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| Name: Fred Rubin | Senile moment. I did not realize that I had already sent a memory of Ed. I orginally sent this memory June 10th. I am computer illiterate and thought it had not been sent. So not only was Ed right in my singing he also maybe be laughing at my computer skills. Love Fred | Date added: 6/25/2009 9:51:30 PM |
| Name: Frederick Rubin Eddie's Cousin | My recollections of my cousin Eddy are only those during my preteen and teen years. My mother Lillian and his mom Dora were the closest sisters and as such I spent a great deal of time at Aunt Dora's home. Eddy & I would sing together and he would play his guitar. He told me I was not a good singer and he was definitely correct. We spent time together at summer camp at Camp Chebbacco in Essex, MA. He and his guitar were inseparable even at this early age of our teen years.
We both belonged to U.S.Y. (United Synagogue Youth) which met at the Mishkan Tifilla in Roxbury, MA on Sundays. This is where I believe he met Hope Pearlman. We spent time together at Hope's house and enjoyed each others company. We performed theatrical in the production "You can't take it with you."
The single event which stands out in my mind is when I overheard Aunt Dora tell my mom that Eddie's junior high
teacher at Solomon Lewenburg that Eddie would be lucky to graduate High School and he should think about a trade. I wonder what this teacher of education would say about this remarkable human being who will be greatly missed not only by his family but his colleagues and students as well. I was truly shocked when I heard Eddie had passed away. When I reviewed the legacy he left behind I am sorry that we didn't keep in touch. My deepest condolances to his wife Barbara and family.
Love Fred | Date added: 6/25/2009 9:38:45 PM |
| Name: Emilie Manzler and Al Newell | This will not be a remembrance of the academic Ed, even though we always marveled at his knowledge of so many things and his love of music. This will be the remembrance of the friend we knew, and the helpful, caring, and loving husband of Barbara.
We first knew Ed and Barb when they lived at the farm in Honeoye Falls, in about 1978. We each had horses, dogs, and cats, and Ed helped care for them all, even learning to do stalls, run tractors, spreaders, etc. It was at the farm that the first attempt at breeding Golden Retrievers took place. That required Ed's humor and Jason's, their first Golden. When Barb showed her horses we went along out of town to dressage shows. Ed stayed at the farm, caring for the remaining livestock. We remember attending musical performances at the U of R by Michael with the very proud father, proud of both his sons and later in life the adoring grandparent. Remembering with joy at Barb and Ed's wedding, and at Edith's comment! Happy visits and delicious meals and cookouts, presided over by "Chef Ed: in both Pittsford and Florida. And Ed's diet with which he did so well, much to our envy. Gulfstream races and gambling cruises and stone crabs in Florida. Breakfasts at Peeper Pond Farm, our place in Honeoye Falls, while the Golden girls swam - and got Ed's new car wet! Puppies that needed their nails cut, and holding by Ed so it could be done. Cleanup, cleanup and more cleanup! Ed loved every one of those puppies even with all those holes that were dug in the back yard and that needed to be filled. The recent birthday party Ed planned so carefully for Barbara with all the family and friends attending - such a memorable occasion! Ed was a dear friend and we will miss him so very much.... Emilie and Al.
| Date added: 6/25/2009 8:03:29 PM |
| Name: Rusti Berent | First, Jerry and I wish to extend our deepest sympathy to Ed's family. He certainly has a family to be proud of. We are so sad to have lost this very special friend. We never expected to not see Ed again when we said goodbye at our last brunch together. His kasha varnishke was a delicious treat for us this past year and our holiday meals will never be the same again without his contribution of wisdom, humor, point of view and of course, his expertly cooked food. He was the light in Barbara’s eyes and now that is gone, too. But his spirit will live on in all of us who knew him—he will not be forgotten and we will share Ed stories every time we gather. Ed’s children and grandchildren are a part of his legacy and being with them this weekend lessened a bit of the pain. | Date added: 6/23/2009 3:20:00 PM |
| Name: Kathy and Tom Tanchick | I would like to extend my thoughts and prayers to Barb and the family on the loss of Ed. He was both a good friend and a great employer to me at the University of Rochester.
He saw past the wheelchair and saw the woman and professional behind the hardware..He will be greatly missed by us.
