The New York Times - USA (2020-06-28)

THE NEW YORK TIMES OBITUARIESSUNDAY, JUNE 28, 2020 N 31

Kenneth Lewes grew up after
World War II in a working-class
neighborhood of the northeast
Bronx, the son of an immigrant
couple who never got beyond
grade school. He guessed even be-
fore he entered junior high school
that he was gay.
But it wasn’t until he was nearly
50 — and publishing what would
become a critically acclaimed
takedown of post-Freudian psy-
choanalytic theories of homosex-
uality — that he confided his sexu-
al orientation to his parents.
“I remember finding my way to
the local public library and check-

ing out books on psychology and
human development,” he said in
an interview in 2019 with the Jour-
nal of Gay & Lesbian Mental
Health, “in hopes of finding some
reassurance that my interest in
handsome boys was only a stage
that I would soon pass through.”
Dr. Lewes (pronounced LOO-
ess) was married at 23 and di-
vorced by 32 — the age when he
had his first homosexual experi-
ence.
“It seemed only natural for me
to be out of the closet to my
friends, colleagues and family,” he
said, “with the important excep-
tion of my parents, who, it had be-
come clear over the years, did not
want to hear anything on that par-

ticular subject. I came out to them

almost 15 years later.”

Dr. Lewes died of the new coro-

navirus on April 17 in a Manhattan

hospital, his partner, Gary Jacob-

son, said. He was 76.

He is also survived by his sister,

Noreen Vasady-Kovacs.

Dr. Lewes’s major work, “The

Psychoanalytic Theory of Male

Homosexuality” (1988), traced

the evolution of the prevailing

view that homosexuality was a

curable illness and explored what

he called the psychoanalytic es-

tablishment’s “century-long his-

tory of homophobia.” (The book’s

title was changed to “Psychoanal-

ysis and Male Homosexuality” in

later editions.)

Drawing on some 500 primary

sources, Dr. Lewes’s book, which

expanded on his doctoral disserta-

tion, found that most analysts had

adhered to “popular prejudice”

against gay people and clichés

about them. “Many analysts,” he

concluded, “have violated basic

norms of decency in their treat-

ment of homosexuals.”

He said he had been unable to

find a single analysis of the sub-

ject written by a psychoanalyst

who identified as gay.

In his review of the book in The

New York Times Book Review,

Richard Green, a professor of psy-

chiatry and the law at the Univer-

sity of California, Los Angeles,

wrote:

“A major fault in the bedrock of

analytic theory has been, accord-

ing to Mr. Lewes, a monumental

misunderstanding of the Oedipus

complex, long considered the rite

of passage to normal, healthy het-

erosexuality. This misunder-

standing created a false dichot-

omy between heterosexual well-

ness and homosexual sickness.”

Dr. Lewes found that the com-

plex could lead to 12 alternative

resolutions, six of them heterosex-

ual and six homosexual. “All re-

sults of the Oedipus complex are

traumatic,” he wrote, “and, for

similar reasons, all are ‘normal.’ ”

Dr. Green (who died last year),

one of the earliest critics of psychi-

atry’s classification of homosex-

uality as a mental disorder,

praised Dr. Lewes for tracking

“the politicized, moralistic and oc-

casionally objective evolution of

psychoanalytic theories of male

homosexuality from the enlight-

ened flexibility of Freud to the be-

nighted dogmatism of his disci-

ples,” adding that “the history of

how the single most influential

school of psychology and psychia-

try abused its power and mishan-

dled the most politically and mor-

ally controversial of behaviors”

constituted Dr. Lewes’s “telling

impact.”

Kenneth Allen Lewes was born

on June 8, 1943, in Charleston,

W.Va., to Joseph and Anne

(Harvin) Lewes. His father was

an English-born furniture maker

and antique restorer for the Na-

tional Trust for Historic Preserva-

tion; his mother, born in Czecho-

slovakia, was a homemaker.

The family moved to New York

in 1947. There, intending to be-

come a mathematician, Kenneth

enrolled in the Bronx High School

of Science, graduating in 1960. He

then shifted gears, earning a

bachelor’s degree in English from

Cornell University in 1964 and a

doctorate in Renaissance English

literature from Harvard.

