orientation at an upstate New York facility. On the bus trip back to New York City, I sat next to Karen LeShufy, one of the other participants. As we talked, I learned that Sherrie Felsher was Karen’s roommate. I convinced Karen to set up a dinner in the school cafeteria during orientation for Karen, Sherrie, and me. At the dinner, I pitched Sherrie on becoming the business manager of the Violet and succeeded. Little did I know that it was something else we discussed at dinner that helped influence her acceptance. Sherrie planned to be an economics major and wanted to take economics courses during her sophomore year that mainly were for juniors and seniors. During our dinner, she learned I was an economics major, and she would be taking some of the same courses I would be taking. Part of my pitch was that I was very interested in advertising revenues and planned to spend a lot of time with her. Sherrie was bright and astute, and I am sure she understood my underlying romantic intentions. Sherrie and I became engaged in August 1963, married on July 16, 1967 and recently celebrated our 56th anniversary. The Day JFK Was Shot Sitting in the Gould Student Center cafeteria at the Heights Campus of NYU eating lunch with my fraternity brothers on November 22, 1963, a fraternity brother who had been watching television, came to the table shouting, “The president has shot.” One of my tablemates exclaimed, “They got Marrero?” (Victor Marrero was president of the fraternity.) “No dummy, President Kennedy.” We raced to the second floor where there was a television. We watched as a tearful Walter Cronkite of CBS News told us at 1:15 p.m., “President Kennedy has been pronounced dead.” I left stunned, heartbroken, and angry. I thought back to a beautiful autumn day in October 1960 when I joined about 20,000 others at a JFK campaign rally at the intersection of the Grand Concourse and Fordham Road. The excitement was incredible. His election as president, his inspirational speeches which followed, and the television coverage of the young and glamorous family conveyed a spirit of hope, a passing of the guard to a new generation and expectations of a wonderful future. All gone by virtue of an assassin’s bullet. Later that day I went with Sherrie for a long walk to the Grand Concourse near Fordham Road. The Loews Paradise movie theater was open. I started screaming at the ticket seller about how disrespectful the theater was open. I later realized people react to sorrow in different ways and for some, this form of recreation helped. Excerpted from “The Memoirs of Michael J. Pollack” If anyone has an interest in receiving a copy of my memoir, I will be happy to forward an email copy to them. Please contact me at: [email protected]
I attended the School of Engineering and Science at the Heights Campus in 1963 and 1964 where I obtained a Masters degree in Electrical Engineering. My thesis advisor was Dr. Jack. K. Wolf and my project involved the topic of coding theory. The work that I did formed part of the underlying structure of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) which was later developed by Qualcomm into early cellular telephony. When I decided to leave academia rather than continue for my doctorate, Dr. Wolf recommended I strongly consider working for Bell Laboratories. He said it was the closest thing to being in a University. I took his advice and went to Bell Labs and then the parent corporation, AT&T where I spent 25 years, eventually in executive positions. I kept in contact with Dr. Wolf over the years and did have the opportunity to let him know what a powerful influence he had in my career. Joel Raphael Class of 1964 Joel Raphael Class of 1964 Jack Keil Wolf Credit...University of California at San Diego page 39
40 page Paul Jacobson Class of 1966 / 1969 Dear Fellow Alum, While sorting out a jewelry case, I re-discovered two gold-filled Honor pins for serving on the Student Center Governing Board on the University Heights Campus from 1962-1966. I would like to donate them to the Heights Alumni Association for permanent display in the Alumni Association. Please send instructions with the name(s) of the contact person and address. Thanks, Paul Jacobson UH-Arts ’66 ED- ’69 It was the “policy” board. We informally referred it as a ‘governing’ board. The pins were given to outstanding members of the Student Governing Association at year-end events. I remembered that we have two rare copies of the Heights Daily News! We’d happily include them with the pins! Best, Paul Jacobson H’66 Ed’69 Two gold-filled Honor pins for serving on the Student Center Governing Board on the University Heights Campus from 1962-1966. Photo by Paul Jacobson UH - Arts ’66, ED - ’69