Love, Kathy and Tom Tanchick | Date added: 6/21/2009 7:26:27 AM |
| Name: Barbara Ilardi | Ed and I met at the University of Rochester Faculty Senate in February of 1976. We were both in rough shape emotionally. I had been divorced the year before and was getting over a bad subsequent relationship, and Ed was separated. We formed a friendship over the next several months, and that friendship grew into love as it sustained our relationship for the next 32 years. We loved each other deeply, and found in each other trust and stability, genuine liking, and mutual respect. Ed was the smartest person I ever knew. His mind was incredible. When we met, his work was not progressing well, but during our first years together it gained speed and he became one of the top people in his field. He seemed to have a knack for getting contracts, and he loved working with his graduate students.
We also both loved country music, and would go out to listen to music a couple of times a week. Our first trip together was to Nashville. Our first stop on the drive was the Tip-Top Diner on Mt. Hope – a full five minutes away from home! It was the middle of summer, and Nashville was blazing hot, but we didn’t care. We survived the trip and made many more all over the country. Our idea of roughing it was a motel room with only one phone and one TV! The camping scene was never one we enjoyed!
Ed wasn’t good with cars – he had a number of accidents, and was constantly breaking something. But he made up for that by being good in many other ways. There was a 2-year period where I needed a number of surgeries, including 2 hip replacements and two cataract surgeries. He was there every step of the way.
Within months after he moved in with me, I decided to move to a horse farm in Honeoye Falls. Ed was as much a horse person as he had been with dogs, but he gave it a shot anyway – cleaning stalls, feeding, turning out horses, coming with me to shows as my “groom” and even riding once or twice. I remember one show outside of Pittsburgh where the heavens opened and the mud was deep – yet there he was with a towel, wiping off my shiny boots just as I went into the ring.
He wasn’t a dog person either, but loved each of my golden retrievers dearly. Whenever we lost one to illness, he was the one who was brave, but then he couldn’t even look at the empty collars years later without crying. He came to shows with me, embraced a whole new set of dog-training buddies, and became our official photographer.
Michael and Henry were his pride and joy. No father could have been more supportive, without smothering and without imposing, more generous financially and emotionally, and always without any strings attached. He never TOLD them what to do – he asked what they wanted and how they felt, and he listened.
When my mother moved to Rochester, Ed was as much a caretaker and support person for her as I was. He ran her errands, took her places, and joked with her. When my brother’s first wife became ill and later lived in a nursing home in Florida, Ed was the one who came with me to visit her and to take her out to holiday dinners and brunches.
The arrival of grandchildren prompted Ed to get married – he wanted me to be a legitimate “Grandma Barb.” With his grandkids he was a doting Grandpa Ed – spoiling them enormously and delighting in each of them as individuals.
Over the last 12 years, we established a life and friends in Florida which we enjoyed each winter. He played gigs and sat in on sets with several musicians who became our friends. He explored the Keys, as well as the South Florida culture. He established a professional network as well, spending a sabbatical at the University of Miami.
After getting through Ed’s bout with prostate cancer in 2007, Ed began to relax a tiny bit about finances. We were looking forward to spending more time Florida after his retirement next year, but that was not to be.
I feel as though a part of me, a very large part of me, the best part of me, has been ripped away. Without Ed I am less. He was so humble – he never thought of himself as someone with many friends.
He surely was wrong about that.
| Date added: 6/21/2009 5:07:01 AM |
| Name: Nenad Nenadic | One of the first people I met at UofR was professor Titlebaum. It was at the picnic for welcoming graduate students in the fall of 1996. He stopped by, found out that I am a Serb, and then started joking how Serbs never master articles. He knew, he had had advised a few. … One of the first classes I took was his DSP: he taught it so effortlessly; everything was flowing naturally, except once, when he paused and drew our attention to the section in the book stating something like “it can be easily shown…†He protested that the author swept a non-obvious derivation under the carpet and then in a few masterful strokes provided the missing derivation using complex analysis. After that he nodded, pleased that he had corrected this injustice to us and continue with the material… I did not take his Estimation Theory – there were other things to learn at the time. I regretted it later... He served on my qualifier committee and my thesis committee. He had an inimitable way of asking questions: the tone of his voice and the glimmer of his eye would make a question provocative, insightful, and encouraging all at the same time! Once my adviser, Tom Jones, sent me to discuss a part of my thesis with him. I showed him the material he listened carefully, then, when I finished , he leaned forward, and said in a private, conspiratorial voice “I have just the thing that you need to add more sophistication to your stuff†and pointed me to the reference on distribution theory. He was very generous and supportive. Everybody at the department liked him and admired him. | Date added: 6/21/2009 1:06:29 AM |
| Name: sondra miller | my thoughts, love, and deepest sympathey to Ed's entire family. i knew him before he met Hope! judy and i danced in a troupe that entertained at hospitals, and
Ed was the guitarist. smart, funny, talented ,helpful and admired by all. he will be missed. | Date added: 6/20/2009 5:20:55 PM |
| Name: Nancy Webber | My association with Ed and Barb began 25 or so years ago through the horse world. Barb was an avid horselover and accomplished dressage rider. Ed was her tolerant and supportive partner on her farm in Honeoye Falls. My daughter Darla spent a lot of time there with her horse. Barb passed on much of her expertise to Darla - often coaching her and accompanying her to shows and events. Ed patiently put up with all of this. He was great at cleaning stalls, feeding, watering and turning out the horses. As a result I developed a long-standing relationship with Barb and Ed, both brilliant and caring people. Darla and I attended their wedding in 1997. Ed loved life, especially his wife and his family. He always welcomed me as part of their life. I will be there for Barb.
