Miriam Golin Schwartz Obituary (1923 - 2010)

Miriam Schwartz, PhD, nee Golin, age 87, died December 23, 2010. She was preceded in death by her parents, Abraham and Leah Golin; her husband of 47 years, Stanley Schwartz, Jr.; her brother Myron; and her cousin Nathaniel Kahn. She is survived by her three sons, Robert of Columbus, OH, his wife Nancy Krasa, and children Hannah, Lila, and William; Bruce, M.D. of Kansas City, his wife Rochelle Stander, and children Matthew and Julia; and James of Boston, his wife Pamela Goldberg, and children, Jaime, Jason, and Stephanie; sister-in-law Barbara Golin of Wilmington DE; nephew Mark Golin of New York, his wife Julie, and children, Nicholas and Alexander; and niece Stacy Hoppman of Wilmington DE, her husband Michael, and children Samantha and Joseph; and many cousins, including Norman Kahn of Cambridge OH, and his wife Sophie. Miriam was born on January 26, 1923 at Smela, Ukraine, which was then part of the Soviet Union. Her good fortune was to be brought to the United States in 1935 with her parents and brother by her late uncle Harry Kahn of Cambridge, OH. She graduated from Cambridge High School and attended The Ohio State University, where she majored in chemistry and was active in campus life, as an editor of the Makio and a member of honorary societies such as Mortar Board, Mirrors, and Chimes. Like many members of the Greatest Generation, married the love of her life, Stanley in 1944 and said goodbye to him after a one night honeymoon at the old Deshler hotel, when he headed off his U.S. Army unit. While he was stationed in India, she worked at Chemical Abstracts. After Stanley returned and completed law school, she bore her first child, Robert: three years later she had her second, Bruce. At that point she and Stanley bought their first house in Bexley, where Stanley had gone to high school. The birth of son James eventually lead to buying a larger house up the street. When James was old enough to start school, Miriam began her subsequent careers. Her next career was as a student, and teacher, of Russian Literature. She had long loved the poetry of Pushkin and the novels of Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky. She began by taking courses in the Slavic Department of OSU, then joined the formal graduate program, and eventually earned a PhD in Slavic Languages and Literature. The Slavic Department appreciated her skill as a native speaker of Russian and her deep knowledge of Russian culture and literature. In addition to teaching courses to undergraduates, she was also the moderator of the WOSU radio show: “Soviet Union and Eastern Europe in Review” which was broadcast every Sunday afternoon for many years. She was also a philanthropist and activist. She organized efforts to support the State of Israel through Women’s American ORT. She volunteered for the campaigns of politicians such as Adlai Stevenson, Ohio Governor John Gilligan, and President Jimmy Carter, who visited her home in Bexley during his 1976 campaign. She loved the arts and was an early and fervent supporter of BalletMet, donating time and her money to make it a strong organization, and served on its Board of Trustees for 25 years. She also joined the Board of Trustees of Muskingum University in New Concord, OH. In their sixties, when many couples are slowing down, Miriam and Stanley bought a run down, but large and beautiful house in Bexley and renovated it with the help of architect John Behal. The renovation was featured in Columbus Monthly Magazine. They also bought a vacant lot in the resort city of Palm Beach FL, where they built their dream house. After a few winters in Palm Beach, they decided to make Florida their principal residence. Their idyll was brought to a close by Stanley’s illness and then death in 1992. Miriam did not give up or give in. She flew around the world on the Concorde supersonic airliner, went on a safari in Africa, attended the festivities in Hong Kong when it rejoined China, and took all of her children and grandchildren on a two week tour of Israel. She remained active in philanthropy in Palm Beach, joining the boards of organizations such as the Palm Beach Jewish Federation, the Morris Geriatric Center, and the Commission on Jewish Education of Palm Beach County. The end of the cold war, allowed Miriam to do for her extended family, which was still in Russia, what had been done for her. She sponsored the emigration of some 40 of her cousins to the U.S. and Israel. Age and illness slowed her down in recent years, and she returned to Columbus. But she was comforted by the presence of her family and the excellent care given by her nurses, Kelly Hickman, Victoria Miller, Jeanette Pinkerton, Ann Stevens, and Maria Pinkerton. Miriam’s funeral will be held at 11:00 A.M. on Monday morning, December 27, 2010 at EPSTEIN MEMORIAL CHAPEL, 3232 East Main Street, Columbus, Ohio., followed by interment at Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens Temple Israel section. The Schwartz Family will observe Shiva at Miriam’s apartment. In lieu of flowers please make a contribution to charity. Miriam’s favorite charities included, BalletMet, Muskingum University, OSU, Jewish Federation and Jewish National Fund.