The Department of Mathematics and Statistics along with Dr. William LaCourse, Dean of the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, join the entire UMBC community in mourning the passing of Professor Emeritus Thomas Seidman on August 14, 2024.
A native of New York, Dr. Seidman earned a B.A. from the University of Chicago, an M.A. from Columbia University Teachers College, and an M.S. and Ph.D. from New York University. He worked at Boeing Scientific Research Laboratories and Lawrence Livermore Lab in the 1960s, and held positions at UCLA, the University of Wisconsin, Wayne State University, and Carnegie Mellon University. He joined the UMBC faculty as an associate professor in 1972. In January 2017, he retired after 45 years of distinguished scholarship and service to UMBC, with wide-ranging contributions to the mathematics community.
During his time at UMBC, Tom was an esteemed and omnipresent entity in the department. In addition to his extensive contributions to the intellectual life of the department, Tom also played a strong role in the department. He wrote the departmental bylaws on the chair election procedure and was the promotion and tenure (P&T) committee chair for a long time. In 1992, he served as the acting Chair of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics.
He was a prolific mathematician with well over a hundred publications (169 with 69 co-authors from MathSciNet) and a Google Scholar citation count of over 4000. His area of research was “all things applied analysis,” which included partial differential equations, control theory and semigroup theory, and was often applied to various mathematical modeling problems. He also contributed to the field of operations research. It was almost customary for him to kick off the math colloquium series, as well as the differential equations seminar series every semester, by being the first person to volunteer to speak. There was a special seat reserved for him in the front row of MP401 from where he would dim and brighten the room lights during seminars and colloquia. His colleagues remarked that they could always count on Tom to pose insightful questions to the speaker after the talk.
Despite his mathematical stature, Tom was a very friendly and unassuming colleague. Conversations with him always wound up centering around an interesting mathematical problem, whether from first year calculus or advanced functional analysis. Tom was also an enthusiastic mentor to many junior faculty. He collaborated with multiple colleagues in the department and also with many others from North America, Europe, Australia, and South America. He spent the 1980-81 school year as a visiting professor at the University of Nice, and during one sabbatical, he visited seven countries on five continents. Tom had an Erdős number of three.
Tom married his late wife, Dr. Marjorie Shriro, in 1969. He is survived by his son, Gregory, daughter-in-law, Carrie, and grandchildren, Ren and Avery. He will be greatly missed. Services for Dr. Seidman will be held at the Owen Brown Interfaith Center in Columbia, MD on Saturday, January 11, 2025.
“How do you ground the American experience in something you can get your hands around?” asks Orser. “I always thought it was helpful to bring things down to a certain scale. Maybe because that’s as much as I could try to get my mind around, but also it is because in some ways, that’s where we live our lives.”
– W. Ed Orser, quoted in Locale Hero, UMBC Review, by Richard Byrne
It is with great sadness that we share the news that W. Edward (Ed) Orser passed away on Monday, January 8, 2024. Ed was a beloved professor and researcher in the Department of American Studies at UMBC for over forty years. Upon his retirement in 2010, and in his honor, the Orser Center for the Study of Community, Place, and Culture was established at UMBC to foster innovative collaborations among scholars, students, and local community organizations across the disciplines whose research and teaching explore place-based study, especially focused on the Baltimore region.
Ed Orser earned a Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of New Mexico and came to UMBC in 1969, just four years after the university was formed, as one of the founding faculty members of the Department of American Studies. He served numerous terms as chair of the department and developed foundational courses still taught today.
Ed’s teaching and research interests were always closely connected. His courses on “Community in American Culture” and “American Environments: Landscape and Culture” not only became central parts of the American Studies curriculum, but led to a variety of research projects with students and to themes that became the focus of his own scholarship. Ed’s work as a publicly-engaged scholar in the local community was an inspiration for the Minor in Public Humanities for the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS), which is fittingly located in the Orser Center in American Studies.
Ed’s publications explore the social and cultural dynamics of the Baltimore region. His examination of the phenomenon of massive racial change in West Baltimore during the 1950s and 1960s led to the first book-length study of blockbusting and its consequences in post-World War II cities: Blockbusting in Baltimore: The Edmondson Village Story (University Press of Kentucky, 1994, 1997). Blockbusting in Baltimore was an influential, and widely imitated, text that is still cited in emerging scholarship on Baltimore and cities like it.