| Date added: 6/19/2009 12:15:19 PM |
| Name: Joshua Wesson | Hope is my mother's sister, which made Ed my uncle. Among reform Jews, the love for one's uncle is pretty much a given. Ed, however, found a way to render that response infinitely more satisfying. He was an extraordinary person, a mensch of the highest order, who manifested a rare Clinton-like ability to make you feel, no matter what your caste or credentials, that you and your thoughts mattered greatly--not only to him, but to everyone. He befriended me well before any of my other "automatic" relatives did, and taught me things about radios, amplifiers, turntables, moving coil cartridges, stereos and whales, that I, to this day, reference and rely upon. He showed me how to play my first diminished chord on the guitar, which opened me up to a world of jazz that forever enhanced my appreciation of its augmented joys. He was an intellectual conjurer who could charm the opaque into appearing translucent. Best of all, he was a peerless teacher who taught everyone around him how to laugh at, and learn from, both their failures and their successes. He was, and always will be, loved and beloved. | Date added: 6/19/2009 1:18:35 AM |
| Name: David and Marjorie White | We met Ed and Hope when Ed and David were graduate students in Electrical Engineering at Cornell. Ed, a fellow Bostonian, was always great fun. He was intelligent, kind and very caring of others. In the summer of 1964, our lease was up at Cornell’s married student housing complex and we couldn’t move into our summer rental in Dryden, NY for a few days. With no place to stay and very little money, Ed and Hope came to our rescue by insisting that we stay with them until our new place was ready. Ed played his guitar, cooked and provided stimulating conversation throughout our stay. We felt like family members wrapped in the warmth of our loved ones. We still remember, and always will, the genuine hospitality shown to us by Ed and Hope. Peace be with you. | Date added: 6/18/2009 9:49:22 PM |
| Name: Rosemarie and Bil Murray | We first met Ed in the Winn Dixie in Homestead, Florida. I introduced Bill and I as Barb's friends from Canada.And he wasted no time demonstrating his great sense of humour. He wanted to know if we had come to invade the supermarket for beans to help our leader John Candy invade the U.S. Refering ofcourse to the movie Canadian Bacon. Ed's birthday parties down in the Keys at Coconuts and the Mandalay were always the highlights of our winters in Florida. We'll miss you Ed. | Date added: 6/18/2009 10:37:36 AM |
| Name: Ellin and Bill Friedman | Our families have been close and our children grew up in each others house. There are many memories of Eddie that have accumulated over the years. There were many informal get-togethers on Golden Rod Lane after we first got to Rochester. They usually combined two of Eddie’s favorite activities, eating and playing the guitar. He had a twinkle in his eye when he played and we were always surprised at the extent of his repertoire. Eddie had a great sense of humor – Ellin always remember his comment that when she sang to them our children fell asleep out of self defense. Eddie had a great voice and our family had none.
We shared some unique times. I still remember camping out on the floor of their family room with all the kids and watching Neil Armstrong take his walk on the moon. Eddie loved to teach and he was generous with his knowledge. His grasp of mathematics helped make it possible for Bill to get through the applied math course his first year in grad school. We will always remember him fondly.
| Date added: 6/13/2009 12:28:41 AM |
| Name: Jeff Frohm | Ed was always filled with so much knowledge and generosity. Everytime I was around him I would learn something new and fascinating. Her and Barbara have been so helpful to my family and I and have always welcomed us with open arms into their homes. Time and time Ed and Barbara have always blessed my family and I with an extraordinary amount of class and respect.