page 41 Loved the Heights… small, compact yet a great place to learn. My fav? The library. Spent many hours there. It remains a thing of beauty. J. J. Capone PhD BA Biology, Class of 1967 Diversified Biomedical Technologies, Inc. J. J. Capone Class of 1967 Photo contributed by Joel Leider — Class of 1972 page 41
42 page Helen (Sass) Colen Class of 1968 I was surprised to get this email. It would be nice to participate on Oct 28th. I do not remember much as I came to the US as an immigrant in 1963. I was at the heights 64-68. I lived in Silver hall and had a job there to cover some of my expenses. I remember being a homecoming queen, as we had a football team then. I went on to medical school and became a surgeon. I remember the library and I remember studying in the dorm attic drinking coca cola from a tall bottle to stay awake, later I found out that it contained real cocaine and was banned from the market. I was friends with Larry Zweibel, Ron Katz, and had a roommate that I think lived in Woodmere. I was under the name of Helen Sass then. Thank you, Helen Colen. 0/3/23, 2:04 PM IMG_4571.jpg Silver Hall photo by Bruce Prussack E ’71, ’73, ’81
Larry Heller Class of 1968 Ellen Krieger Heller Class of 1969 I married and am still married to the boy I met at the PUB on a Friday night in 1966. Larry Heller was a senior and I was a freshman at the Heights. Ellen Krieger Heller, Arts 1969 [email protected] Photo: George Argento NYU Alumni Relations page 43
44 page Carl Kaplan Class of 1968 Submitted by Faye Menken Schneier Some of Carl Kaplan’s Bun pictures — Contributed by Carl Kaplan And remember, the travel pictures are copies of the ones that went to President Hester! Pictures that Carl Kaplan’s daughter, Jana, sent. • 1/5/75/- Faye Menken and Roger Schneier and the Class Bun at their wedding. • 1/5/75 - Heights alumnus, John Lieff, and the Bun at the wedding. • 1980 - Carl and Jana and the Bun in the Bronx. • 1971 - The Bun taking in the sites of Iona off the coast of Scotland. • 1972 - The Bun and some random dude visiting the British PM at Downing Street. • 1971 - The Bun in Iona. So you see the depth of feeling produced by the sale of our campus … All best, Faye < 1/5/75 — Heights alumnus, John Lieff, and the Bun at the wedding. And a nice shot of just Carl Kaplan and the Bun... > 1/5/75 — Faye Menken and Roger Schneier and the Class Bun at their wedding. > < 1980 — Carl and Jana and the Bun in the Bronx.
< 1971 — The Bun taking in the sites of Iona off the coast of Scotland. < 1972 — The Bun and some random dude visiting the British PM at Downing Street. 1971 — The Bun in Iona. page 45
46 page Faye Menken Schneier Class of 1968 Some Memories of Life on NYU’s University Heights Campus — 1964-1968 So many wonderful memories of four precious years spent in a beautiful setting, with wonderful people — both faculty and classmates — and I even married a Heights alum (Roger Schneier, A’64)! Memories of Orientation — venturing out to the quad with my roommate, wearing our Freshman beanies. Memories of being ambushed by the late great David Friedrichs (the older brother of a high school friend) as I walked past the Green Room Honor Society/Hall of Fame Players’ recruitment table. “Get over to the theater right away – we need you to work backstage on the Orientation Play!” So, I went and stayed for four years! Memories of my kid brother, Alan, following me to the Heights as I started my senior year — and my enlisting him to compose the score to my Commedia del Arte-based senior thesis play — for which he wrote the songs (music and lyrics) in real time, as my improvisational actors needed them in rehearsal! Memories of the Class Bun — We of the Hall of Fame Players and its Green Room Honor Society, virtually lived in our theater wing of the Student Center. We felt like we owned the Center, but actually shared it with a bookstore, cafeteria, lounges and some offices. There was also a glass case embedded in the wall with a plaque declaring it was the home of the “Class Bun.” You may recall hearing that in the early years (we’re talking late 19th century) of University College, the students would present a dinner roll in a velvet lined silver case to the “most