SAUL COHEN Obituary

COHEN--Saul Bernard, died at 95 on June 9, 2021 surrounded by his loving family. Born in Malden, Massachusetts, he attended Boston Latin School, Harvard College, and received his MA and PhD from Harvard University after serving in WWII. A noted political geographer and prolific author, he headed the School of Geography and was Dean of the Graduate School at Clark University. He was president of Queens College from 1978-85 and a member of the New York State Board of Regents for 17 years. Saul was beloved husband to his wife of 71 years, Miriam Friederman Cohen, father and father-in-law, grandfather, great-father, and friend. He will be greatly missed.

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Published by New York Times on Jun. 13, 2021.

Memories and Condolences
for SAUL COHEN

11 Entries

Joe T. Darden, Professor of Geography at Michihgan State

June 22, 2021

Dr. Saul Cohen was a pioneer and strong advocate for increasing the representation of African Americans in the field of Geography. With his support more African American Graduate students received their doctorate degrees. His legacy lives on. Miriam, You have my deepest sympathies.

Simone Taylor

June 21, 2021

Please except my deepest sympathies to you and your family at this time of grieving. May God be with you and your family in this time of sorrow.

Gary Roboff

June 21, 2021

First as his student and later as a Clark trustee my appreciation for Saul’s wisdom, integrity, and generosity never stopped growing. Saul was an outstanding teacher and administrator who understood how to create an environment where education had the best chance to flourish. He accomplished that in the classroom, in academic departments, at universities and - in the case of his Board of Regents Tenure – with a state’s public education system. At Clark's School of Geography Saul recruited a distinguished faculty where individuals with sometimes radically different philosophies and subject matter perspectives actually spoke to each other, learned from each other, and worked side by side to educate some of the university's most gifted students. He recruited minority students into Ph.D. programs at a pace not seen in nationally ranked departments at that time.

Miriam, both Farron and I send our heartfelt condolences to you and the family.

Emily Medine

June 19, 2021

Saul Cohen was my advisor at Clark University from which I graduated in 1976. He was instrumental in my life, helping me grow as a geographer and then helping me choose where to attend graduate school. While I had only limited interaction with him since then, he stands large in my life. I envy those who worked with him throughout their careers. My condolences to his family.

Allan Goodman

June 19, 2021

Dear Miriam,

Collette and I read the news with sadness this morning. You and the girls are in our thoughts and prayers for sure.

Your Saul did three wonderful things for us. When he learned during my Clark job interview that Collette was thinking of going to law school, he asked what the tuition was going to be ($1200 per year) and then made sure to add that to my base salary ($10k) because he always believed we should encourage women’s aspirations. He advised me to buy a swing-o-matic to deal with Danielle’s colick. It was the only thing that worked and was in full use for nearly 2 years. And he told me always to study “something else”and be prepared to reinvent myself. I still follow that advice to this day.

We logged many miles on our daily commute to Worcester, debated many topics, solved none of the faculty’s problems, and agreed that he was a much better driver in snow and ice than I was.

We send love and prayers to you all.

Leonard Berry

June 19, 2021

He was influential in my coming to the US.A great leader and scholar who I respected and a friend of many years.

Anna Rossini

June 14, 2021

To the family of Saul B. Cohen:

On behalf of the Administration, Faculty and Staff of Queens College, we would like to extend to the family our deepest condolences of the passing of our former President, Dr. Cohen.

May he Rest in Peace

José Molinelli

June 14, 2021

June 14, 2021
In 1975, the first day I met Dr. Cohen he asked me to call him Saul. I never did out of respect for his intellectual stature in the academic world and in international politics for which he was already recognized worldwide. Saul Cohen planted the seeds of excellence in hundreds of students who, like me, had the privilege of meeting him, taking his classes, or receiving his mentorship at the Graduate School of Geography at Clark University. I was always impressed by his extraordinary intellect and ability to inspire and excite his students and faculty to be agents of change in the world. Today his students are working for a better world across all continents and many island states across the planet. The intellectual and human legacy of Dr. Saul B. Cohen will continue to spread through his students who today work from their respective locations to achieve a more stable and secure world. This is part of the great legacy that Dr. Saul B. Cohen brought to humanity and with great respect I express my condolences to his family as I celebrate his existence.
José Molinelli Freytes
San Juan, Puerto Rico

Ken Gelman

June 14, 2021

I was a student of Saul's...both as an undergrad and Ph.D. student in the late '60s and early '70s at Clark. He was a wonderful mentor and kind human being. One nice memory that I had of Saul: I was doing my thesis on the Jewish community of Boston and Saul drove me around one day starting at his boyhood neighborhood of Malden and continuing through Dorchester, Roxbury and Mattapan. It was a fun, nostalgic and informative time together that I've always remembered!

Vernon Domingo

June 14, 2021

Saul was a real mensch, generous with support if he saw that you were willing to put in effort. I was a foreign student under his tutelage; he set very high standards and I learnt about critical thinking and writing from him. In supporting my Green Card application, he changed my life for the better, forever. He'll always have a special place in my heart.

Sharon Krefetz

June 13, 2021

Saul was an outstanding scholar, administrator, and a genuine mentsch. I was fortunate to have him as a mentor in the early stages of my teaching and research. He inspired me to strive to do my best as in academia and also understood (and showed me) that one's family matters the most.
My sincere condolences to his beloved family. May his memory be a blessing.

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