Lawrence Sussman Obituary

I was just thinking of the course i took from him in Columbia College, Theories of Personality. Even til this day it was one of the memorable classes i took in college. Rest in Peace sir, and sorry to find out so late.

Ben, Michael - don't know if you will see this posting, but please know I still think about your parents often. Still live next door to your old house, and still miss them. They made the world a better place. Affectionately, Cindy Barnard

I am an Advisor at Columbia College, and so many, many students told me about how much they benefited from Dr. Sussman's classes. When I would ask students about favorite professors, his name came up all the time.

Larry had the most profound sense of wonder, curiosity, and amazement at this world. Everything astonished, interested, and intrigued him. He opened his heart and his brain to insights about the solar eclipse, rituals of the Portuguese Sephardic Jewish community, domestic habits of surburban racoons, the fiercely strong pull of ancestry and family, the magic of children's ideas about the world. He had friends, real friends, who were five years old and who were ninety-five. He was open to all, with a truly rare sincerity of interest and all the time in the world to listen and reflect. He was a wonderful listener. He was funny, warm, genuine, passionate, liberal, puzzled about this troubled world. He loved to talk. He cared deeply about his students, his work, the connections and meaning in every day, and he worked hard.

He loved to sit outside on the wonderful deck he and Dana built, in the shade of the big trees, and read the paper. He let me entice him into a subscription into the daily New York Times, after protesting that he loved it but didn't have time to read it.

When Dana was sick, there was a time that we were really worried about her, and he was just lost, just bewildered, wandering the house waiting for news of her progress. They were infinitely well matched, not the same but so complementary in temperament, tastes and rhythms. They did everything together, as much as they possibly could, even grocery shopping and errands, just for the pleasure of each other's company. Their affection was comfortable yet never assumed, saturated I think into every reflex and every nerve, but savored with pleasure and awareness. I still remember their delight when the boys - the boys they both adored - were finally old enough that they could leave them home for a couple of hours, and slip out just the two of them for a Sunday brunch alone. They kvelled about the boys all the time - successes professional and personal.

Dana told me that Larry said he thought his purpose in life was to bring joy to others. And with his frank, open sweetness and wonder and love of human connection - so he did. We will miss him so much.