A collaborative research and teaching project with Professor Joseph Arnold of the History Department, resulted in an on-campus exhibition and the co-authored publication of From Village to Suburb: Catonsville, 1880-1940 (Donning Publishing Company, 1989). His first book, Searching for a Viable Alternative: The Macedonia Cooperative Community, 1937-1958 (Burt Franklin, 1981) explored the effort by a group of pacifists to establish an alternative community in North Georgia during and following World War II.
Articles on related topics have appeared in such journals as American Studies, Church History, the Maryland Historical Magazine, the International Journal of Oral History, the Public Historian, and the Journal of Urban History. Ed’s interest in environmental history in the Baltimore area resulted in publication of The Gwynns Falls: Baltimore Greenway to the Chesapeake Bay (The History Press, 2008) and the article, “A Tale of Two Park Plans: The Olmsted’s Vision for Baltimore and Seattle, 1903” (Maryland Historical Magazine, Winter 2003). His public history activity included co-authorship of The Gwynns Falls Trail Master Plan (with Diana Balmori, et al., 1995).
Ed received the UMBC Presidential Teaching Award in 1999 and the University System of Maryland Regents Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2003. The Baltimore Historical Society conferred Historian Honors recognition upon him in 2007.
Though deeply committed to Baltimore and UMBC, Ed also taught American Studies in a variety of international settings. In 1990-1991 he served as Senior Fulbright Lecturer at the University of Zagreb in Yugoslavia. In 2007, he taught in the American Studies Department at the University of Swansea in Wales. Prior to coming to UMBC, Ed served as a United States Peace Corps Volunteer teacher in Ethiopia. In his substantial service role at UMBC he was President of the Faculty Senate (1996-8) and a member of numerous university committees.
In retirement Ed served as president of the Friends of Maryland’s Olmsted Parks & Landscapes, a preservation and advocacy organization, and as Coordinator of the Urban Resources Initiative Internship program, which places interns with projects in Baltimore’s Department of Recreation and Parks and the Parks & People Foundation.
Ed and his wife Jo lived for many years in the Hunting Ridge neighborhood of Baltimore and he was known to bike to the UMBC campus. Ed and Jo recently moved to Charlestown Senior Living in Catonsville, where Ed continued to enjoy connecting with UMBC alumni and faculty.
Ed will be remembered for his contributions to how we understand cities, especially Baltimore, and issues of environmental justice. He influenced generations of students and mentored many faculty members. His kindness, humility, and generosity will be greatly missed in the Department of American Studies, the Orser Center, and across the UMBC campus.
We send our sincere condolences to Ed’s beloved family and invite the UMBC community to attend a memorial service celebrating Ed’s long and rich life at 11 a.m. on Saturday, January 20, at Salem Lutheran Church, 905 Frederick Road in Catonsville. All who knew and loved him are invited to attend. In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions be made to Salem Lutheran Church (www.Salem-Catonsville.org/) or the Charlestown Scholars’ Fund (www.ccicharlestown.org/giving/scholars-fund).
In honor of Ed’s long contributions to the fields of urban and American studies, the Department of American Studies and the Orser Center are co-sponsoring a Humanities Forum lecture by noted urban historian Davarian Baldwin on May 1, 2024. American Studies & the Orser Center will continue to find ways to recognize the work of Ed Orser and his engagement with the study of place and community in the Baltimore region. A donation can be made to support that work in Ed’s name on the Department’s Giving Page.
You can read Ed’s obituary here.
Remembering E. Michael Richards
It is with sorrow that we share the passing of E. Michael Richards, professor emeritus of music.
One of the world’s leading interpreters of contemporary music for the clarinet, Michael was an exemplary performer, researcher, and educator. He joined the UMBC faculty in 2001, was promoted to full professor in 2009, and twice served as chair of the music department before retiring with emeritus status in 2021.
