Our classmate Alan Mintz, a professor of Hebrew literature at the Jewish Theological Seminary died in May 20, 2017.

Click here for a Newspaper Article.

The following information was taken from http://www.jta.org/2017/05/22/news-opinion/alan-mintz-hebrew-literature-scholar-and-one-time-student-activist-is-dead-at-69

The cause was a heart attack, which he suffered Saturday night after swimming at a gym near his home on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. He was 69.

As a member of the JTS faculty, which he joined in 2001, and before that at Brandeis University and the University of Maryland, Mintz focused on Hebrew literature in America, the Hebrew writer and Nobel laureate S. Y. Agnon and responses to the Holocaust and other historical tragedies in Hebrew literature and popular culture.

In an appreciation for the online Judaic studies forum H-Judaic, chair Jonathan Sarna, a professor of American Jewish history at Brandeis, described Mintz as “one of the preeminent scholars of Hebrew Literature of our time.”

In 1967, as a student at Columbia College, he was a founder of Response Magazine, which called itself “A Contemporary Jewish Review.” In the Fall 1968 issue he chided the Jewish establishment, and his fellow Jewish students, for not speaking out against the war in Vietnam. He urged “good Jewish boys” like him to work within their synagogues and communal institutions and demand that they “no longer separate their personal morality and community ethics from larger political realities.”

In 1971, Mintz and Jim Sleeper co-edited an anthology of writings mostly drawn from Response called “The New Jews.” In an appreciation of the book written on its 40th anniversary, Brandeis professor Yehudah Mirsky described how Mintz and his fellow student activists “sought to give voice to a small cohort at once deeply alienated from organized Jewish life and deeply attached to Jewish history and culture.” Many of the young leaders of the movement went on to careers in Jewish academia and to lead the institutions they once derided.

Raised in Worcester, Massachusetts, Mintz earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and his doctorate, at Columbia University while also studying at JTS.

Mintz also was a co-founder of the New York Havurah, or fellowship, one of the earliest examples in a movement of independent congregations that eschewed typical synagogue hierarchies and promoted spirituality and social activism. In 1981, he co-founded Prooftexts: A Journal of Jewish Literary History with David Roskies, a professor of Jewish literature at JTS.

Mintz’s many books include “Popular Culture and the Shaping of Holocaust Memory in America” (2001), “Translating Israel: Contemporary Hebrew Literature and Its Reception in America” (2001) and “Reading Hebrew Literature” (editor, 2002).

Mintz was a recipient of multiple awards for his scholarship and was recently made a fellow at the Israel Institute for Advanced Studies.

In announcing his death, JTS wrote of Mintz: “A profoundly insightful writer, he expanded our understanding and appreciation of the Hebrew language, modern Hebrew literature, and the Jewish life they illuminate. He was an exceptional teacher, an esteemed colleague, and a good friend.”

Mintz is survived by his wife, Susanna, and their daughters, Amira and Avital.

Please thank Alan Cooper and Mike Backer for notifying the webmaster, Ben Bachrach of Alan Mintz passing.

Michael S. Butkewich, 69, of Worcester died suddenly Thursday, February 16, 2017 at home. He leaves his two sisters Christine A. Butkewich and Susan L. Martin, a brother in-law Steven J. Martin and a son Stefan. He was predeceased by his mother Anna T. Butkewich with whom he lived and took care of for many years.

Michael was a retired Special Education Teacher at Burncoat Middle School, a job he truly loved. He was a lifelong educator and had also taught at Woodard Day School, Mill Swan and Eagle Hill School in Hardwick, MA. Michael had also served on the board of Phi Delta Kappa, a group that supported educators.

Michael graduated from Classical High School, had a BS from Ottawa University in Kansas and an MS in Education from Westfield State University.

He was an athlete in his younger years being active in football, track and was a champion at shot put. Michael enjoyed fishing, good food and long conversations. “Mickey” as his family called him, will be missed for his passion for educating and his willingness to always help others.

