Clark University - Clarknews spring 2006
In Memoriam (spring 2006)
Benson Kane M.A. ’57, a longtime supporter of Clark, died Dec. 11, 2005.
He leaves his wife Shirley Singer Kane ’56, M.A.L.A. ’93, a dedicated alumna who has volunteered for Clark in many different capacities. He also leaves three daughters, Stephanie, Pamela and Jennifer; a sister, Phyllis Sherwin; and seven grandchildren.
Born in Worcester, Mr. Kane graduated from Tufts University and earned a master’s degree in biochemistry at Clark. He and his late brother, Louis Kane, founded Kane Medical Laboratory, and owned and operated the company for many years. Then they also owned and operated Worcester Medical Supply. Finally, they founded and operated Elkay Products, a company specializing in high-technology medical plastics, in Shrewsbury, Mass., and also owned and operated the Regency Restaurant and Hotel in Shrewsbury for a number of years. Mr. Kane retired in 1994.
Mr. Kane was a past president of the Jewish Healthcare Center and was a longtime member of the board of directors of Temple Emanuel and of the Worcester Jewish Federation. He was a member of the Jewish War Veterans and was an active member of the Harvard Institute for Learning in Retirement. He also attended classes at Boston University and was a volunteer for Travelers Aid at Logan Airport in Boston.
A longtime friend of the University, Mr. Kane was also a member of the Jonas Clark Fellows.
Saul Seder ’21, who was Clark’s oldest living alumnus, died Feb. 6 at the age of 104.
Born on May 9, 1901 in Manchaug, Mass., Mr. Seder lived in Worcester for more than 100 years. He graduated from Classical High School in 1918 and then earned his bachelor’s degree at Clark. He graduated from Boston University Law School in 1925, practiced law in Worcester until his 95th birthday and remained of counsel with the firm of Seder & Chandler LLP. Mr. Seder was recognized as one of the most accomplished litigators in Massachusetts.
Mr. Seder was a member and past president of Temple Emanuel, a member of Temple Sinai, Worcester Lodge #600 of B’Nai Brith and Jewish Healthcare Center, and past trustee of the Reed Trust at Jewish Healthcare Center. He was on the board of trustees at St. Vincent Hospital and Harrington Memorial Hospital and was also a trustee of Worcester Vocational Trade School and a contributor to many of its various programs.
During the last few months, Mr. Seder began attending the Wednesday afternoon Yiddish class at Clark’s Strassler Family Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies. The class is taught by Mr. Seder’s friend Sam Gordon, who attended Clark in the 1930s. At one of the classes, Mr. Seder shared his memories of Clark:
“In order to get to Clark, I had to be rich enough to buy car tickets to go to City Hall and then from City Hall to Clark,” Mr. Seder recalled. Car tickets, he said, were two-and-a-half cents. This was on top of the $300 a year for tuition at Clark. Mr. Seder was a member of the Debate Team. He took the classical course and described his professors as “damn good,” making special note of Loring Dodd.
During the Yiddish classes at Clark, Mr. Seder’s fellow students enjoyed his sharp mind and sharp wit. In addition to asking him the secret to his longevity, people often asked Mr. Seder the secrets to a long marriage. Mr. Seder and his late wife Ruth were married for more than 60 years.
Irving Sigel ’43, D.Sc. (hon.) ’98, a pioneer in the study of intellectual development in children, died Feb. 26.
Dr. Sigel was born and raised in Worcester, where he attended Classical High School. He majored in psychology at Clark and went on to earn a master’s degree and Ph.D. at the University of Chicago. From 1951 to 1956, Dr. Sigel was an assistant professor at Smith College in Northampton, Mass. He continued his academic career at the Merrill Palmer Institute at Wayne State University in Detroit, where he was director of research. In 1973, Dr. Sigel joined the Educational Testing Service in Princeton, N.J., as a senior research psychologist. After retirement, he remained a Distinguished Research Scientist at the Educational Testing Service, which administers well-known assessment tests for entrance into colleges and graduate schools, for the rest of his life.