Michael’s superb leadership skills were evident soon after his arrival on campus. Linda Dusman, professor of music and former chair, shares, “When we hired Michael in 2001, I did not know at the time that he would become my right hand in revitalizing the music department, recruiting students and new faculty growing from a department of 4 full-time faculty and 60 students to 15 faculty and 150 students in a very short time. Michael brought vision, administrative skills, and extraordinary artistry to UMBC.”
Michael’s contributions to that remarkable departmental growth were myriad. Working in partnership with Kazuko Tanosaki, he founded the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in American Contemporary Music, an international program that brought several cohorts of students from Japan to UMBC. He established an exchange program with the Conservatorio “G. Nicolini” in Piacenza, Italy, which enabled a steady flow of faculty and students between institutions. He helped manage the completion of the music portion of the Performing Arts and Humanities Building, outfitting spaces and hiring staff to manage its complex operations. As director of the UMBC Symphony, he transformed the ensemble from one that was essentially a community orchestra, with little student involvement, to one comprising 80% UMBC students, and from virtually every major. At UMBC’s 50th Anniversary in 2016, the Symphony capped a weekend of festivities, performing outside with fireworks overhead.
An internationally recognized performer and researcher
An internationally recognized performer, Michael was a respected force on concert stages around the world, both as a soloist and with the Tanosaki-Richards Duo, formed with his wife and longtime collaborator Kazuko Tanosaki. He and the duo often premiered works written for them — more than 150 in all — building a substantial new repertoire for the clarinet and the clarinet-piano ensemble.
“As a composer, creating music for him as a soloist and for the Tanosaki-Richards Duo constituted high points of my career,” says Dusman. “His ability to understand the deep meanings in a musical score, to shape the color and time-space of music for clarinet for me was not only a personal gift, but also a legacy to the entire global community of contemporary music making.”
Michael was also a founding member of the UMBC new music ensemble RUCKUS. During his years with the group, the ensemble performed numerous times at UMBC, enjoyed residencies at Stanford University and the New England Conservatory of Music, and performed at venues such as the Smithsonian Institution and the Baltimore Museum of Art.
Michael (center) performing in a 2017 RUCKUS concert with colleagues Patrick Crossland, Tom Goldstein, Lisa Cella, and Airi Yoshioka. Photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.
A particular research focus for Michael centered around extended techniques for the clarinet, especially the use of microtones (tones that are “between” the traditional notes in the Western musical scale) and multiphonics (the ability to play two or more notes simultaneously). His book The Clarinet of the Twenty-First Century, which investigates these techniques, quickly became a de facto standard reference for students and professionals alike.
A dedicated teacher and mentor
At both UMBC and Hamilton College, where he taught before coming to Baltimore, Michael touched the lives of hundreds of students. At UMBC, he directed a symphony that included not only music majors, but also students majoring in biology, electrical engineering, English, psychology, and many other fields.
“I will never forget the hours that Dr. Richards would stay after symphony rehearsal to just hang out with us and chat or the time that he entrusted me with doing a design for an upcoming concert,” remembered Megan Clelan ’19, visual arts, a Linehan Artist Scholar who minored in music. “He believed in each and every one of his students to excel — both in their careers and as people. His empathy and kindness, no matter how frustrating the situation, will be something that I will always remember and carry with me.”
Christian Hartman ’20, music, and also a Linehan Artist Scholar, recalled, “Dr. Richards was more than a teacher and mentor — he was a great friend as well. He awakened and kindled my passion for contemporary music, and supported my openness to different musical styles. I wouldn’t be where I am today without Dr. Richards’ mentorship, encouragement, and guidance, and I am so grateful that I got to know and learn from him.”
While Michael inspired students to be their best and to challenge themselves, he was also an inspiration to his colleagues in the music department. “Michael was a consummate pedagogue and truly loved teaching,” adds professor and violinist Airi Yoshioka, a close colleague. “He saw each student as having innate abilities to blossom and knew how to bring brilliance out of them. I learned so much from talking to him about how to support, encourage and patiently watch their development. He shared so many astute observations about my own students and put me on track when facing challenges. I am so grateful for all the wisdom he shared with me because he helped me grow as a teacher.”