At the age of 36, after seven

years as a professor of Renais-

sance literature at Rutgers Uni-

versity in New Jersey — and with-

out ever having taken a psychol-

ogy course — he made another

transition and enrolled at the Uni-

versity of Michigan, where he

earned a second doctorate, this

time in clinical psychology, in

1982.

His study of English proved

surprisingly serviceable, though.

“Literary criticism is generally

better equipped to understand the

depth and complexity of symbols,”

Dr. Lewes explained in the 2019

journal interview. “I vividly re-

member the first time I conducted

a therapy group in a closed ward

of a state mental hospital. I felt in-

stantly at home. Here were people

trying to put into words their

deepest intuitions about life, much

as people in the 17th century were

obsessed with theological debate.

The people in my therapy group,

however, had not been dead for

300 years.”

He welcomed the greater ac-

ceptance of gay men by the psy-

chiatric profession and society in

general in recent decades. But

with that progress he also la-

mented something lost — what he

called “the gay outlaw, the defier

and challenger of traditional so-

cial values, the person who in-

sisted that we find our own ways

of being in society and not sub-

scribe to the traditional values

and limitations that stunted so

many lives.”

“Instead of him,” he said, “we

now have the friendly next-door

neighbor, who may have adopted

a child or two as well as an obliga-

tory dog, and who would never

think of challenging values that

most Americans assume are time-

less and part of nature.”

By SAM ROBERTS

Kenneth Lewes, Who Challenged Views of Homosexuality, Dies at 76

GARY JACOBSON

Kenneth Lewes in 2018. In his

signal book, Dr. Lewes took on

the psychoanalytic establish-

ment over what he called its

“history of homophobia.”

Finding that most

analysts adhered to

‘popular prejudice’

against gay people.

ACOCELLA—Nicholas.
Nick Acocella, 77, of Hoboken
died June 20. Husband of Lau-
ra. Father of Bart and Fran-
cesca. Grandfather of Caro-
line and James. Beloved, ir-
reverentNJpolitical com-
mentator and founder of Poli-
tifax.

ADLER—Susan Seidner,
died from lung cancer on
June 20th, 2020. She was born
in 1935 in Czechoslovakia. Af-
ter she and her identical twin,
Marian, graduated from
Smith College, she worked
brieflyinbookpublishing.
Later, she received a degree
in psychotherapy from Co-
lumbia University and estab-
lished a sizable private prac-
tice in New York City. Her
patients meant the world to
her. She had a lifelong pas-
sion for painting and always
said “art is my favorite lan-
guage.” Susan died as she
lived her life, with dignity,
grace and humor. She de-
scribedhermarriagewith
Alfred Adler as “perfect.” She
is survived by her four daugh-
ters, Elizabeth Shade, Karen
Richardson, Kathy Siljestrom,
and Nina Dwyer, and nine
grandchildren. Susan will be
truly missed. In lieu of flow-
ers, Susan would appreciate
memorial donations to The
Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

AUFZIEN—Alan L.

It is with great sadness that

we announce the passing of

our beloved husband, father

and grandfather, Alan L. Auf-

zien, age 90. He was born in

Passaic, NJ, a graduate of

PassaicHighSchool and

University of Pennsylvania -

Wharton School. After man-

aging the family plumbing

supply business, Alan went on

to become Chairman of the

BoardoftheNewJersey

Nets. Alan continued with his

real estate ventures, while

committing his extra time to

attorney of Elder Law, Wills,

Trusts and Estates. She was a

farmerforfiveyearson

Moshav Idan in Israel. A crea-

tive quilter and active choir

member, she loved family,

travel and hiking, gardening,

philanthropyandall-round

life. Shewill be greatly

missed.

BLANK—Albert.

95, died peacefully at home

on June 17, 2020. An applied

mathematician, he did semin-

al work in optics, developing

a theorem for binocular

space perception. As Profes-

sor of Mathematics, he in-

spired students at NYU and

Carnegie Mellon, headed a

multi-year national study

group which developed cal-

culus courses for high school

students, wrote a three vo-

lume textbook on Calculus,

and, in retirement, developed

acomputer-assistedtactile

course for teaching calculus

to the blind. He loved English

Country Dancing, served on

the Board of the national so-

ciety, and supportedthe

growth of several local

groups. He will be deeply

missed by his wife, Nancy De-

Vore, daughters Sharon, Ta-

mara,Deborah,andIrina

(Caldwell), and his four

grandchildren.Amemorial

event will be held in this ho-

nor at a later date.

