Brandeis Magazine

Ruth Kreseloff Lewis ’52, of New York City, died on Jan. 8, 2014. She earned a master’s degree from New York University. She leaves her husband, Neville; three sons, Matthew, Andrew and Jonathan; and four grandchildren. Ruth Sklar Stoller ’52, of Chestnut Hill, Mass., died on Dec. 30, 2013. She leaves her son, Jeffrey. Shirley Larsen ’53, of Needham, Mass., formerly of Gloucester, died on July 31, 2014. She leaves her husband, George; her daughter, Karen; sisters Judith, Carol and Cynthia; and a grandson. Annette Dorf ’54, of Cedarhurst, N.Y., who taught high-school history and other subjects in the New York City public schools, died on Oct. 17, 2013. She leaves her husband, Stanley; her daughter, Laura; her son, Michael; and five grandchildren. Ruth Fleg Pearlmutter ’54, of Brockton, Mass., a Jewish educator, died on Jan. 6, 2014. Her parents and sister fled Nazi Germany for the United States in 1939. Ruth earned a master’s degree in education from Bridgewater (Mass.) State. She leaves her husband, Alvin; her sons, Gary, Mark and Bernard; her daughter, Leslie; her sister, Eva; 12 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Sharon (Bloom) Leibowitz ’56, of Monroeville, Pa., a Hebrew school teacher and music consultant, died on Sept. 9, 2013. She leaves her sons, Michael, Jeffrey and Paul; her daughter, Dena; her sisters, Judith, MJC’85, and Gail; and five grandchildren. Rabbi Arnold Wieder, MA’56, PhD’62, of Brighton, Mass., a longtime teacher at Maimonides School and Hebrew College, and a well-respected scholar in the Boston Jewish community, died on Dec. 9, 2013. He leaves his wife of 62 years, Sabina. John Patrick Delahanty ’57, of Seattle, a high-school teacher, died on June 17, 2013, after a battle with kidney disease. He taught high-school language arts and math in the Seattle public schools until suffering a severe stroke in 1983. He leaves his wife of more than 50 years, Georgeanne; his daughters, Ann and Mary; his son, Ray; sisters Eleanor (his twin) and Claire; and four grandchildren. William Orman ’57, of Sandwich, Mass., a longtime educator and Brandeis’ first three-sport star athlete, died on May 11, 2014. He served as a teacher and school administrator for more than 40 years in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, retiring as principal of Stoneham (Mass.) Middle School in 1995. He was recognized as one of North America’s top 100 school executives. At Brandeis, William was a lineman for the football team, which he captained as a senior; lined up at forward for the basketball team; and played second base for the baseball team. As a student, he founded Brandeis’ Newman Club, a Catholic ministry center, and served as president of Friends of Brandeis Athletics after graduation. He leaves sons Ted, Gary and Paul, and 11 grandchildren. Melvin Liss ’58, P’90, of Boynton Beach, Fla., a longtime member of Friends of Brandeis Athletics, died on Jan. 4, 2014. He retired after running the Abbott Lumber Company of Dorchester, Mass., for 35 years. He enjoyed skiing, opera, jazz, spy novels, film, art museums, travel, and spending time with family and friends. One of his most cherished moments was attending the Hall of Fame induction ceremony for the 1957 Brandeis football team in October 2013. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Elaine ’59, P’90; his sons, Stuart, Jon, Eric and David ’90; his brother, Richard; and eight grandchildren. Arnold Carl Savrann ’58, of Los Angeles, an architect, died on Nov. 22, 2013, after a long illness. He lived and worked in Washington, D.C.; San Francisco; Honolulu; Harrisburg, Pa.; and New York, before moving to LA in 1986. He leaves his brother, Richard. Gifts in his memory may be made to Brandeis University, 415 South St., MS 122, Waltham, MA 02454-9110, or online at giving.brandeis.edu. Prolific composer and educator Henri Lazarof, MFA’59, of Los Angeles, died of Alzheimer’s disease on Dec. 29, 2013. Born in Bulgaria, he became a concert pianist at a young age. In his early teens, he turned to music composition. His family immigrated to Israel, where he studied with Paul Ben-Haim, a prominent Israeli composer. At Brandeis, he studied under Arthur Berger and Harold Shapero, and became fluent in English, his eighth language. In 1966, he became a professor at UCLA, teaching music composition and organizing contemporary-music festivals. During his career, he produced 126 works, including symphonies, concertos, and other pieces for orchestra, chamber orchestra, small ensembles, solo instruments and mixed chorus. He leaves his wife, Janice; his sister; his son; and nine grandchildren. Paul Sally Jr., MA’59, PhD’65, of Chicago, a mathematician known for his contributions to the field of harmonic analysis and his commitment to teaching, died on Dec. 30, 2013. He joined the University of Chicago faculty in 1965 and served as chair of the mathematics department from 1977-80. He was a resident at the Institute for Advanced Study, in Princeton, N.J., in 1967-68, 1971-72, 1981 and 1984. He leaves his wife, Judith, MA’60, and sons David, Stephen and Paul III.