Brandeis Magazine

Sharon (Lupcher) Kasman ’82, P’16, of Schenectady, New York, on March 14. A rabbi’s wife who devoted herself to her husband’s congregations, and a top-flight travel agent whose perks included a trip on the Concorde and a honeymoon on the Riviera, she is remembered for holding her friends as closely as siblings. Survived by husband Rabbi Robert Kasman and two children, including son Jason ’16.

Dorothy A. Bell, MA’83, PhD’87, of Newton Centre, Massachusetts, on Oct. 21. After studying medieval English literature, she earned graduate degrees in chemistry from Brandeis, taught at various colleges, became a registered nurse and a nursing professor, trained at the North Bennet Street School as a piano technician, and provided support to others within a 12-step recovery program that was her mainstay. Survived by a son.

Bernard Michels, Heller PhD’87, of Somerville, Massachusetts, on Oct. 26. Born during the Depression to a working-class family in rural Montana and educated in a one-room schoolhouse, he became a professor of sociology, teaching at Northeastern University and the University of Massachusetts, and making it his mission to speak out about social injustice. Survived by a brother, and eight nephews and nieces.