Thank you so much for everything and we will miss you.
| Date added: 6/12/2009 12:24:01 PM |
| Name: Freddy Rubin/Cousin Fred Rubin Oklahoma City | My recollection of my cousin Eddy are only those during my preteen and teen years. My mother Lillian and his mom (Aunt Dora) were the closest sisters and as such I spent a great deal of time at Aunt Dora's home. Eddy and I would sing together and he would play his guitar. He told me I was not a good singer and he was definitly correct.
We spent time together at summer camp at Camp Chebacco in Essex, MA.
He and his guitar were inseparable even at this early age of our teen years.
We both belonged to U.S.Y. (United Synagogue Youth) which met at the Mishkan Tefilla in Roxbury, MA on Sundays.
This is where I believe he met Hope Pearlman. We spent time together at Hope's house and enjoyed each others company.
We performed theatrically on the production, "You Can't Take It With You."
The most memorable moment when I think of Eddy I is when I speak to individuals and audiences about a teacher who tried to limit Eddy's great potential. My Aunt Dora told my mother she was extremely upset because of what one teacher had told her at a parent/teacher conference. She was told that Eddy lacked the ability to finish school and that he should look to a trade for his future. I wonder what this teacher of education would say about this remarkable human being who will be missed not only by his family but his colleagues and students as well.
The purpose of this example I use is to demonstrate that if we set our own goals we should not allow anyone to prevent us from achieving our goals.
I was truly shocked when I heard Eddy had past away. When I review the legacy he had left behind I am sorry we did not keep in touch.
My deepest to his wife Barbara and family.
Love, Fred
Love Fred | Date added: 6/10/2009 10:17:11 PM |
| Name: Aaron Frohm | Ed was a great man with a very generous heart. He never hesitated to let me know when he no longer wanted items in his basement and would allow me to leave his house with great new gifts and gadgets. His love for the Buffalo Bills allowed me to go to my first ever NFL football game with him when the Bills played the San Diego Chargers.
Ed also loved to share his guitar and music knowledge with my brother and I, and he was always there to keep me company at dog shows. We will miss you Ed | Date added: 6/10/2009 8:23:42 PM |
| Name: Rick Johnson | The relationship between a grad student and his major professor is often complicated and wonderful at the same time. Looking back, there is no doubt Ed was heavy on the wonderful side. As clueless as I can be, I only realized much later just what he did for me. He sprung me from a windowless office in the basement of Hopeman Hall in my second semester, freeing me from that claustrophobic environment. He helped me battle my draft board (successfully). He arranged for a year for me at Johns Hopkins with financial support when he was on a sabbatical there. He carefully navigated the department politics as they would affect my qualifying exam and thesis defense. He apologized for the poor professorial job market in 1972 and promptly found a postdoc position in the biology department at Yale to study bats. I also suspect his hand in a job offer a year later from the Navy at the dolphin research facility in San Diego.
Our son, Chris, was almost two months old when I graduated from the U of R in 1973. We have a photo I have sent along from that day. Chris graduated from Rochester with an EE degree in 1995. Although he did not take any classes from Ed, Ed kindly arranged for me to join the EE faculty at the degree ceremony where Chris received his diploma. Again I have sent along a photo of Ed and I from that day.
My wife and I are truly a product of the Western US. As such, there were funny times when we would berate the eastern US life style as we took advantage of the educational opportunities there. On any car trip back home to Colorado, we would return to Rochester with a case of Coors beer which at that time was unavailable east of the Mississippi. Then we would husband our stash for special occasions, much to the puzzlement of Ed and fellow graduate student and good friend, Dave Nelson. I can't stand the stuff now and I can even long for a Genesee Creme Ale (no longer produced?) as I write this. It was good fun for us to foist a Coors on Ed and Dave, bragging about it's unavailability in Rochester.
Later, when we were living in San Diego, Ed and family drove cross country, stopping to visit my parents in Denver to get advice on the sights to see in Colorado. I don't know if he ever visited Colorado again, but I appreciated his interest in our home state.
I learned a lot from Ed in many ways. I'll miss him.
| Date added: 6/10/2009 12:07:40 PM |
| Name: judith berger | Ed was a kind, sweet man. There are so many things I remember about him. What husband would go and get dinner for your wife
while she is training the dogs, What husband will put up with having two dogs sleep with you. Ed was a quiet, sweet man with a heart of gold. He will be missed by his wife Barbara so much.
He will also be missed by his friends, family, students, colleagues, grandchildren and his dogs.
