Distinguished GSAS Alumni
Early Distinguished Alumni
Lawrence V. Berman (1929-1988) was the first student at Brandeis to receive a Master of Arts degree in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies in 1954. He came to Brandeis after serving in the United States Marine Corps. He went on to receive a doctorate in Medieval Jewish and Islamic philosophy at the Hebrew University. Dr. Berman taught at Dropsie College and Stanford University as a professor of Religion, teaching courses in Islamic and Judaic Studies. He played an integral role in developing Stanford’s Jewish Studies Program. His notable works and publications can be found through Stanford’s library.
David Epstein (1930-2002) was one of the first students to be awarded a Master of Arts in Music from Brandeis in 1954. He received his PhD from Princeton in 1968, during which he started teaching at MIT and became Full Professor in 1971. Dr. Epstein served as the chair of the Department of Music at MIT, helped found the New York Youth Symphony, was the music director of the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra and Worcester Orchestra, appeared as a guest conductor for 28 orchestras in nine countries, and did research on music and the brain at the Max Planck Institute for Behavioral Physiology in Germany. MIT currently holds a special collection of Dr. Epstein’s papers, correspondences, notebooks, and awards.
Halim El-Dabh (1921-2017) received his Master of Arts in Music from Brandeis in 1954. El-Dabh was an international student from Egypt. Following his graduation, he worked as a composer, performer, professor, and ethnomusicologist. He taught at Kent State University for many years and also conducted ethnomusicological research in Africa and the African diaspora. El-Dabh composed 250 scores, including co-composing music for the sound and light show that is performed daily at the Sphinx and Great Pyramids of Giza and composing the ballet Clytemnestra, which was commissioned by Martha Graham. Videos and recordings of his music are available through his website.
Norbett Lawrence Mintz (1931-2019) received the first PhD from Brandeis in Psychology in 1957. During his time at Brandeis, he was interested in child art therapy and was a dormitory proctor, now known as a Community Advisor, for Leon Court. Dr. Mintz went on to teach at Brandeis, Harvard, and Boston Universities and later became the founder and director of the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology. He also maintained a clinic practice at McLean Hospital. His dissertation, Some effects of esthetic conditions, can be found through the Brandeis Archives Theses and Dissertations Database.
Adaire Klein (1931-), completed her BA in NEJS in 1953 and her MA in NEJS in 1957. She had a long career as a librarian and archivist at the Museum of Tolerance, which works to preserve the memory of the Holocaust. Klein shared her story with GSAS in 2016.