In Memoriam: Alumni Classes of 1952-59

Peter Kessner ’52, P’80, of New York City, CEO of K&R Sportswear, died on March 16. He was a Brandeis fellow and received the Brandeis Pride Award in 1997. He was also the third president of the Alumni Association, serving from 1954-56 and again from 1961-63. He leaves his wife, Eve; two daughters, Judith ’80 and Barbara; and 11 grandchildren. Charles Adler ’52, of Miami, owner of 
the Charles Adler Insurance Co., died on 
Jan. 18. He leaves his daughter, Cindy; his sister, Charlotte Kirshner, G’94; and his brother, Irving. He is also survived by his niece, Leslie Pearlstein, P’94. He was predeceased by his wife, Marilyn ’54. Norma Josephine Goldberg ’52, of Providence, R.I., a longtime preschool teacher, died on Sept. 10, 2012, due to complications from Alzheimer’s disease. She taught for 30 years at the Jewish Community Center in Providence, where she formed a teachers’ union, and then worked at Providence Head Start for 25 years. She was active with the Childhood Lead Action Project, the ACLU, Amnesty International and the NAACP. She leaves her son, Samuel; her daughter, Suzanne; and two sisters, Ruth and Sylvia. Nancy DiMattia ’52, of DeBary, Fla., a nurse, died on March 25. She was director of operating nurses at Holy Family Hospital in Methuen, Mass., and past president of the Associated Operating Nurses. She leaves her sister, Carolyn, and her brother, Dominic. Norman Diamond ’53, of Newton, Mass., a professor of orthodontics at the Tufts University School of Dental Medicine for nearly 50 years, died on Feb. 27. After graduating from Brandeis, he earned his DMD with a certificate in orthodontics from Tufts. He was a president’s councilor at Brandeis and a member of the Brandeis National Committee. He leaves his wife, Judith ’55; his daughter, Lisa; two sons, David and Andrew; his sister, Ruth; and five grandchildren. Herb Slater ’53, of Naples, Fla., a former resident of Andover and Brewster, Mass., died on Feb. 15. He leaves his wife, Shirley ’56; his son, Steven; his daughter, Ann; his brother, Gerry; and two grandchildren. John Morelli ’54, of Brooklyn, founder and president of Newcastle Fabrics, died on May 14 after a brief illness. He loved tennis to the end, and enjoyed weaving luxury yarns during his many years at Newcastle. He was a president’s councilor at Brandeis and generously supported the Alumni Annual Fund. He leaves his wife, Phyllis ’54; two sons, Steven and John; his daughter, Laura; and his brother, Louis. Esther Kelly ’54, of Anderson, S.C., a social worker for many years in Boston, San Francisco and New York City, died on Feb. 9. After graduating from Brandeis, she received degrees from the Simmons School of Social Work and the University of Michigan School of Public Health. She leaves her brother, Henry, and her former husband, Davis. Allen Sklar ’56, of Paramus, N.J., a teacher and administrator in the New York City public schools who was active in New Jersey politics, died on Jan. 30. A Democrat, he emphasized ethics, social justice and good government during a political career at the borough and county levels. He had two stints on the Paramus Borough Council and served one term on the Bergen County Board of Chosen Freeholders. “He loved the Democratic Party,” his wife, Ellen, said. “He was a liberal and proud of it.” Along with his wife of 50 years, he leaves three sons, Edward, Adam and Ethan, and five grandsons. Miriam Handler ’56, of Columbus, Ga., a lover of words, music, animals and her good life, died on April 24. She leaves her daughter, Jessica, and her brother, Raphael ’63. She is also survived by three cousins who are Brandeis alumni: Julie Fisher ’90, Renee Fisher ’93 and Daniel Shapiro ’91. Toby Frank ’56, of Doylestown, Pa., died on 
March 1 of Alzheimer’s. She leaves her husband, Bernard ’55, a rabbi; three sons, Robert ’81, Steven ’84 and Michael ’93; and four grandchildren. Walter Flewelling ’58, of Belmont, Mass., former president of Crimson Printing Co., died on March 11. He leaves his wife, Marlene; two sons, Walter and Richard; his sister, Janet; and two grandchildren.