Linda Seltzer Popofsky

Linda Seltzer Popofsky Peacefully passed away on September 8, 2010, after a battle with cancer. Linda was born August 4, 1940, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She led a distinguished life in academia and higher education. Following graduation from Brookline High, she attended Wellesley College, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa while obtaining a B.A. with Special Honors in History. She then obtained a Masters in British History (in 1964) and ultimately a Doctorate in Early Modern British and European History (in 1970) from the University of California, Berkeley. In 1962, while attending Wellesley, she married M Laurence Popofsky, then at Harvard Law School. The two settled in San Francisco where Larry practiced law at Heller Ehrman (and now Orrick) and Linda began a career in academia. She taught British and European History at San Francisco State University from 1970 to 1975, and then served as an Associate Professor of European History at Mills College from 1975 to 1989. Professor Popofsky published numerous articles on British legal history and served as Director of the Trustee Scholar Program. In the 1990s, she served as Director of the Scholarships Office of the University of California at Berkeley. Linda served as a Member of the Board of Directors of numerous organizations, including of Temple Emanu-El, Jewish Vocational Services, the Friends of California History, and the Holocaust Center of Northern California. She is survived by her husband Larry, her sister Judith Inker (of Wellesley Hills, MA), son Mark Popofsky (of Washington, D.C.), daughter Kaye Popofsky Kramer (of Los Angeles, CA), her four grandchildren Madeleine Popofsky, Maxime Kramer, Jules Kramer, and Oscar Kramer. A Memorial Service will be held for friends and family at 11:00am on Tuesday, September 14, at Temple Emanu-El, Arguello Boulevard and Lake Street, San Francisco, California. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Temple Emanu-El in her memory.