You may not know

Before founding PublicAffairs in 1997, Osnos was a correspondent for The Washington Post and associate publisher and senior editor at Random House.

Peter Osnos '64

Founder and Editor-at-Large
PublicAffairs Books
New York City

Major
Psychology

Favorite class
A mix: Norbert Mintz's Field Work in Psychology, which involved weekly visits to Metropolitan State, a now-defunct psychiatric hospital, and the courses of Alan Grossman, Ray Ginger, Hortense Calisher and John Roche.

Favorite hangout
IHOP and Jack and Marion's in Newton/Brookline and Howard Johnson's on Route 128 for the mocha chip.

Best memory
An excellent senior year spent in a house on Norumbega Road, then described on a sign as a duck-feeding and parking area.

Brandeisian(s) who most influenced your life
Professor of Humanities Marie Syrkin, a cousin once removed by a generation, who secured my admission to Brandeis (against the odds) and was a lifelong model of integrity, grit and humor. She approved of my proposed career in journalism and publishing, but warned me against trying belles lettres.

How do you stay connected to Brandeis today?
Through the Citizen Service Program, founded in the name of my beloved roommate and much-missed best friend, Eli J. Segal.