In Memoriam

Marty Winter A'55

Marty Winter passed away at the age of 91 on May 28, 2026. He had a long career in advertising at many firms like Sudler & Hennessy and CBS. In the late 1980s, he co-founded an advertising agency with his friend, Jim Rothenberg, where he worked until retirement.

Elaine Breiger Perlov A'70

Elaine Breiger passed away on May 24, 2026. As a printmaker, she taught at the School of Visual Arts for 40 years and showed her art at the Pace and Martha Jackson galleries, as well as in group shows at the Smithsonian Institute and the Brooklyn Museum.

Michael Cheifetz ME'65

Michael Cheifetz passed away on February 21, 2026. He earned his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Rochester after graduating from Cooper. He built a long and respected career, mostly at a private engineering firm.

Shirley Glaser A'56

Shirley Glaser passed away on June 29, 2026. In addition to The Cooper Union, she studied at Fordham and Columbia Universities. Shirley enjoyed a varied career in the arts as a graphic designer, photographer, and writer.

  • 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.