In Memoriam

Walter E. Beck A'69

Canaan, NY. - Walter Beck, 73 (A'69), died peacefully at his home Thursday, January 21, 2021. Walter was born on February 6, 1947, in New Jersey to Elgin and Carolyn Beck.

Christopher B. Evans A'90

Christopher Evans (A'90), age 54, of Paris, France, formerly of Prospect, CT, passed away on March 1, 2023 after a short battle with cancer. Christopher was a graduate of Sacred Heart High School and Cooper Union in New York City.

Gloria Hejduk A'49

Gloria Hejduk A'49 was a woman of culture. She was 94 years old.

"Gracious, curious, and thoughtful, Gloria Fiorentino Hejduk was a true intellectual and marvelous interlocutor who valued her family and friends with fierce loyalty and devotion.

Fred Shinagel CE'53

Fred Shinagel (CE'53), 91, died early Sunday morning on February 19, 2023, like the title of his favorite Edward Hopper painting. He began his life as a New Yorker in June 1941 when he arrived, with his parents and brother, after three years as Jewish refugees from Vienna.

  • Founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.

  • “My feelings, my desires, my hopes, embrace humanity throughout the world,” Peter Cooper proclaimed in a speech in 1853. He looked forward to a time when, “knowledge shall cover the earth as waters cover the great deep.”

  • From its beginnings, Cooper Union was a unique institution, dedicated to founder Peter Cooper's proposition that education is the key not only to personal prosperity but to civic virtue and harmony.

  • Peter Cooper wanted his graduates to acquire the technical mastery and entrepreneurial skills, enrich their intellects and spark their creativity, and develop a sense of social justice that would translate into action.