Brandeis Magazine

Harry Hoffner, MA’61, PhD’63, of Winfield, Ill., a University of Chicago professor and one of the world’s leading experts on the Hittite language and culture, died on March 10 after suffering a fall while on vacation in Hilton Head Island, S.C. The Hittites’ empire was dominant from the 17th to the 13th century B.C. in an area that now encompasses Turkey and much of Syria. Although the Hittite language has not been spoken for 3,500 years, the Hittites are important to scholars because of their shared history with the Old Testament Hebrews and their impact on Western thought. Harry taught at Brandeis after earning his doctorate, then moved on to Yale and the University of Chicago. He leaves his wife of 56 years, Winifred; his children, David, Lee and Karen; his sister, Carol; and two grandchildren. David Kremen ’61, of Pittsburgh, a globe-trotting corporate lawyer who traveled the world for business and pleasure, died on June 30 of complications from scleroderma. A graduate of the NYU School of Law, he specialized in international law at Westinghouse. His travels began when he was posted to the company’s Brussels office in the 1970s, visiting countries throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East. He taught himself Hebrew, Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese, and his home became a repository of relics, art and knickknacks from around the globe. He leaves his sister, Paula. Gerald Carlin ’62, of Palm Desert, Calif., a lawyer, died on Feb. 4. He leaves his sister, Cynthia, and his best friend and longtime companion, Nancy Goulston. Tom Fleming ’62, of West Palm Beach, Fla., a real estate developer who helped redevelop downtown Newburyport, Mass., died on Nov. 4, 2014. He was a scholarship football player at Brandeis. During his professional career, he served as a vice president at State Street Bank, and worked as a drug and alcohol counselor for the Massachusetts Department of Corrections. He leaves his children, Deidre, Thomas and Jennifer; his sister, Katie; two grandchildren; and his great-grandchild. Amy Kass, MA’64, of Washington, D.C., a longtime professor of classic texts at the University of Chicago, died of cancer on Aug. 19. She leaves her husband of 54 years, Leon; her children, Sarah and Miriam; three siblings, Roberta Apfel ’58, Franklin and David; and four grandchildren. Victor Zinn ’64, of Chapel Hill, N.C., a clinical psychologist who served children and adults in the Research Triangle area for more than 40 years, died on Jan. 26 of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He moved to Chapel Hill in 1972 to help set up the TEACCH (Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication Handicapped Children) program at the University of North Carolina. He leaves his wife, Donna; three children, Adam, Omar and Josh; two stepchildren, Juliana and Edward; his brother Douglas; and seven grandchildren. He was predeceased by his brother Harold ’61. Gloria Deutsch, PhD’64, of Burlington, Mass., who taught chemistry at Sharon High School for 35 years, died on Feb. 22. Jane Connor Marcus, MA’65, of New York City, a professor of English at City College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York, died on May 28. She joined the faculty in 1986 and was appointed a distinguished professor in 1990. An authority on women writers and women’s studies, she wrote books on Virginia Woolf and other topics. Barry Berlin ’66, of Silver Spring, Md., died on Jan. 27 after a long illness. He leaves his sons, Jeremy and David. Carroll Julian Bourg, MA’66, PhD’67, of Nashville, Tenn., longtime chair of Fisk University’s sociology department, died on April 12. With his students, he created the Nashville Directory of Senior Services. He edited the journal Sociological Analysis and served as president of the Society for the Sociology of Religion in 1980. He leaves his wife of 47 years, Karen; his children, Julian, Jonathan and Kristen; his sisters, Mary Frances, Terry and Kathy; and three grandchildren. Marcia Brown Rubinstien ’69, of Bloomfield, Conn., and formerly of West Hartford, an educational consultant who focused on children with learning disabilities, died on Nov. 23, 2014. For more than 30 years, her private practice, Edufax, provided assessment and consultation to families, educational institutions and programs. Her book “Raising NLD Superstars” helps families struggling with spectrum disorders and is used by graduate schools, and special-education programs and institutions. She leaves her husband, Eytan; four children, Micah, Jonathan, Shira and Amiel; her sister, Paula; and three grandchildren.