All our love to u Barbara
Judi and Stephen | Date added: 6/8/2009 8:33:38 PM |
| Name: Cynthia Maurice Garrett |
My memory of Ed goes way back to Dorchester( MA) ,when we were all in our mid teens and he was dating my best childhood friend Hope. I remember him vividly: A tall, young man with red hair, he was very smart, fun-loving and liked music. Over the years, despite the distance, our families continued to be in touch. I knew Ed mostly as a family man, raising his boys sharing family celebrations.
Though I haven' t seen him in a while, I was very saddened to hear that he passed away. He was a generous spirit and he will be missed. I send my love and support to all his family. | Date added: 6/8/2009 5:34:15 PM |
| Name: Nancy Chase | I met Ed when I started working for Barb and Ed almost 20 years ago. I remember the nice long talks we used to have and how knowledgeable he was about things. He talked with me about his work with the dolphins, and he could really be funny.... I remember how he teased the dogs when he was eating, and when the puppies were born, he just loved them! He named the first litter after the Andrews Sisters, and kept the puppy they called Patti. He always got a kick out of that. I remember how he and my husband David and Barb and I went to a fancy wedding out in Pittsford, and the two guys were chowing down on everything in sight! I will think of him often, and I will miss him... | Date added: 6/8/2009 2:56:31 PM |
| Name: Bobbe Brown | I met Ed about 8 years ago at a venue where I was performing. Ed's interest in what I was doing and how I was doing it seems almost insignificant now after recently learning just how deep the man actually was. I didn't know about all of Ed's credentials. Ed was interested in music and not tooting his own horn about his accomplishments. All I knew is he was a teacher with an interest in music. Every time I saw Ed and Barb, they always seemed happy. I summed that happiness up as both being teachers sharing mutual interests and a lot of hard work towards their relationship. Ed was always talking guitars and music production which he and I both shared in our lives. I invited Ed to play guitar with me at a gig and from there it became a yearly ritual. Each time Ed seemed better than the year before. Actually it was me paying more attention to his playing. He was very comfortable in front of a crowd and of course his quick witted humor always came into play as did his tasteful guitar riffs. I can truly say I will miss Ed, not only his conversations, his playing guitar, but mostly the friendship that was cut short, way too soon, before I got to really know Dr. Ed Titlebaum. | Date added: 6/8/2009 2:27:18 PM |
| Name: Henry Walker | I first met Ed through my colleague Barbara about 25 years ago. My wife, Joyce, and I really got to know him well when we moved to Ithaca in 1991. We enjoyed our times with Barb and Ed in Ithaca, Rochester and several trips together to Toronto. (BEING with them in Toronto was great but the drives could be hair-raising if either Ed or Barb was driving but that's a different story.)
Ed and Barb embraced my niece and her husband who were then with Xerox in Rochester. We were privileged to attend the ceremony at which the late Edith Ilardi proclaimed that Ed had finally made her daughter, Barb, "an honest woman." We also experienced him as a doting grandfather to Hannah and Zoe.
One only had to spend a few hours with Ed to realize that he was a brilliant but self-effacing scientist. My favorite "Ed Story" involves his science. At a sociology convention (my and Barb's field), Ed was deeply engrossed in conversation with a prominent member of our field who was had quite a reputation as a "mathematical sociologist." Afterward, Barb asked, "You and 'X' seemed to be having a really good talk. What were you talking about?" Ed replied, "I just love talking with mathematical sociologists, they use such primitive mathematics." We will miss Ed, his wry sense of humor and the occasional visits to good Tex-Mex restaurants that were probably not "good for" any of us. | Date added: 6/7/2009 5:32:28 PM |
| Name: Ed Angel and Rose Mary Molnar | I first met Ed when I was visiting Gerry Cohen on a social visit to Rochester in 1972. Gerry and I had shared an office while Gerry was on sabbatical while I was a post doc at USC. Ed and Chuck Merriam showed up at Gerry's house and immediately tried to convince me to come to Rochester. I thought they were crazy as I had become a Californian but Ed and I instantly became friends and I wound up coming to U of R a year later. I was put in the office next to Ed which cemented our friendship, even though it might not have been the best thing for our academic careers.
It was an interesting time and a huge cultural change for me. Never did I think that within months I'd be on a departmental bowling team with Ed and listening to Ed play country music at some of the local clubs. But it was great fun. And seeing Ed on Bowling for Dollars was certainly a high point of my time at Rochester; right up there with meeting my wife Rose Mary at the Faculty Club.
