Brandeis Magazine

David B. Adler ’70, of Seattle, on July 17. After serving as a federal prosecutor at the U.S. Department of Justice, he went into solo practice as a trial attorney in Seattle, unafraid to raise hard questions or challenge the conventional, while also devoting himself to his family. Survived by wife Susan and two sons.

Christopher Meyer ’70, of Boston, on Oct. 23. A business consultant, author and think-tank leader, he counseled companies as the CEO of innovation advisory firm Nerve; authored four books, including “Standing on the Sun,” chosen by the Financial Times as one of the best books of 2012; and was named by Consulting magazine as one of the 20 most influential consultants in the U.S. Survived by wife Mary Rivet and one child.

William H. Whitaker, PhD’70, of La Grande, Oregon, on Sept. 27. A professor emeritus of social welfare at Boise State University, described as having “one foot in the community and one in the classroom,” he was a dedicated progressive activist on such causes as ending hunger and promoting health care for all, and an avid outdoorsman. Survived by wife Cheryl, two children, three stepchildren and two grandchildren.

Susan Carol Yelen ’70, Brandeis National Committee, of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, on Aug. 20. A financial adviser who established the Yelen Group at Morgan Stanley, she was president of the Jewish Family Service of Greater Wyoming Valley; served as a board member at several other Jewish organizations; and was an outstanding golfer who, in her 20s, was women’s champion at Fox Hill Country Club eight times. Survived by companion Al Frank, a sister and a brother.

Sara E. Freedman ’72, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Sept. 24. An educator and social activist, she raised turkeys on a kibbutz in Israel; taught at every level, from elementary school to college; directed student advising at the University of Massachusetts, Boston; and served on the board of the journal Radical Teacher. Survived by partner Ron Dufour and a son.

Michael Karton ’72, of Vancouver, British Columbia, on Dec. 30, 2019. An attorney who worked as a civil litigator, he also served as a reviewer of workers’ compensation claims, and was involved in the arts, and community planning and design. Survived by wife Barbara, a son and two grandchildren.

Robert F. Wintersmith, PhD’73, of Denver, on July 12. Remembered as an educator, philosopher, criminal justice expert and champion of human rights, he was a social worker and community organizer who served on the Board of Police Commissioners in St. Louis and lectured at U.S. police academies on police-community relations. Survived by wife Rita, two children, five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

David A. Boxstein ’74, of Burbank, California, on Oct. 16. A physician who practiced in Burbank for nearly 40 years while returning to his native Maine as often as possible, he was an active and generous member of the Jewish community wherever his family lived, underwriting a sacred Torah in Oxnard, California, and making a home with wife Edith in Jerusalem. Survived by his wife, three children and four grandchildren.

Thomas N. Sullivan ’74, of Edgartown, Massachusetts, on July 26. Interested in passive solar design and energy solutions, he built houses; served on the Martha’s Vineyard Commission; and, with gentle demeanor and dry Celtic wit, took great enjoyment in the seasons’ unfolding and the company of his friends. Survived by wife Linda Ziegler.

Amy B. Kaplan ’75, of Philadelphia, on July 30. The Edward W. Kane Professor of English at the University of Pennsylvania, she was a scholar of American literary and cultural studies, remembered as an extraordinary thinker whose work on the culture of U.S. imperialism will resonate for generations of scholars to come. Survived by partner Paul Statt and a daughter.

Benjamin Visnick ’75, of Oakland, California, on Oct. 17. A teacher activist and union leader at the Oakland Education Association, he is remembered as a “great advocate in the classroom, the school site, the union, the workers’ movement and the revolutionary left” who fought “with a tenacity unparalleled.” Survived by wife Helen Wolfe and a son.

Barbara Brockhurst ’76, of New London, Connecticut, on Nov. 10. A retired chemist who worked for many years at Pfizer, she served as president of the League of Women Voters of Southeastern Connecticut and volunteered with the New London Area Food Pantry. Survived by husband Robert Lavoie and two sons.

Sharon Melnick ’78, of Klamath Falls, Oregon, on Nov. 5. A practicing psychiatrist and medicine woman in psychedelic medicine, she explored medicine man traditions in Mongolia, Siberia and South America; experienced the spiritual cleansing tradition of dipping in ice water at 17,000-foot heights in Peru; attended Burning Man as a medical team member; and performed rituals at times of grief, celebration and solstice. Survived by two sisters.

Sally (Engle) Merry, PhD’78, of Wellesley, Massachusetts, on Sept. 8. The Julius Silver Professor of Anthropology at New York University, she was an influential scholar in the areas of human rights, gender violence and legal anthropology who in 2019 earned the Franz Boas Award, the American Anthropological Association’s highest accolade. Survived by husband Paul and two children.

Michael W. Port ’78, of Woodbury, New York, on Oct. 25. An anesthesiologist at Huntington (New York) Hospital and a board member of North American Partners in Anesthesia, he loved spending time with his family, traveling the world, running marathons and gardening. Survived by wife Jacqueline, four children and three grandchildren.