Brandeis Magazine

Denise Dabney ’72, Heller MMHS’81, PhD’00, of Dorchester, Massachusetts, lead planner and grant writer at the Mayor’s Office of Jobs and Community Service in Boston, died on Feb. 17. An active member of the Brandeis community, Denise helped establish the Alumni of Color Network. She leaves her husband of more than 20 years, Burrell Clark; her sons, Ishaq Jean and Kendall; two sisters; and two brothers. Michael Levine ’72, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, world traveler and photographer, described by his sister, Ellen Meyerson, as a “genuine hippie who never came back to the mainstream,” died of lung cancer on Aug. 9, 2016. At Brandeis, Michael developed a passion for politics, always expressing his point of view after devouring multiple sources of information, Ellen says. After graduation, he often traveled to India, Japan and other places for extended stays, selling photos from his trips to finance his next adventure. “He enjoyed taking pictures of people, especially children,” Ellen says. “He somehow was able to capture their inner souls.” In addition to his sister, he leaves his niece, Rita; nephew, Joshua; and great-nephew, Jonathan. Susan Landau ’74, of Los Angeles, a film producer and talent manager whose clients included writer Simon Beaufoy, died on May 31 after a brief illness. In addition to managing Beaufoy, who won an Oscar for “Slumdog Millionaire,” she helped guide the careers of “Wayne’s World 2” director Stephen Surjik and “The Originals” co-executive producer Christopher Hollier. She earned an Emmy nomination as well as an ACE Award. She was active with Stand Up to Cancer, serving as the organization’s unofficial photographer. At Brandeis, according to Christie Hefner ’74, Susan served as an Upward Bound tutor and was a standout fencer. She leaves three brothers: Paul (her twin), Arthur and Avraham. Attorney Neil Maxwell ’74, of Greenwich, Connecticut, died on Feb. 9 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Max, as he was known to friends, had a wonderfully original sense of humor, says Neil Weiner ’74. “He originated many expressions and humorous terms of speech that kept his circle of friends at Brandeis laughing for four years,” Neil says. Max leaves his wife, Paula; his daughter, Hayley; and sisters Karen and Leslie. Seth Silverman ’75, of Houston, a psychiatrist whose specialties included working with children and adults, and addiction and forensic counseling, died on May 4. According to Carol Novick ’75, a month prior to his death Seth visited with her in Vermont, and saw Margie and Larry Samuels, both ’75, P’02, in New Jersey, and Charlotte and Michael Zinder, both ’75, in Manhattan. Carol writes, “Although none of us knew it, this was Seth’s farewell to us. He was a dear, dear friend, and he will be missed.” He leaves his mother, Irma, and brothers Gregg and Brett.