On a more serious note, those years were ones of great change both in terms of what was going on in the world and what was going on in our personal lives. For me, I had just been through a divorce and was coming into a new town where I knew one person. Having a friend like Ed (and his family) who welcomed me at all times made all the difference. I hope when Ed's life went through changes, I was half the friend he had been to me. We did manage to get some science done. Ed and I with David Pessel set up a fetal monitoring facility in the high risk labor area in the U of R Medical Center. It was an exciting application of signal processing that kept us busy for the last three years I was in Rochester.
After leaving Rochester in 1978 for New Mexico, Rose Mary and I managed to see Ed and Barbara a few times and keep in some contact through email. Looking back at 35 years of knowing Ed, I can't think of a better friend and a more decent person.
| Date added: 6/7/2009 4:59:11 PM |
| Name: Kathleen R. Martin | Ed was a fine gentleman much beloved by his community in Florida too. He and his wife, Barbara Ilardi, were the model of a companionable marriage and both contributed greatly to our Keys Gate community. Ed's laughter,wit and intellect I will miss the most. | Date added: 6/7/2009 10:23:59 AM |
| Name: Bud and Deb Waldstein | When Ed married my "baby sister", Hope, Deb and I had already shaken the dust of Boston from our boots and were living in New York City trying to get our own careers and life started. So we saw Ed only on the family gatherings of Thanksgiving, Passover, etc. We knew he had a guitar and a pipe, and those items meant he probably would fit in at a college. We never thought it would be in the frozen tundra of Rochester.That sounded to us like living on the moon.
It obviously worked out well. Reading the variety of thoughts and remembrances that Mike has collected and put on line prove that Ed had a successful life and wonderful career. That helps somewhat to soften the shock of his passing. | Date added: 6/7/2009 8:20:32 AM |
| Name: Jay Shapiro | Eddie and I grew up togrther on Lorne Street. When he first moved in,he was very friendly with Joey Kreiger who lived down near the bottom of the street. Joey was a frailkid and not too well. Over the years, in our infinite wisdom Eddie and I were going to teach Joey how to lift weights. No way. The apartment in Eddie's house had an empty room in the front that we used as the weight room, but that didn't last long. Joey couldn't lift and Eddie really wasn't interested.
Now remember that we were next door neihbors.Eddie lived on the top floor at 48 and I lived on the bottom floor at 50. So the next logical thing for Eddie was to run a wire from his bedroom to mine and attach a morse code mouse to each end and send each other messages. That worked out pretty well.
I could go on and on about Eddie and I but it would become a book. Suffice it to say that Eddie made a big difference in my life and although we lost touch, as people are wont to do, he will be sorely missed.
My condolences to you and your entire family. | Date added: 6/7/2009 7:45:25 AM |
| Name: Ron Titlebaum | It's fascinating for me to learn so much more about my big brother through the words of his students and contemporaries. I knew he was special but nothing like the man described below.
Maybe I can shed a little light on his early years. Ed was the oldest of three brothers. I am Ron, the middle brother, though I stopped being Ronny about the same time he stopped being Eddy. Sadly our youngest brother Elliot was killed in a car accident in 1991.
Ed and I could not have been more different. He was Hank Williams and Les Paul while I was Elvis and Bill Haley. But after he had been taking guitar lessons for several years, his music became the house music and we all became C&W fans. Eddy was also the student when I was the jock. If he had an athletic bone in his body, I never saw it, but he certainly was a gamer. One time when he was about twelve and I was about nine he somehow got hold of a small but powerful water based fire extinguisher. Thinking himself invincible he challenged me and several of my buddies to a water fight. We had 5 cent water pistols but at 4 to 1, the odds looked even. Suffice it to say that Eddy the athlete discharged the entire contents of the fire extinguisher with barely a drop finding a human target. The jackals then moved in to annihilate their prey. It was so sweet.
I don't know about his archiving skills later in life but I do know that he kept the best collection of soft-core porn (that's all we had) under our claw footed bathtub. Our parents knew it was there, I guess knowing and understanding that boys will be boys.
Eddy's electronics skills developed at an early age. I probably shouldn't tell this story with so many academic types around, but it is one of my favorite memories. When I was in the eleventh grade, I asked Eddy to help me with a science project. I was hoping for a little guidance and a push in the right direction. Eddy said he'd help!!
He built a strobe-o-scope (I still can't even spell it) which in my wildest dreams, I could never understand. So what happens: I (he) win first place in the entire high school and then have to present it at the city wide science fair. I never forgave him for his HELP.
My daughters commented on Eddy's joke telling skills. All three boys shared that skill since our parents essentially taught us how to do it. No joke was off limits. On those rare occasions when we all returned to the nest simultaniously, we could spend hours trying to outdo each other.
