Bertram J. Malenka

1923 - 2018

Bertram Julian Malenka of Belmont was born June 8, 1923 in Brooklyn, NY, the son of Morris and Mollie and sister, Millicent, who died at an early age. He attended James Madison High School and started college at Columbia with the ambition of becoming an artist. World War II interrup- ted his education but he returned to Columbia where he captained the fencing team and switched majors to physics. While there he met Ruth Stolper who would go on to become his wife of over 60 years before her death in 2015. Bert went to graduate school at Harvard where he received his PhD in physics and met many of the people who would become his lifelong friends. He stayed at Harvard for several years before moving on to Washington University, Tufts and then Northeastern where he spent the majority of his professional career. Berts passions were tennis and art. He had a standing game into his early 80s. He believed strongly in the value of museums and their collections and sat on many visiting committees for the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. His keen intellect and fine eye won him the admiration and friendship of a generation of collectors, curators and dealers. His passions for art and tennis are a legacy shared by his sons and grandchildren. He is survived by his eldest son, David J (wife Ann, daughter Emma, son Jacob) and his younger son Robert C (son Nicholas, son Benjamin). Interment at the Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, MA will be at a later date at the convenience of the family. Arrangements by: Short, Williamson & Diamond, Funeral Home, Belmont. Swdfuneralhome.com.