Joseph Doyle Ortman
April 28, 1947 ~ March 4, 2016
Carmel Valley, CA
Joseph Doyle Ortman died March 4, 2016 and leaves behind son Amakua, 2 sisters Nancy and Joann, soulmate Mary O’Neil and many dear friends. During his life Joseph had several leather shops, was an EMT and Firefighter in Carmel Valley Village. He also performed with the Jamesberg Players and traveled the world. Joseph played his flute for the Carmel Mission, Diocesan Choir, Our Lady of Mount Carmel for many years, and he played his flute in all 21 California missions. We love and miss you.
Memorial Mass is scheduled for March 19th, 2016, at 1pm at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church, 9 El Caminito Rd., Carmel Valley.

Clinton-Joseph P. Clisham, 86, a lifelong resident of Clinton, passed away peacefully on Friday, October 16, 2015 at Umass Medical Center in Worcester surrounded by his loving family. He is preceded in death by his beloved wife of 57 years, Marilyn A. (Rich) Clisham, who died in 2014. He is survived by his seven children; daughter, Mary Jo Bates & Richard Montuori of Chelmsford; Elizabeth Vetras & husband Thomas of Clinton; Patrick J. Clisham & wife Suzanne of Berlin; Ann Perla of Leominster; Michael A. Clisham & wife Ellen of Milton; Joseph J. Clisham & wife Diana of Stow; Kathryn Clisham & companion Steve Frias of Clinton. He leaves 12 grandchildren, Jessica Gilchrest & her husband Michael, Jeffrey Bates & his wife Kristen, Isabella & Zachary Perla, Patrick, Aidan, Cameron, Cal, Maggie, Ella, Olivia & Tess Clisham; 3 great-grandchildren, Reagan and David Gilchrest, and Otis Bates; nieces, Moira Donohue, Lisa Dion, and Tricia Thorogood, and their families, numerous cousins, & many dear and loyal friends. He is preceded in death by his siblings, Anne Heinold, and Thomas “Buddy” Clisham.

Joe was born at his home on Chestnut Street in Clinton to the late Patrick & Annie (Gahagan) Clisham. He attended Holy Rosary Elementary School, graduated from the Clinton High School, Class of 1947, and obtained his Bachelor’s degree from Fitchburg State College and Master’s degree in Education from Boston University. Joe worked for the FBI in Washington D.C. before proudly serving our nation in the US Army during the Korean War. He returned home and began his 40-year career in education as a Math teacher with Classical High School in Worcester and later taught at Doherty High School until his retirement in 1992. Mr. Clisham also enjoyed part-time summer employment with the US Postal Service in Clinton. A man of great faith, he was a lector and life member of St. John the Guardian of Our Lady Parish in Clinton. Joe held membership with the MA Teachers Association and enjoyed many years at Orchard Hills Athletic Club. He will be dearly missed and forever remembered as a devoted husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend. Funeral services are to be held on Tuesday, October 20, 2015 from the Philbin-Comeau Funeral Home, 176 Water St., Clinton, with a Mass of Christian Burial to be celebrated at 11AM in St. John the Evangelist Church, 80 Union St., Clinton. Burial will follow in St. John’s Cemetery, Lancaster. Calling hours will be held from 4 until 7PM on Monday, October 19, 2015 in the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made in memory of Joseph Clisham to either, St. John the Evangelist Church-Restoration Fund, c/o 149 Chestnut St., Clinton, MA 01510, or to Clinton Hospital Foundation-201 Highland St., Clinton, MA 01510. Online condolences may be placed at www.philbincomeaufh.com

Please send photos to: BenBachrach@gmail.com and they will be put online.

Here are photos from:
Anina Bachrach – Friday at the Cooper Home, Saturday and Sunday at Cyprian Keyes
Elaine Goodman – Sunday Brunch
Sue Taffet – Saturday and Sunday

Sue Niman can be reached by eMail at: susan.niman@yahoo.com

Sue Niman suggested that we start a page listing classmates who would like to share their email addresses.

If you would like to have your email address posted on a password protected page, please send a note to BenBachrach@gmail.com

Those who participate will be given a password, so they can see the email address for others on the list.

click here for Password Protected Email List

We can now “like” and “follow” Classical65 on Facebook, Twitter, Google+. Just click on the links near the bottom of the menu column.