A generous personality
Known for his quote, “I’m not mad, I’m just excited!” Michael never hesitated to share his positive energy with those around him. Possessed with a razor sharp wit and quick smile, his often quirky sense of humor put people at ease. Faculty, staff, students and alumni alike valued his warm and affable personality.
“When Michael joined the UMBC Music Department over 20 years ago, he and I became great friends immediately,” shared Tom Goldstein, recently retired from the music department. “It would be almost impossible to overstate Michael’s contributions to UMBC as a phenomenal musician, conductor, teacher, Department Chair, and perhaps most of all, mentor and inspiration to many, many students. I will miss him incredibly.”
Michael leading the UMBC Symphony in performance during the university’s 50th Anniversary celebration.
Celebrating Michael’s life
Michael is survived by his wife, Dr. Kazuko Tanosaki, a concert pianist well known to many in the campus community, and sister, Dr. Melinda Richards Banks.
A celebration of life event hosted by the family on Saturday, March 4 will be viewable by Zoom. Friends are encouraged to visit the site of the Sterling-Ashton-Schwab-Witzke Funeral Home of Catonsville, Inc., to share memories and photographs.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions in honor of Michael can be made to the UMMC Heart Center Nursing Fund (under designation please choose Heart Center Nursing Fund), the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s OrchKids program, or to the UMBC Department of Music (designate Music as your recipient).
The Department of Music will honor Michael with a named seat in Earl and Darielle Linehan Concert Hall and provide an annual award to a member of the UMBC Symphony.
On Tuesday, March 7 from 6 to 7 p.m. in Earl and Darielle Linehan Concert Hall, the campus community is invited to gather together to share memories. This event will be livestreamed on Vimeo. A space for written memories has been created outside the Music Box.
Read more about Michael’s work with the UMBC Symphony in UMBC Magazine.
Kimberly R. Moffitt, Dean
College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
Top photo of E. Michael Richards by Richard Anderson.
Dear Colleagues,
We are saddened to learn of the recent transition of Dr. Alan Sorkin who served as chair of the Department of Economics for 31 years. Dr. Sorkin passed away on Friday, August 19, 2022 at home surrounded by his family after a long battle with an illness. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones and we know that many UMBC community members will mourn his loss.
Dr. Sorkin joined the UMBC Economics Department in 1974 upon completing his undergraduate and doctorate in Economics at Johns Hopkins University. Prior to UMBC, he also spent two years with the Brookings Institution and five years with the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins. Under his leadership, the UMBC Economics Department more than doubled the number of faculty and student majors. The Department also introduced its Financial Economics B.S. and its M.A. in Economic Policy Analysis. He retired from UMBC and became Professor Emeritus in 2006.
His scholarly expertise focused on global public health but he also published innovative monographs in other areas of applied economics. He published twelve books and eight co-edited volumes. In addition to his books on health economics, the titles of his other books include Monetary and Fiscal Policy and Business Cycles in the Modern Era, Economic Aspects of Natural Hazards, Education, Unemployment and Economic Growth, and The Urban American Indian. His numerous contributions were recognized with the Heritage Award by the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University in 2019.
After his retirement in 2006, Alan still returned regularly to the UMBC campus to visit and lunch with faculty colleagues up until the 2020 pandemic. Economics Department Chair David Mitch recalls that during his visits Alan would frequently inquire about current department issues. Among his numerous non-academic interests, Alan was an avid coin collector. His presence will certainly be missed.
A visitation will be held at Schimunek Funeral Home, 9705 Belair Rd, Nottingham, MD on Friday, August 26, 2022 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Another brief visitation will be held Saturday, August 27, 2022 from 9 AM to 9:30 AM at St. Michael Lutheran Church Perry Hall, 9534 Belair Road, Nottingham, MD 21236. Funeral services will begin at 9:30 AM, followed by interment at Highview Memorial Gardens, 3433 Fallston Rd, Fallston, MD 21047. The website for the funeral home is Schimunek Funeral Home | Funeral & Cremation (dignitymemorial.com).
Contributions may be made in his memory to Harford County Public Library Harford County Public Library (hcplonline.org) or to Fallston Volunteer Fire and Ambulance Company Donations – Fallston Fire Company (fvfac.org).
Kimberly R. Moffitt, Dean
College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
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