William Goldsmith

William Goldsmith of Vineyard Haven, Mass., an expert on the presidency and American political thought who taught at Brandeis from 1960 to 1984, died on 
March 23. He was 90. A founding member of the interdisciplinary department in American studies, he also helped found the Transitional Year Program at Brandeis and created the Brandeis Papers Commission, a permanent repository for the papers of Justice Louis D. Brandeis. Before joining the faculty, he worked in the labor movement in the 1940s and ’50s. His three-volume study, “The Growth of Presidential Power,” was published in 1974 and is still considered by many to be the definitive work in its field. He leaves his wife of 50 years, Marianne; two daughters, Suzanne and Alexandra; a son, Michael; and five grandchildren. Gifts in his memory may be made to the William Goldsmith Endowed Scholarship at Brandeis; for more information, contact Julie Smith-Bartoloni at jsbart@brandeis.edu or 781-736-4045.

Roland Warren

Roland Warren of Merrimack, N.H., professor emeritus at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management and a pioneer in the study of community, died on Feb. 14. He was 94. His work examined how communities exist as independent localities that are simultaneously dependent upon external, national and international forces, providing an understanding that still guides community research. He wrote several books, including “The Community in America,” “Perspectives on the American Community,” “Politics and the Ghettos,” “Truth, Love and Social Change,” and “Social Change and Human Purpose.” He was also co-author of “The Structure of Urban Reform” and “Families in the Energy Crisis.” In 1982, three years after he retired from Brandeis, he was honored by the American Sociological Association for “outstanding academic achievements and inspiring contributions to the study of community.” He leaves a son, David; a daughter, Robin; and a grandson. He was predeceased by his wife, Margaret, and a daughter, Ursula.

Saul Cohen

Saul Cohen of Lexington, Mass., who achieved a number of firsts in his 36 years on the Brandeis faculty, died on April 24. He was 93. Denied teaching jobs at other institutions because of anti-Semitism, Saul joined the Brandeis faculty in 1950. He later became the first chair of the chemistry department and the science school, the first dean of faculty, and the first University Professor. In the 1940s, he worked alongside Edwin Land of the Polaroid Corporation to make instant film a reality. Saul developed the organic chemistry calculations needed to stabilize pictures and create instant film. He received the American Chemical Society’s James F. Norris Award in 1972. When he retired from Brandeis in 1986, he was awarded an honorary degree by the university. He leaves his wife, Anneliese; a daughter, Elisabeth; a son, Jonathan; and nine grandchildren. (See "Saul G. Cohen: An Appreciation.")