BROWN—Thatcher M., III.

Thatcher Magoun (Tim)

Brown III. February 18, 1936-

June 25, 2020. After a lengthy

and heroic battle with compli-

cations from a fall and pul-

monary fibrosis. A native of

Rye, New York and a 1953

graduate of the Westminster

School, Simsbury, CT, Tim

spent a memorable year at

the Stowe School, Bucking-

hamshire England returning

toattendYaleUniversity,

Class of 1958. He enlisted in

the US Army, MP Battalion

728, serving in Seoul, South

Koreauntil 1960 whenhe

joined the Wall Street office

of Brown Brothers Harriman

& Co. He received his MBA in

Business and Finance from

New York University's Even-

ing Division in 1966. At a

waltzing party in 1961 he first

met his second cousin Sarah

(Sally) Louise Brown. They

were married in 1963. Their

dancetogether lasted 56

years and was enlivened by

three children, Geoffrey

Hewlett Brown, Thatcher Gi-

honBrown,ElizaEleanor

Brown, and six grandchildren

Alexander Staunton Brown,

Elizabeth (Elsie) Adams

Brown, Hollis Burling Brown,

Crosby DoubledayBrown,

Bryson Coe Correa Brown,

and Nathan Magoun Correa

Brown.Aninterestinthe

management of philanthro-

pic organizations led to the

establishment (with Sally) of

ST Brown Associates, a fun-

draisingadvisoryfirmfor

not-for-profit organizations,

and a two-year position as

the first Advancement Direc-

tor at the Yale School of Or-

ganization and Management,

(today Yale School of Man-

agement). Nothing explains

why Tim and Sally went on to

purchase the Barrows House

in Dorset, Vermont, a full-

servicecountryinnwhich

they ran as a family enter-

prise for seven years. An

apartment on Central Park

West remained Tim's true

home for 50 years, and he re-

ferred to Central Park as his

“country place”. Gifts in me-

mory of Thatcher M. Brown

III may be made to the Cen-

tral Park Conservancy. A me-

morial service will be held

when conditions permit.

BROWN—Thatcher.

The Department of Musical

Instruments of The Metropo-

litan Museum of Art mourns

the passingof Thatcher

“Tim”MagounBrown III,

longtime supporter of the de-

partment and founding mem-

ber of The Amati: Friends of

MusicalInstruments.Tim's

great - grandmother, Mary

Elizabeth Adams Brown, was

a founder of The Met's in-

strument collection and gave

an initial gift of instruments in

1889, which eventually totaled

more than 3,600 instruments

by her death in 1918.

Tim's great - grandfather,

John Crosby Brown, was a

Met Trustee from 1895-1909.

The family has continued its

support of the Museum ever

since and Tim's wife, Sally B.

Brown, currently serves as

co-Chair of the Visiting Com-

mittee to the Department of

Musical Instruments. Among

their many generous contri-

butions, Tim and Sally sup-

ported acquisitions to supple-

ment the collection started

byMrs.Brown,andthey

were major donors to the re-

cent renovation of the Musi-

cal Instruments Galleries. Ad-

mired for his ability to mix a

cocktail and his deftness on

the dance floor, Tim will be

greatly missed by our com-

munity. We send our deepest

condolences to Sally and to

their three children, Geoffrey,

Thatcher,andEliza, who

continuein theirfamily's

long tradition of supporting

thecollectionof musical

instruments.

Jayson Kerr Dobney,

Frederick P. Rose

Curator in Charge

CRYSTAL—Les.

Westchester Community

College Foundation mourns

the loss of Board member

Les Crystal. His wisdom and

gentle guidance brought

prestige and recognition to

the College through his ability

to encourage noted lumina-

ries, such as Henry Kissinger,

BillClinton,andMadeline

Albright, to speak on campus.

He raised hundreds of thou-

sandsof dollarsforthe

Foundation, as well as the

reputation of the college, and

gained us new friends and

supporters.

DELANEY—Michael C.,

longtime resident of Green-

wich,CTandJupiter,FL

passed away on June 16, 2020.

