Jack Suberman

1920 - 2016

Jack Suberman

June 18, 1920 – November 22, 2016

Chapel Hill

Jack Suberman was born in New York City, the first child of Alexander and Frieda (Caskill) Suberman. During the Great Depression, he lived in Miami and attended the University of Florida, and after serving as Captain in the Air Force in World War II, he resumed his studies there to graduation. With the assistance of the GI Bill, he then attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he earned a Ph.D. in English Literature.

After seeing his businessman father lose his health and wealth to the stock market crash of 1929, he saw a better life for himself on a university campus. After graduation from UNC, he taught courses there before taking a position at NC State. There he became a tenured professor in the English Department and Director of Continuing Education. He was furthermore instrumental in bringing public television to the Triangle area.

Following his tenure at North Carolina State, Jack took at position at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida, as Dean of the College of Humanities to assist in establishing the new state university. He remained in Boca Raton until 2009 when he returned to Chapel Hill with Stella. On January 31, 2017, they would have celebrated 75 years of marriage.

Throughout his life, Jack was a lover of books and sports and people. He was passionate about narrative and books of all kinds. He wrote two textbooks on English composition and two plays, one about Andrew Jackson, the other about W.B. Yeats and his wife and muse, Georgie. He became engaged in disproving religion through a careful reading of the Bible. He planned to write a book debunking the separations that the Bible extols and to unite people under what he called ethical humanism. He looked back on his time in World War II with sadness at the lives lost and the separation created between people to further tyrannical regimes.

Jack was physically active throughout his life through sports and everyday physical activities. He began his love of sports playing street games as a kid in his New York neighborhood, the Bronx. He was a fan of all sports, especially those played by the New York and Florida teams, UNC and NC State. He himself played a mean game of tennis, and was a member of the University of Florida basketball team when he was a student there. He also won the campus cup for sports while he attended the university.

Jack made friends easily and was often engaged in high-spirited conversations about philosophy, sports, religion, books, and politics. While at the University of Florida, he was president of Pi Lambda Phi fraternity. As president, he forbid hazing during the rushing process and fought against fraternity segregation.

He leaves behind his wife Stella; his son Dr. Rick Suberman of Chapel Hill and Rick's wife Karen; his granddaughter Abigail Suberman Chen, her husband Dr. Jonathan Chen, their children (Jack's great-grandchildren) Madeleine and Atlas of Seattle; grandson Dr. Thomas Alexander Suberman of Los Angeles; and granddaughter Sophie Halle Suberman of Chapel Hill. He is also survived by his brother Irwin, Irwin's wife Ruby, and sister Sheila Behr.

Remembrances may be made to UNC Hospice.