Albert Rosenthal, former dean of Columbia Law School, finished his undergraduate education at age 19, became president of the Harvard Law Review by 21, and had served three years in World War II by 25.
Remembered for his contributions to expanding the diversity at Columbia’s law school, Rosenthal—law dean from 1979 to 1984—died Wednesday at age 91 due to complications with Alzheimer’s disease, according to Rosenthal’s son.
Before becoming dean, Rosenthal built up a lengthy resume. After spending his childhood in the Bronx, he went to City College at age 15, graduated from University of Pennsylvania at 19, and was president of the Harvard Law Review exactly 50 years before Barack Obama.
Rosenthal, most recently the Maurice T. Moore Professor Emeritus of Law, also clerked for Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter and held a private practice for 10 years—specializing in nondiscrimination cases—before he became a Columbia faculty member. While dean, he volunteered for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
At a memorial service on Sunday at Riverside Memorial Chapel, friends, family, and colleagues remembered him for his open-mindedness and commitment to improving the law school.
“Al set the bar very high. As everyone here knows, Al had the rare combination of brilliance, insight, and sense of decency,” David Schizer, the current law school dean, said to the crowd. “The Columbia Law School will feel his loss deeply.”
He also shared one student’s memory of Rosenthal’s inspiring speech to the entering class of ’82: “‘Look to your right, look to your left. At this point at some law schools they would say one of you won’t make it. Well, I can say with confidence that you and the person on your left and the person on your right will succeed here and will go on to distinction in the practice of law. You wouldn’t be here otherwise.’”
Schizer said Rosenthal will be remembered for his commitment to the school’s centers for Japanese and Chinese legal studies as well as many new clinical programs. During his tenure, Rosenthal also boosted the number of female faculty members.
In an interview at the service, Jane Spinak, Edward Ross Aranow Clinical Professor of Law and director of the law school’s Child Advocacy Clinic, said she also appreciated his support in developing new clinical programs. “There are always financial reasons to say no, but he never said no ... He was a gentle, kind person, a brilliant man, but also so open-minded about thinking about how law should be taught and practiced.”
Barnard Dean of Studies Karen Blank said that Rosenthal was known for taking chances and supporting new faculty. “It’s not a given that a brilliant legal scholar (or person, for that matter) will also be warm, kind, nice, and generous-spirited,” she said in an email, referring to his decision to hire her husband, James Milligan, as dean of admissions in 1980.
At the service, Rosenthal’s son, Ned Rosenthal, admired his father’s commitments outside of the school, specifically referencing his volunteer work with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
“I think that tells you something about my dad because even with all those responsibilities of being a teacher, an administrator, he was still doing what he thought was so important,” he said.
University President Lee Bollinger said that beyond Rosenthal’s contributions, he had a commendable personality.
“Al was the classic law professor—serious about his field, exhaustive in his knowledge of the law, kind to students, and devoted to the school,” Bollinger said. “He was one of the most likable people you could imagine.”
COMMENTS
Comments will be moderated in accordance with our comment policy