Dr. Sigel was known for his work on intellectual development in children and his highly regarded psychology text “Cognitive Development,” published in 1978. His research focused on the role of the family in a child’s intellectual development. His numerous original ideas led to a volume titled “The Development and Meaning of Psychology” published in Dr. Sigel’s honor in 1993.
Dr. Sigel and his wife Roberta Sigel Ph.D. ’50, L.H.D. (hon.) ’04 met at Clark and remained dedicated supporters of the University for many years. Dr. Sigel also served on his 50-year reunion-gift committee and was active in Clark’s Career Resources Network. The Sigels are also charter members of the Jonas Clark Fellows, Clark’s leading group of annual donors. His brother, Mort Sigel ’51, also died recently (see page 3).
“Irving Sigel was a terrific fan of Clark,” says Associate Provost Nancy Budwig, who was a friend and colleague. “He used many academic opportunities to let the rest of the field of developmental psychology know about the special aspects of Clark’s Psychology Department, which many of us on the psychology faculty appreciated greatly.”
Deaths:
Paul Bogosian ’48, Harwich, Mass., June 30, 2005
Norman Bouffard ’59, Worcester, Mass., Jan. 21, 2006
H. James Burgoyne ’51, Worcester, Mass., Jan. 2, 2006
Catherine Elizabeth Cox M.A. ’42, Chishom, Mich., July 17, 2005
Robert Spencer Danstedt ’48, Concord, Mass., Aug. 3, 2005
Barbara (Hill) Davis ’53, Granby, Conn., Dec. 3, 2005
Walter C. Dear ’50, New York, NY., March 21, 2005
Helen F. DeProspo ’76, Worcester, Mass., Jan. 7, 2006
Albert P. Giraitis Sr. ’36, St. Petersburg, Fla., Jan. 5, 2006
Paul Greenlaw M.A. ’53, Mayville, N.Y., June 1, 2005
Priscilla Groves ’83, Auburn, Mass. Dec. 30, 2005
John Holloran III ’51, Cornwall-On-Hudson, N.Y., July 30, 2005
Benson Kane M.A. ’57, Boston, Mass., Dec. 11, 2005 See In Memoriam.
Paulina Klosinska ’05, Farmington, Conn., Feb. 7, 2006
David Lennan ’47, M.A. ’48, Biddeford, Maine, Aug. 4, 2005
Ronald Paul Luoma Sr. ’68, Framingham, Mass., Jan. 8, 2006
Mary Lynch M.A. ’87, Waterville, Maine, Jan. 16, 2006
Catherine E. Matthews M.A. ’39, Somerset, Mass., July 25, 2005
Marilyn Mayer ’75, Orange, N.J., July 15, 2005
Gertrude T. McDonough ’60, Worcester, Mass., July 1, 2006
Barbara McMenemy ’49, Auburn, Mass., Jan. 15, 2006
Arthur Palley ’43, Worcester, Mass., Dec. 29, 2005
Saul Seder ’21, Worcester, Mass., Feb. 2, 2006 See In Memoriam.
Irving Sigel ’43, D.Sc. (hon.) ’98, Skillman, N.J., Feb. 26, 2006 See In Memoriam.
Morton Sigel ’51, Worcester, Mass., Feb. 2, 2006 See In Memoriam page 3.
Evelyn Silvia M.A. ’71, Ph.D. ’73, Davis, Calif., Jan. 21, 2006
Paul Sternlof ’53, Lime Rock, Mass., August 12, 2005
Thomas van Berkel M.A. ’88, Southborough, Mass., Jan. 10, 2006
Anthony Varjabedian, Worcester, Mass., Feb. 25, 2006
Ellen Watt ’78, Providence, R.I., Jan. 10, 2006
Walter Wilson, M.A. ’33, Ph.D. ’39, Reno, Nev., Jan. 4, 2006
Leon Zitowitz ’49, Worcester, Mass., July 12, 2006
Florence Zuckerman M.A. ’78, Holyoke, Mass., Dec. 24, 2005
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Clarknews Spring 2006
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