Madeline Edelstein Gold

Madeline Edelstein Gold passed away on January 12, 2023, at the age of 94 in Los Angeles, California. Madeline was born April 30, 1928, the only child of Phillip Edelstein and Pauline Belchinsky Edelstein. She is survived by her husband, Bernard Gold of Los Angeles, and her two daughters Pamela Gold (Stephen Smith) of Memphis, TN, and Glennis Gold (Jeffrey Ruoff) of Norwich, VT as well as her granddaughter Natalie Gold of Norwich VT. She was predeceased by her son Douglas Gold of Los Angeles.

As a child, Madeline first lived in the Manhattan Beach neighborhood of Brooklyn and moved to more modest neighborhoods nearby as the Depression took its toll. Throughout her long life, New York City and its environs, remained where she always felt most at home.

Madeline pursued her great passion for education and learning as she obtained her B.A. degree from Brooklyn College in 1949, her M.A. in Economics from Columbia University in 1950, and began NYU law school in 1952, all while holding fulltime jobs to support herself and help support her parents. At the age of 65, Madeline received an M.A. in American History from UCLA.

In 1953, Madeline married the great love of her life, Bernie Gold. They met when she was his boss at the NY Bureau of Labor Statistics. Her devotion to and support of Bernie's personal and professional life were unwavering. She supported him through law school in Cambridge, MA while working at the Polaroid Corporation. After their first child, Douglas, was born in 1956, Madeline became the primary caregiver, eventually of their three children, managing their household and holding leadership roles in a variety of civic organizations involved with local education reforms and politics, mainly in New Rochelle, NY, where the family lived until 1975.

By the late 1960s, in alignment with contemporary feminism, Madeline had become a fierce advocate for women's equality and independence. This advocacy grew into a more serious examination of the women's and civil rights movements in the United States and led Madeline to her engagement in scholarly work at UCLA in the 1980s. Madeline's commitment to gender equality has had a strong influence on her two daughters and granddaughter who have all successfully achieved career independence.

In addition to their children and home, Bernie and Madeline remained powerfully devoted to each other throughout their more than 70 years together. They had a strong partnership filled with love, respect, and admiration for one another.

For those who would like to donate in her memory, kindly consider the PBS Foundation - https://supportpbsfoundation.pbs.org/site/Donation2?df_id=1520&1520.donation=form1&mfc_pref=T.

The family will hold a private memorial service in February.