Alvin Sokolow

I knew Al pretty well back in the 1980s. We co-authored an article in Public Administration Review on rural public budgeting. We remained friends. Not so many years ago I dropped him a note and he wrote back. I was about to check in again when I found his obituary. What a kind, decent, smart, affable, learned, accomplished man he was.

I met Al in 1967 when I arrived in Davis to begin study for a Ph.D in Political Science. Al helped me find an apartment, counseled me, and was my dissertation advisor. Al became a good friend to my family and he and Sandy joined us on a tour of Israel led by my wife, Nitsa. Al frequently appeared as a guest lecturer in my planning seminars at Chico State and wrote the foreword to my book on growth management. I miss our regular phone conversations and lament the loss of a wonderful human...

My first memory of meeting my uncle Al is when I was in college in DC and met the family nearby in Maryland. Over the years, we met several times and bonded on our love for the Cubs. He and Sandy (and Michael) were kind enough to make the trip to Chicago for my dad's funeral 8 years ago, and I'm sorry I was unable to be there for his funeral. May his memory be a blessing. Rest in Peace Uncle Al.

I first met cousin Al when Sandy brought him to our house to get her Uncle Bob´s approval. My Dad questioned him and as the afternoon drew to a close, said: "He´s fine, Sandra." I sat on the floor watching the interaction. A few years later, when Al and Sandy were living above the drug store in Urbana, they invited me to visit. It was fun, and when I returned to U of I and walked by the drug store to LAR, I always thought about them. In later years, whenever we´d visit San Francisco, Al...

My sincere condolences to all the Sokolow family and please pass on my condolences to Alvin´s wife. I so enjoyed when they both came to Arizona for Spring Training, Alvin was such an interesting man I always enjoyed meeting up with him and having dinner Rest In Peace Alvin.

I love you dear brother. May you rest in peace. Shirley Segal

ATTENTION PLEASE! You posted my tribute but you left off the final phrase, which was actually written in Hebrew: which means: Rest In Peace. So please, if your word processor can't, or won't, enable Hebrew lettering, then simply add "Rest In Peace" (without quote marks) after my words "May he" (omitting the colon). Otherwise you make me seem illiterate, which Professor Sokolow would never allow. Thank you. (And PLEASE DON'T post this verbiage either!)

I am never "first," so this might be rare; but I certainly remember "Uncle Al" fondly. Recently I've been made aware that he was most likely the patriarch of my adopted family, The Shifrins/Sokolows. My wife Beth's father, Philip Shifrin, died before I could meet him; so I have always thought of Dr. & Prof. Sokolow as my father-in-law in lieu of Beth's Dad. I was also quite proud to be related to such a notable academic! I myself once aspired to college professorship; and in every...