He lived a full and complete

79 years. The beloved hus-

band and father was born in

Polson, MT, on the shores of

Flathead Lake. The son of

Thomas Ronald and Julia De-

laney, he spent the formative

years of his childhood with

his five siblings and parents

in Tokyo, Japan. His father's

position in the U.S. State De-

partment took the family all

over the world. He graduated

from high school in Washing-

ton, DC and received a B.S.

from Fairfield University in

1963. He was a former Gener-
      al Partner at Goldman Sachs
      wherehewaspartner-in-
      charge of the Fixed Income
      Division in Tokyo and co-
      branch manager of Goldman
      Sachs (Japan) Corp. (Toyko
      office). He also served as
      partner in charge of Munici-
      palUnderwriting, Trading
      and Sales for the Municipal
      Bond Department. He was a
      member of the Municipal Se-
      curities Rulemaking Board in
      Washington and a member
      of the Board of Governors of
      the Municipal Bond Club of
      NewYork.Heservedas
      Chairman of the Syndicate
      and Trading Committee of
      the Public Securities Associa-
      tion. Mike spent 39 months in
      the US Army, which included
      10 months service in Viet-
      nam. He was an intelligence
      specialist with airborne, ran-
      ger, and special forces train-
      ing and a graduate of Officers
      Candidate School. He was dis-
      charged from the US Army in
      1968 as a First Lieutenant. He
      was awarded The Air Medal

various charitable organiza-

tions.TheseincludedTel

AvivUniversity,wherehe

was awarded an Honorary

Degree, sat on the Board of

Governors and was Chair-

man of the Board of Ameri-

canFriendsofTelAviv

University. In 2019, Alan and

his family set up the The

Aufzien Family Center for

thePreventionandTreat-

ment of Parkinson's Disease

at TAU. He also supported

the Washington Institute for

Near East Policy, JAFCO in

Florida and Jewish Family

Service of Clifton-Passaic, NJ,

among many other organiza-

tions. He was a valued mem-

ber of the University of Penn-

sylvania Athletic Board. He is

survived by his wife of 64

years, Norma, children Leslie

(Peter), Lisa (Don), Merry

(Gil), Jonathan(Michelle),

grandchildren Rachel, An-

drew (Jen), Rebecca, Jacob,

ElizabethandSusan.Alan

and Norma were avid trave-

lers who made lifelong

friendships all over the globe.

He was loved by all and ad-

miredfor hisgenerosity.

He truly enjoyed a life well-

livedonhisEndofthe

Rainbow Farm.

BELSON—Ellen.

January 15, 1946 - June 21,

2020. Maiden name Lurie. Be-
      loved wife of Robert, mother
      to Laura and Joe and grand-
      mother to Oriah and Zion. At-
      tendedBrandeis University
      and Boston University and
      became an occupational
      therapist and author of The
      Adult Stroke Patient, A Man-
      ual for Evaluation and Treat-
      ment of Perceptual and Cog-
      nitive Dysfunction. After at-
      tending Pace University Law
      School, Ellen worked as an

for meritorious achievement

while participating in aerial

flight and the Bronze Star

medal for heroism in ground

combat. Prior to military ser-

vice Mike lived briefly in Af-

ghanistan and lived and

worked in West Africa. In 1998

Mike joined the board of the

Maureen and Mike Mansfield

Foundation, a non-profit that

promotes understanding and

cooperation among nations

and peoples of Asia and the

United States. In 2001 he was

named president of the Foun-

dation.Inadditiontothe

Mansfield Foundation he en-

gaged in a variety of other

philanthropicactivities.He

enjoyed playing golf, watch-

ing sports, reading and

spending time with his family

and friends. He had many

friendships and close rela-

tionships across the world,

from Montana to New York

to Tokyo. He will be remem-

bered for his generosity, kind-

ness and for always being

willing to help others. For all

his achievements and suc-

cess, he saw his greatest ac-

complishments as a loving

husband, father, grandfather,

brother, uncle and friend. He

is survived by his wife of fifty

years, Charlotte G. Delaney

and their daughter, Tara Gil-

bride, her husband Jason and

their son Michael and daugh-

ter Logan, his sister Susan

Cline, brother Jerry Delaney

and several beloved nieces

and nephews. He was prede-

ceased by his sisters Sheila,

Sharon and Marianne. A pub-

lic memorial is not scheduled

at this time, please feel free

to share thoughts and memo-

ries with family and friends

via: http://www.LeoPGallagher

Greenwich.com.Inlieuof

flowers, please consider

making a memorial donation

to Save the Children, Julia

Coye Delaney Endowment.

