Memorials

Carl Cohen, Ph.D and professor of philosophy at the University of Michigan, admired and loved by thousands of students and colleagues during his 62 years on the Michigan faculty, died on August 26, 2023 at the age of 92. His tenure at Michigan was one of the longest in the history of the university.

Carl joined the University of Michigan faculty in 1955, after completing his Ph.D at UCLA. He was one of the planners and founding members of the UM Residential College in 1967, a unit within the larger university designed to maintain the spirit of cooperative study. He was the founder, and for ten years Director, of the Program in Human Values in Medicine at the UM Medical School. He served as Chairman of the UM Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs (SACUA), and on the Executive Committee of the College of LS&A.
Born in Brooklyn on April 30, 1931, Cohen moved from New York to Miami, Florida at the age of 12 and attended school there. In 1947 he won a Coca-Cola scholarship to the University of Miami, where he participated actively in its national championship debate team. He graduated summa cum laude in 1951, going on to a Master's degree at the University of Illinois in 1952, and to the University of California Los Angeles where he received his Ph.D. in philosophy in 1955. In the fall of 1955 he began his career at University of Michigan, retiring only after suffering a stroke in 2017. He taught many classes in the UM Residential College, Department of Philosophy, and elsewhere throughout his tenure; even in treatment for that stroke, his doctors, nurses, and physical therapists turned out to include multiple of his former students.

For many years, Cohen was a member of the National Board of Directors of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and participated as Chair of its Michigan affiliate from 1971-1974. Cohen believed that even the most terrible positions people may hold must not be silenced. He was also an active member of the labor panel of the American Arbitration Association, and he served as a consultant to the Judiciary Committee of the U.S. Senate, the Rockefeller Foundation, the National Humanities Center, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. During sabbaticals and leaves Cohen served as visiting professor of philosophy at universities around the world, including the National University of Singapore, the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, universities in Cuzco and Trujillo in Peru (where he taught in Spanish), Hong Kong University, and the universities of Otago and Victoria in New Zealand.

Cohen's ten books, translated into many languages, include: Democracy (1972); Civil Disobedience: Conscience, Tactics and the Law (1971); Naked Racial Preference (1997); Four Systems (1982); Communism, Fascism and Democracy: The Theoretical Foundations (3rd ed., 1997), A Conflict of Principles: The Battle over Affirmative Action at the University of Michigan (2014), and, most recently, Both Wrong and Bad (2018). He is coauthor of The Animal Rights Debate (with Tom Regan, 2001), Affirmative Action and Racial Preference (with James Sterba, 2003), and the most widely use textbook in logic around the globe, Introduction to Logic, (with Irving Copi) whose 15th edition was published in 2016 (with Victor Rodych).

Cohen also published scores of essays on contemporary philosophical controversies, e.g.: abortion, freedom of speech, conscientious objection, college admission, human subject use, genetic engineering, organ transplantation, and the use of animals in biomedical research, in various periodicals including: The Nation, The Civil Liberties Review, The New York Times, The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, The Journal of the American Medical Association, The Texas Law Review, The Yale Review, The Michigan Review, Ethics, and The New England Journal of Medicine. Cohen's books and articles contributed to the history of American philosophy – and to the personal opinions of many people.
Traveling widely, Carl would often hike solo on remote islands – in Scandinavia (Aland in Finland and Laeso in Denmark), in Britain (Sark, the Isle of Mull and the Isle of Man), in the Mediterranean (Sardinia and Crete), in Japan (Shodoshima), in the South Atlantic (Dominica), and many others, often making lifelong friends during his solo travels who he would return to visit often. Rarely saying no to an adventure, he also (for instance) hiked Angel's Landing at Zion National Park and all the way down the Grand Canyon at the age of 77, and took a train through the Canadian Rockies and a boat down the Danube river at the age of 91.