We were a happy family. My folks somehow got us all through college and thank heaven for Northeastern. That was all we "city" kids could afford.
Even as a kid, Eddy put the "gentle" in gentleman. I think sometimes this might have been mistaken for weakness but it was who and what he was.
Since we were now both snowbirds living winters in Florida and we could spend quality time together, we were in the process of connecting more tightly. I think we were both looking forward to it.
We loved him and my wife Cynthia and I will really miss him.
| Date added: 6/6/2009 4:01:23 PM |
| Name: Thomas B. Jones | From my arrival at the U of R in 1984, Ed Titlebaum was a friend, colleague, and mentor, and I possess many fond memories of him that I will cherish. Ed and I could talk about everything, from various professorial personalities that we both had encountered during our studies at MIT to the behavior of poles and zeroes to the Ice Storm of March, 1991.
That last item provides a good way to illustrate Ed's friendly, engaging personality. At the time of that terrible storm, Ed was teaching EE212, the course that became ECE113 (Circuits and Signals). It was one of his favorites and he enjoyed doing this class, but he had taught it for several years and was ready to turn it over to someone else. I agreed to take over for the following year and, to prepare myself, volunteered to reorganize the labs for him. Further, I faithfully sat in on his lectures to refresh myself about a subject I'd neither used nor thought much about since undergraduate days. When the Ice Storm struck, his home in Pittsford was one of many that lost power, and it was a full two weeks before it was restored. Day by day during this period, I watched Ed's usually friendly, enthusiastic demeanor deteriorate. After all, he and Barbara were "camping out" in a dark house illuminated by candles and the only way to get a shower was to rely upon the kindness of friends lucky enough to have electricity themselves. I mention this incident because it was the only time that Ed ever showed impatience or a hint of bad humor. It took two weeks without electricity to get him even to start to unravel. Many of us would be better off if we possessed such resilience.
Expecting him to return any day for the summer in Rochester, as he has always done, I stopped by his office door in Hopeman several times during May of this year, just to see if the light was on. Alas, he is gone. I will miss Ed keenly, for his jokes and for his camaraderie. Many, many others will, too.
Tom Jones | Date added: 6/6/2009 10:46:11 AM |
| Name: Marlene and Mark Yesley | I met Ed when Hope met him, at the rehearsals for You Can't Take It With You". I remember Ed's making ice cream sundaes at Brighams in Mattapan Square, carefully adding enough hot fudge sauce so that it ran down the sides of the metal dish, just as he was told to do. My husband,Mark, joined the group when I met him at the end of sophomore year of college. I was a bridesmaid in Hope and Ed's wedding in 1959. When we four were newlyweds, we had a long-running cumulative bridge game. We spent much of our free time together until they moved to Ithaca for Ed's PhD program at Cornell. We managed to keep in close touch through the Ithaca years and into the Rochester years. Then life with careers, small children, and other responsbilities intervened and we began to see less of each other. When our daughter, Suzy, was applying early to Rochester in 1982, Ed went to the admissions office to check on how things were going for her. We were so happy when he reported back that Rochester had decided to accept her application. It made our wait so much easier.
Ed was a big part of our growing-up years. It is sad that he is gone. | Date added: 6/5/2009 9:34:15 PM |
| Name: Phil Goldman | I'm so sorry to hear of Ed's passing. He and I lived acrtoss the street from each other, on Lorne St., for mmany years. We were close through high school. We were even so close during that time that we strung a cord and 2 tin cans from his side of the street to mine to try to communicate. That was when telephones had party lines. I still remember Dave and Dora fondly. As we approached our 55th reunion I traced him down through a friend who is aloso a friend of Rons. Ed and I spoke on the phone after many, many years and talked about trying to get together in Florida some time. I urged him to come to the reunion so we could reconnect. I didn't understand why I did not get responses to the subsequent e-mails and phine messages I sent to him. I guess I now know the answer to that. | Date added: 6/5/2009 3:22:28 PM |
| Name: Jeremy Sarachan | I ran into Ed and Barbara at Barnes and Noble this past winter. We talked for a couple of minutes, and I asked about what Mike thought about Ithaca. Ed's response showed me just how happy he was that Mike was back in music full time, and I think he was even more proud that Mike was teaching again, like he had. Like father, like son. | Date added: 6/5/2009 2:33:50 PM |
| Name: Charmaine Starr | Ed was a man of many interests. Some of my fondest memories of Ed were the times when Barb and Ed visited Ted and me at our house. Ed liked to cook and we had happy times sampling his culinary successes, discussing recipes and sharing cookbooks. Ed was a great person,always supportive of Barb and the dogs. He will be sorely missed. | Date added: 6/5/2009 7:54:16 AM |
