JOEL KURTZMAN

Joel and I went to high school together in Woodland Hills, CA. We used to have a lot of what could be termed "'intellectual" conversations, quite unlike how I'd talk to most of my friends. There was always a lot of humor involved, as in we"d make up bogus theories and try to convince the other that they were true. Then when we were convinced, we'd laugh and say something like "Ha ha ha! You dummy! I made all that up, it's pure BS!"

From your novel, Crown of Flowers: Joel, "Go warm shod and well lighted in the mind."

I'm stunned and very sad to learn of Joel's death . We were friends at Berkeley where we spent many hours at the Terrace debating philosophy and politics (we agreed mostly). After Berkeley, I watched in amazement as Joel reinvented himself over and over again, each time revealing greater depth than I or any of his Berkeley posse ever imagined he had. Things were not always great for Joel, bad enough during the early '70's recession that he once took a job polishing brass fittings at an...

May he Rest In Peace. Joel was my first boss at UNITAR in 1981.
Always kind and profesional. Coming from overseas he made my stay in NY more safe and enjoyable. He and Mr. Erwin lazlo were dreamers I thought about regional and inter regional cooperation among developing countries. But now I realize that destiny and dreams are not transferable. I trust that he fulfilled his dreams and is noe a hostage of eternity and always in the memory of sweet moments with his family.
Thank you...

May condolences to that family. Jole had such positive spirit. He always possessed a warm smile and soft hello when we passed each other in the office or the streets.

Grief can be so hard, but our special memories help us cope.

My heartfelt condolences to you Karen and to your and Joel's families. I have been on the advisory board for Briefings, since I joined Korn Ferry in 2010. Joel will be so deeply missed. His insight, intelligence, humor, editorial wit, curiosity, and perhaps most of all, his humanity will be remembered and treasured.

I first met Joel when I was interviewing with Korn Ferry, and our conversation was a turning point in seeing the power of thought leadership here. It was a privilege...

I worked with Joel for the better part of a year when he was at PwC, and I was a senior manager there, and we collaborated with Microsoft to put on their CEO summit in 2000. He was warm and welcoming of new ideas, and also direct and helpful in his feedback. I learned a lot from him and from the experience, engaging directly at the event with so many CEOs. Looking back, I can see that my experience with Joel was one step along the path to becoming an executive coach working with senior...