popular class.” Eventually, the roll disintegrated and the case itself became known as “The Class Bun.” The Bun was notable for being in a constant state of theft. Somehow, it was miraculously found each spring and awarded to a class whose year was engraved on the underside before the Bun was stolen again. And of course, 50 years ago, in 1973, to the horror of its proud students and graduates, NYU arranged to sell the Heights campus. At that time, the Bun was in a state of theft, and Carl Kaplan, a devoted theater group alumnus, who in fact had stolen the Bun in 1971, was so angry and disgusted that he decided not to return it. He took it with him on a world tour (well basically, the British Isles), sending James Hester, then the University’s president, pictures of the Class Bun in front of various and sundry tourist sights, with notes saying “Eat your heart out, Jamie!” In 1975, when Roger and I married, Carl brought the Class Bun to our wedding, told the story at his table, and one of our non-NYU friends then stole it from him. I retrieved it soon after and returned it to Carl, but we noticed that the thief had used a nail to write “Faye Menken and Roger Schneier, 1/5/75.” Eventually, the university found a way to coerce Carl into returning it. Here’s where the story gets just plain silly! When the Bun was brought to the NYU (now downtown campus) archives, the venerable Director of Archives, Bayard Still, asked one of his interns, a graduate student in archival studies, what she made of the strange, scratched-on inscription on the bottom of the Bun. And that intern, Patti Levine Klein, who happened to be the daughter of one of my paternal grandmother’s brothers, matter-of-factly said, “Oh — my cousin’s wedding!” I guess if the Bun is ever found, Roger and I will be part of Heights history! A picture, from the Internet, of Bun thieves — with the Bun. Maybe its last sighting…
Steven Morris Class of 1968 Hi — Steven Morris here, Class of ‘68, received a B.A. in Liberal Arts (which are still relevant, current conventional wisdom to the contrary). Some random memories: I majored in Political Science and History and had fantastic teachers, among them L. Jay Olivia, John Wilkes, Robert Burrowes and Jules Cohn. The above all influenced my life-long love and interest in politics and history. Hmm … , a few other things: I remember playing touch football in a blizzard on the campus grounds. I loved going up into the stacks in the library, sitting in the floor with dusty books that hadn’t been taken out for more than 50 years in many cases. I remember building a snow wall across a side street (with the help of others) which completely blocked traffic and effectively closed the street (during the famous Lindsay snowstorm). I remember emerging from the #4 IRT train moments before the blackout of 1965 occurred and wound up directing traffic on University Avenue. I remember a bar not too far off campus where we would head for some afternoon beers (drinking age being 18 in those days). I remember an old fashioned candy store near above said bar where we could buy newspapers, snacks and rolling papers. And who can forget the almost around the clock deliveries from Al’s Pizza! But above all, I remember both the rigorous education I was fortunate to receive and the fun I had with many different classmates. Steven Morris Photo: George Argento NYU Alumni Relations page 47
48 page Ira Silverman Class of 1968 As noted below I am Ira Silverman, College of Arts and Sciences 1968. Note in picture 078 (bottom of this page) L. Jay Oliva sitting on the third row (from the bottom and top) in a brown jacket. At this time, he was a professor of history. The two book covers are from the basketball press book issued each year containing many pages of history and statistics for the press. The pictures of football at the Heights were of club football which only lasted 1964-67. This Heights Daily News is the last one for 1968. It is traditional to have columns by graduating staff members shown as “30”, newspaper lingo for the end of an article. Finally, I have enclosed a scan of a program of graduation in 1968. Ira Silverman [email protected] 240-234-7985 355 Greenbriar Ln West Grove, Pa 19390 301-340-9431 To read a copy of HDN I scanned, go to this LINK: https://drive.google.com/file/d/ 1qeE0jtCqqevet2QbTY-R5M_ywCHO4--G/ view?usp=sharing All photos by Ira Silverman, Arts ’68. See other photos by Ira Silverman throughout this book. 48 page