Chess was one of the passions of Cohen's early life; he ceased to play competitively when his teaching career began, though he remained a lifelong member of the US Chess Federation. He was a low-brow astronomer, taking pleasure in the identification, by name, of scores of stars visible to the naked eye in the night sky and teaching the same to his children (and anyone who would listen). A passion that never faded for him was his love of dogs. Former students, now themselves retired, recall with delight the West Highland White Terrier, Hamish, who accompanied him to class for 16 years. There was never a day when the loyalty of his dogs, and his loyalty to them, did not mark the hours. Cohen is mourned by three faithful friends, Argos, a mix of Cairn Terrier and Poodle, Oskar (named for Oskar Schindler), a Berniedoodle, and the dog he described as the sweetest companion of his life, a Labradoodle named from Lamentations: Chadesh Yameinu KeKedem, renew our days as of old.

Cohen's first marriage to Muriel Milkove was happy, but ended with her death from cancer in 1987. His second marriage, to Jan Schlain, ended in 1999. He is survived by his two children from his second marriage, Jaclyn Cohen and Noah Cohen, his nephews and nieces and their spouses: Matthew Graff (Leslie Lawther), David Graff (Lori Keros-Graff), Miriam Graf (Melvin Graf), Ron Bloom, 7 great-nieces-and-nephews, 4 great-great-nieces and nephews, and many close friends.

Carl's impact on the field of contemporary philosophy, as a teacher, and as a parent and uncle will be felt for decades to come. Alongside his notable intellectual and worldly accomplishments, Carl's exuberant, energetically warm, generous, sometimes provocative, and highly engaged spirit is legendary among all he encountered.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Beth Israel Congregation https://www.bethisrael-aa.org/payment.php or the University of Michigan Residential College (https://lsa.umich.edu/rc/alumni-friends/giving-opportunities.html)(or the Residential College (https://lsa.umich.edu/rc/alumni-friends/giving-opportunities.html).

A funeral service will be held at Beth Israel Congregation in Ann Arbor on Monday, Aug 28 at 1PM. Shiva will be held Monday through Wednesday.
Muehlig Funeral Chapel
www.muehligannarbor.com

Published by Ann Arbor News from Aug. 27 to Sep. 3, 2023.

Hugh (Hubert) Cohen held a joint appointment in the Department of Film, Television, and Media and the Residential College. Cohen received his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in 1970. From 1965 to 1985, he taught in the University of Michigan's College of Engineering's Humanities Department. He won the University of Michigan's Distinguished Teaching Award in 1975. During that time, he helped establish Michigan's Film Program, published an interview he conducted with the great star of silent comedies, Harold Lloyd, and wrote a critical biography of Ingmar Bergman: Ingmar Bergman: The Art of Confession (1993, Twayne Publishing).

Cohen also had articles published on writers Nathaniel Hawthorne and J. D. Salinger (Modern Fiction) and film directors Orson Welles, Lawrence Kasdan, Werner Herzog, Wim Wenders, Michaelangelo Antonioni, Martin Ritt, Oliver Stone, John Ford, Robert Bresson, Terrence Malick; the film articles appeared in Film Comment, Cinema Journal, Magill's Cinema Annual, Journal of American Culture, Film and Literature Quarterly, and Film Criticism. He edited Carl Cohen's A Conflict of Principle: The Battle over Affirmative Action at the University of Michigan (2014). He was working on an article on two of Lars von Trier's films.

For the Residential College, he taught freshmen seminars on Great Books and seminars on stories about Fathers and Sons and on the subject of the Hero as Outsider, Outcast, or Outlaw.

Hubert Cohen passed away on March 1, 2024, at the age of 93. He will be remembered for his dedication to teaching and his contributions to the fields of film, literature, and culture. His impact on the University of Michigan and beyond will be felt for generations to come.

Katherine (Kate) Mendeloff was a teacher, mentor, artist, and beloved friend to many. She was deeply committed to finding beauty through art and lifting up everyone in her community. She lived her life with warmth and brightness.