Here is a picture from a field trip the History Club took in 1963 to the United Nations Building in New York.

Click on the picture to enlarge it.

17th President of Hamilton College

Presented: March 4, 2008, by Dan Chambliss, Professor of Sociology

Harry C. Payne, president emeritus of Hamilton College, was born on March 25, 1947, and died unexpectedly on January 7, 2008, at the age of 60. A remarkably accomplished historian and academic leader, he served as president or acting president of three distinguished liberal arts colleges and the nation’s largest independent school, yet he always remained completely unpretentious.

As a teenager, Hank dreamed of becoming a diplomat, but when Princeton and its Woodrow Wilson School turned him down, he attended Yale instead, where he “fell in love with school;” he revered his teachers there as everywhere, and could recite the names of nearly every teacher he ever had, from childhood on. He decided to become one. He graduated from Yale summa cum laude with simultaneous bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and was recognized as the highest-ranking candidate in the Yale College Class of 1969. That summer he married his high school girlfriend Deborah Laipson, from Worcester, Mass.; they would have two sons, Jonathon and Sam, both of them growing up to become accomplished scholars. After college, Hank undertook Ph.D. studies in history at Yale, won Danforth and Woodrow Wilson Fellowships, and in 1973 received his doctorate and began teaching at Colgate University. In 1980, he became acting dean of the faculty and provost at Colgate, at the age of 33. In 1985, having in the meantime served as president of the American Society for Eighteenth Century Studies, he became the provost of Haverford College, and two years later was named its acting president. In 1988 he was chosen to be the 17th president of Hamilton College, becoming one of its youngest presidents, and its first Jewish president, to the delight of his mentor and friend, legendary Hamilton trustee Sol Linowitz. During these years, he also authored or edited several books and more than 50 articles, essays and reviews on European intellectual history.

At Hamilton, Hank focused particularly on fundamental issues of admissions and student life, overseeing a dramatic increase in student diversity, initiating the construction of Beinecke Village and deftly launching the process which eventually led to the transformative Residential Life Decision of 1995. Yet he never seemed overwhelmed by the job. One day in his first semester at Hamilton, he joined Deborah Pokinski and me for lunch in Azel Backus House. He told us he was enjoying teaching a course on, I believe, the Enlightenment. When we asked how, as a new president, he found the time to teach a course, he replied, “Oh, you always have the time; you just have to decide what to spend it on.” It seems that his mentor Sol Linowitz had told him that “You’re the president; YOU get to decide what you’ll do.” And he did. During the day, one could often see Hank strolling the campus, walking his golden retriever Ginger, who always seemed to find the mud puddles.

Hank also loved to play golf, where he excelled at the “short game.” He was a partner so comfortable and relaxed that those around him felt their own game was improved simply by his presence. And his demeanor on the course was the same as his demeanor while leading commencement ceremonies: totally attentive and competent, but also a bit whimsical, gentle and self-effacing.

In January 1994 he left Hamilton to become president of Williams College, where he remained for six years until 2000, when he moved to Atlanta, Ga., becoming president of Woodward Academy. It was a huge step for Hank and Debbie, leaving the small college towns of the Northeast to go to a large, Southern city, and leaving the upper realms of higher education for the noisier world of a pre K-12 school.

Hank became a leader in the philanthropic, arts and Jewish organizations of greater Atlanta, and quickly came to embrace his work at Woodward. It was a different life, but one with its own special challenges and rewards. Among the best moments of his year, he said, were his regular visits to kindergarten classes, where he would sit surrounded by the children, reading to them from his favorite stories about Babar the elephant.

Hank Payne was a devoted husband and father, a consummate intellectual and a masterful academic leader whose hand was gentle but firm; since his passing, he is perhaps most often remembered for his brilliant intelligence and his unfailing kindness. His portrait in the Hamilton library is rather remarkable, as former President Tobin has noted:

“One does not gaze directly at, nor lift one’s eyes up to embrace an august, stately, remote personage; rather, the viewer looks … from the level of a student’s chair upon a teacher, with that distinctive shock of red hair and a chalk board in the background. The portrait is distinctively, irrepressibly Hank.”

He will be missed.

Also see:
Article in iBerkshire.com