Brandeis Magazine

Jody Aliesan, M.A.’70, of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, a poet, writer and feminist, died of ovarian cancer on Jan. 14. Jody lived a life dedicated to “telling the truth, and speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves,” she once said. The most recent of her 11 books, “True North/Nord Vrai,” was published in 2007. She co-founded the PCC Farmland Trust, which secures, preserves and stewards threatened farmland in the Northwest. She is survived by her brother, John. Peter Stark ’71, M.A.’75, M.A.’10, of Framingham, Mass., a Jewish educator, died on Jan. 4 when the vehicle he was driving was involved in a collision with a stopped tractor-trailer on a busy road in Massachusetts. On the day he died, he was to have started a stint as a substitute teacher at Solomon Schechter Day School, where he had taught from 1982-91. While a student at Brandeis, he directed a B’nai Brith summer leadership program. After Schechter, he served as principal of Hebrew High in Worcester, and brought Boston-area students to the Ukrainian city of Dnepro­petrovsk to lead weeklong camps there through a program sponsored by the Bureau of Jewish Education. At the time of his death, he was serving on the boards of LimmudBoston and the Jewish educators’ group NewCAJE. Angela Thompson ’75 of Brooklyn, N.Y., who had a long career as a teacher and principal in the New York City Department of Education, died on Jan. 20. She earned master’s degrees from both Pace and Adelphi universities and a theology degree from Oral Roberts University. She leaves her daughter, Jennifer; two brothers, William and Victor; and three sisters, Cynthia, Valerie and Bridgette. Geoffrey Stein ’75 of Millwood, N.Y., who bought, sold and owned racehorses as co-owner of Preferred Equine Marketing and co-manager of both the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale and Tattersalls Mixed Sales, died of apparent heart failure after his regular morning run on March 4. He first became interested in horse racing as a teenager when his family lived near Roosevelt Raceway in Westbury, N.Y. After graduating from Brandeis, he began his career in harness racing as a chart caller for Sports Eye (now Harness Eye) newspaper and later became the assistant editor. In 1981, he established a stable for limited partnerships. Seven years later, he partnered with colleague David Reid and purchased Preferred Equine Marketing, which soon became the industry’s leading sales agency. They also managed the Garden State Sales Co. and later operated the Tattersalls Sales Co. when it was purchased by new owners. Geoffrey was among the owners of the great trotting mare Moni Maker. “The one thing that I’m most proud of throughout my career is I don’t think there’s anybody in the business that could say that they were ever cheated or treated dishonestly,” he once said. He leaves his wife, Rabbi Ann Landowne ’75; four children, Holly, Joseph, Michael and Jordan; his mother, Dorothy; a sister, Carol ’70; and a brother, Robert ’77. He is also survived by brother-in-law Elliott Landowne ’72. Michael Perelstein ’76 of Rye, N.Y., who worked in international finance and served as an adjunct business professor at Brandeis, Columbia and New York University, died on March 17 while biking with friends. After graduating from Brandeis, he earned an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago in 1986. He left a long career in international finance in 2004 and found his true calling as a teacher. He was an adjunct professor at the Brandeis International Business School in 2007-08 and later taught at the business schools at Columbia and NYU. He was born in Haifa, Israel, and moved at age 5 with his family to Germany. They immigrated to Boston in 1967. His peripatetic childhood left him with a love of travel that he shared with his family. He and his wife, Liz ’76, met while working at a summer camp at age 16 and would have celebrated their 33rd wedding anniversary in late March. He also leaves his children, Sarah and Daniel.