Kate was born in St. Louis, MO on April 10, 1954. Her parents, Albert Mendeloff and Natalie (Toby) Lavenstein, raised Kate and her two brothers in Baltimore, MD. From a young age, Kate was a natural performer and director. She corralled the neighborhood kids into backyard productions, and always knew that she wanted to work in the theater.

Kate entered Princeton University in the third class of female students, graduating in 1976 after producing Brecht’s The Caucasian Chalk Circle at Theatre Intime. Her graduate studies at the Yale School of Drama were interrupted when she was diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus. During her convalescence in Baltimore, Kate met and fell in love with Jeffrey (Jeff) Curtis, then a medical resident at Baltimore City Hospital (currently Hopkins Bayview). Kate didn’t let chronic illness keep her from following her passion. For her MFA thesis, an innovative production of Frederico García Lorca’s Yerma, she filled the stage with sand, the first of her forays into environmental theater. Kate then taught drama at Towson University and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, directed at Center Stage in Baltimore, and was appointed to the Mayor’s Council on the Arts.

In 1983, newlyweds Kate and Jeff moved to San Francisco for Jeff’s pulmonary fellowship. Kate took over and revived the Tale Spinners Theatre, an inclusive space that focused on turning oral histories into plays. During this time, Kate and Jeff welcomed two daughters: Hannah in 1986 and Nora in 1988.

This larger family needed a secure home, which it got when Jeff was recruited to be the Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine Section Chief at VA Ann Arbor and a University of Michigan faculty member in 1990. Spousal hiring did not exist then, and Kate found her own position again, this time as a Lecturer in the UM Residential College Drama and First Year Seminar programs. For over 30 years, she produced a wide range of plays including the works of Chekhov, Lorca, Kushner, and adaptations of the ancient Greeks. She also developed new courses on direction, acting, and textual analysis, and provided space for students to step into leadership roles. Through her dedication to humanistic education, Kate introduced over a generation of students to a lifelong love of learning and theater.

For Kate, the world truly was a stage. She collaborated with playwrights across the country and internationally. Kate brought groups of actors to perform in festivals from Provincetown, MA to Moscow, Russia. She also staged many productions in unconventional locations. These included the courtyard of the Residential College, the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, the Kelsey Museum of Natural History, and Matthaei Botanical Gardens. She hosted a residency by the National Theater of Ghana to perform in Michigan and invited them to a memorable dinner at her home.

Kate’s real passion was creating performance spaces that are welcoming and allow everyone to become their authentic selves. One of her proudest achievements was founding Shakespeare in the Arb. More than 20 years later, the environmental stagings of Shakespeare plays are a sanctuary for hundreds of students and a staple of the Ann Arbor community.

A social activist at heart, Kate’s other passions included supporting progressive causes and being a proud co-founder of the Lecturers’ Employee Organization (LEO) Union. So many of her artistic endeavors were rooted in her desire to bring to life important voices dealing with race and gender. She directed plays about the history of Detroit and supported community theater for underserved youth. Kate also co-developed a course at UM called “Empowering Community Through the Arts”, which fosters students’ ability to apply the arts as a catalyst for change in issues of social justice.

Kate also loved being a mother and deeply valued the time she spent with her family. Kate’s warmth, easy-going nature, and love of culture were at the heart of the many road trips and adventure-filled vacations the family experienced together over the years. An extrovert at heart, she was happiest when sharing stories and providing support to family and friends. As Kate herself noted, she was “lucky to live a life that connects so many people.”

Kate peacefully exited this world on April 15, 2023, a year after being diagnosed with metastatic pancreatic cancer. Her final week was filled with an outpouring of love. Family, friends, colleagues, and former students visited and shared laughter and memories. Many described this time as a seminar on dying: Kate teaching us how to pass from this journey into the next one with dignity, joy, and humor. She is survived by her brothers, Henry and John Mendeloff; husband Jeff Curtis; daughters Hannah and Nora Curtis, and three grandchildren: Alethea (Thea) Curtis, Talia Niles, and Ari Curtis.