DROSNIN—Michael,

74, of New York City passed

away on June 9, 2020. Michael

was born in 1946 in Brooklyn.

He was an investigative re-

porter and international best-

selling author. As a student at

Columbia University in the

1960s, he became editor of

theSpectator,thestudent

newspaper. He held staff po-

sitionsatTheWashington

PostandTheWallStreet

Journal before becoming a

freelance writer and went on

topublishCitizenHughes,

The Bible Code, Bible Code II

and Bible Code III. He was

fiercely intelligent, opinionat-

ed and determined, dedicated

to the pursuit of truth and jus-

tice, fun-loving and generous

with friends and family. He is

survived by his sister Barbara

Drosnin, nieces Wende

Brown (Kevin) and Julie Go-

zan (Tom Keck), and three

great-nieces. He was prede-

ceased by his mother Evelyn

Drosnin and father Edward

Drosnin.Michaelpreferred

that no memorial be held. He

will be missed, and remem-

bered with love. Donations

may be made to Amnesty In-

ternational,Committee to

Protect Journalists or Repor-

ters without Borders.

FRIEDMAN—Stanley J.

OnJune24thStanleyJ.

Friedman passed peacefully

at his home in Boca Raton,

FL surrounded by his loving

family. Beloved husband of

Grace for 58 years. Devoted

father to Marc, Lisa, Evan

and Jaime. Cherished grand-

father to Alex, Jaime, Madis-

on, Jessica, Andie, Samantha

and Marlie. He lived his life to

the fullest as a successful

owner of a printing company

and relished a good game of

golf and gin. He loved and

appreciated the blessings

bestowed upon him by

having such a close knit fami-

ly. May his repose be peace.

FRIEDMAN—Stanley J.

Our hearts are heavy on this

day as we mourn the loss of

Stanley, beloved husband of

Grace,devotedfather of

Marc, Lisa, Evan and Jaime.

Adored grandfather of Alex,

Jaime, Madison, Samantha,

Jessica, Andie and Marlie.

He will remain in our

hearts forever.

The Chwatt, Litt

and Kreizel Families

GIBSON—June

Noble Larkin.

The Wildlife Conservation So-

ciety mourns the death of

June Noble Larkin Gibson.

She will always be remem-

bered as a dedicated cham-

pion of conservation, educa-

tion and the arts. June and

her husband, Frank Yoakum

Larkin, a former WCS Trus-

tee, backed wildlife conserva-

tion efforts through their sup-

port of our mission at WCS,

including St. Catherines Island

Wildlife Survival Center off

the coast of Georgia. We ex-

tend condolences to her three

surviving sons: Noble Smith,

DavidSmithand Jeremy

Smith, and to their families.

GIBSON—June Noble.

The Trustees and staff of The

Museumof Modern Art

mourn the loss of longtime

Trustee June Gibson. June, a

Trustee since 1969, began her

association with the Museum

as a member of the Interna-

tional Council and a volunteer

in the Education Department,

thenanaffiliateprogram.

June's interest in education

led her to campaign for the

Museum to revive its official

Education Department, and

in 1972 the position of Special

Assistant for Education was

created through a grant from

the Edward John Noble

Foundation. Larkin later was

instrumental in establishing

the Museum's Edward John

Noble Education Center,

which was built in 1984 in me-

mory of her father and his

commitmenttoEducation.

This Education Center wel-

comed visitors to the

Museum, staged workshops

and art history courses, and

provided educators with

professionalstaffconsulta-

tionsregarding Museum-

related class projects. The

Edward John Noble Founda-

tion has continued to be an in-

veteratesupporterofthe

Museum's Education Depart-

ment to the present day. In

additiontotheEducation

Committee, Gibson has

served on Membership, De-

velopment, Finance, and

Nominating Committees; the

1984 Expansion Committee;

theDrawings Committee;

and Architecture and Design

Committee. While June

served on many committees

at MoMA, one of her proud-

est achievements was serv-

ing on the 2004 Capital Cam-

paign Committee with fellow

trustees David Rockefeller,

Ronald Lauder, Agnes Gund

and Bob Menschel. June was

a brilliant fundraiser and a

beloved trustee and she will

be missed dearly. We send

our deepest condolences to

her sons, Noble, David and

Jeremy Smith and their

families.

The Board of Trustees

The Museum of Modern Art

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