Brandeis Magazine

Jack Barber ’52, of Baltimore, a business consultant, died on May 30. He leaves his wife, Louise; children Michael and David; stepchildren Ellen and Tom; his sister, Cynthia ’64; five grandchildren; and a great -grandchild. 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. Eli Factor ’52, P’91, of Framingham, Mass., who practiced dentistry in Brockton for 50 years, died on Aug. 7. He served as a captain in the U.S. Air Force. He leaves his wife of 62 years, Rhoda ’53, P’91; two children , Mark and Heidi ’91; and five grandchildren. Lawrence Geller ’52, of Dedham, Mass., formerly of Newton, a scientist with a variety of interests, died on Jan. 24. He enjoyed music, bird watching, sailing, photography, history, reading and tinkering at his workbench. He leaves his children, Barbara and Howard; his brother, Milton; and two grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife, Shirley. Joan (Rhodes) Stone ’52, of Newton, Mass., died on March 16. She leaves her children, Barry, Steven and Amy, and three grandchildr en. Miriam (Isaacson) Frankfort ’53, of Boca Raton, Fla., died on April 2. She leaves children Jonathan, James, Peter and Adam; siblings Nathan and Linda; and eight grandchildren. Melvin Mallock ’53, P’86, of Quincy, Mass., died on June 30. He leaves his wife, Judith ’56, P’86; three children, Alan, Daniel ’86 and Audrey ; his brother, Harold; and four grandchildren. His nephew Arthur Mallock &#8217 ;81 also graduated from Brandeis. Gifts in Melvin’s memory may be made to Brandeis’ Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies, 415 South St., MS 122 , Waltham, MA 02454-9110, or online at giving.brandeis.edu. Phyllis Backer Morelli ’54, of Brooklyn, N.Y., a Spanish teacher who enjoyed chroniclin g her travels through photography, died on Aug. 4. After retiring from teaching, she relished nurturing her exotic plants, challenging herself with New York Times crossword s and other puzzles, and listening to classical music or world news on NPR. She also served as secretary/treasurer of her summer retreat in the Adirondacks. She and her late husband, John ’54, generously supported the Alumni Annual Fund for many years. She leaves three children, Laura, Steven and Johnny. Frances Miriam “Mim” (Sherman) Rapport ’54, of Columbia, S .C., and formerly of New Philadelphia, Ohio, a retired high-school English teacher, died on June 14. She leaves her children Beth, Marc and Carl; her brothers, Murray and Ed; six grandchildren; a stepgrandchild; and a great-grandchild. She was predeceased by her husband, Mike ’54, and her son, Josh. Cousins Donald ’55, Kenneth ’60 and Lawrence Sherman ’60 also attended Brandeis. Tania Grossinger ’56, of New York City, an author who grew up at her family’s celebrated resort in the Catskills, died peacefully in hospice on July 19 after a short illness. She lived in Greenwich Village for more than 50 years. She recounted her life in “Growing Up at Grossinger&#8217 ;s” and her most recent book, “Memoir of an Independent Woman.” She leaves a cadre of loving cousins and friends. She was predeceased by her longtime companion. John Zinkand, PhD’58, of Rochester, N.Y., a professor and ordained minister, died on Feb. 6. After earning a doctorate in Near Eastern and Judaic studies from Brandeis, he taught at a seminary and college in Nigeria before serving as professor of classical languages at Dordt College, in Sioux Center, Iowa, for 25 years. He leaves his wife of 65 years, Mary; his children, Laurie, Daniel, Heidi and Kathy; and seven grandchildren. Robert Jay Rosenblum ’59, of Deer Isle, Maine, a versatile author who published eight books under his own name and 17 more under pseudonyms, died on March 12 at his family’s home in Berkeley, Calif. With his father, Rabbi William F. Rosenblum, P’59, he wrote “Eight Lights: The Story of Chanukah,” which brought him to the attention of an editor at Doubleday. Robert began writing fiction in 1968; his work traversed several literary genres, including spy, thriller, mystery, science fiction and romance. Two books written as Nicholas Condeì, in collaboration with Robert Nathan, were made into films: “The Believers” and “In the Deep Woods.” He leaves his wife of 47 years, Constance Simo ’61; his children, Max and Daisy; his brother, William; and a grandchild.