| Name: Al Clark | Ed and I both joined the University of Rochester faculty in the fall of 1964, and I first met him at a dinner for new faculty. My last encounter with Ed was this past academic year, when he made me aware of some classic and interesting work on improving the convergence of series (mathematics was just one of Ed’s many areas of expertise). In my conversations with Ed during the many years between those events, I benefitted greatly from his creative insights, and I always came away inspired by his zest for life. Although I talked with Ed about computers the whole time I knew him, I particularly remember the early Apple II days. Ed had an amazing gift for pushing this infant technology to the limit, and showing how the machine could be used to good effect in the everyday life of an engineer or scientist. Some of this elegant work was presented in the early 1980’s at meetings of Apple Cider, an Apple users group which Ed served, first as Vice-President and then as President. His continuing work on technical graphics led later to Ed’s Plot Package for the Macintosh. Ed’s lectures were lively and beautifully organized, and I remember especially his talk on bat sonar. His lecturing ability – in combination with his warmth, humor, compassion, enthusiasm, and very quick mind – made him a truly great teacher. It is comforting to think that the good he did as a teacher will be passed on through those students of his who became teachers also. It was a privilege to have Ed as a colleague for 45 years. I will miss him greatly. | Date added: 6/4/2009 11:20:11 PM |
| Name: Stephen Burns | Ed and I came from quite similar backgrounds both with PhD’s from Cornell’s Engineering Physics Department. He was several years before me and we worked in different buildings so we did not know each other in Ithaca during the 1960’s. He was already at Rochester when I came to the University in Mechanical Engineering. His reputation was as an outstanding teacher with deep commitments, connections and concerns for students and colleagues alike. Ed, you will be missed for your humor, honest views of what was happening when all was chaotic, your enthusiasm for Macs and love of music. You told me when we went to hear Chuck Mangione play the flugelhorn that the best seats at the Eastman Theater were in the center-front mezzanine – I still try to sit there – thanks to you. I’ll miss you as a friend, someone who always had a good story and fellow teacher. | Date added: 6/4/2009 3:08:56 PM |
| Name: Margaret Aldridge | Only met Ed a couple of times at dog shows. But he was easy to talk with and impressed me as a caring person.
Ed was a great soul mate, husband etc. for Barb.
She will have a big void in her life, but some of these anecdotes will be of comfort to her and the family. | Date added: 6/4/2009 2:25:40 PM |
| Name: Michael (Gang) Ren | I met Prof. Titlebaum two years ago when I joined the department as a graduate student and take his graduate course “Detection and Estimation” in the first semester. I was instantaneously fascinated because his class is distinctively different: the key signatures of this engineering course are the “artistic” mathematical beauty and the “adventurous” scientific explorations; He teaches us the “art” on how to find and develop knowledge, rather than to remember the knowledge itself; also obviously as a “smile” class the professor is enthusiastically enjoy his “art” and obtained great pleasure when illustrating it for his students. Much portion of my initial impression of our department is formed from him. I actually approached him and became his friend: he is always happy to provide me some advice, tell me a little history of some technology, take “questions” about research projects or non-research “silly” hobbies and then provide ideas and insights for both, usually he will recommend me an interesting book, provide an anecdote of that book, and let me borrow it from his “library”. Actually any student can approach him at any campus corner to initiate interesting conversations, these conversations still echoes in our coffee rooms, copier room, offices, corridors, classrooms. Besides a great teacher, he is such a great friend......
He motioned to me that he likes to influence people. As a great teacher and researcher he is the essential person in our MRL (Music Research Lab) technical meetings, and special person he is: for he can illustrate any engineering insights as passionate music pieces, for he renders our CSB423 atmosphere like an outdoor picnic, in the much cherished sunshine of Rochester summer. He is also the committee of my PhD comprehensive exam. He does possess the magic to make people relax, smile and think, instead of reading slides. His questions guide me through the conceptual forest and make a critical exam a wonderful and fruitful discussion; he does make the exam feel like just an outdoor picnic, and make people feel ease around him. We love him more as a person than as our professor and scientist. Although majority proportion of these meetings is scientific and engineering oriented, where he is the undisputed leader, the residual non-technical portion is more of a fundamental importance: He actually made it a convention to announce family news in the beginning of the MRL meetings; he is so proud of his families; he smiles and makes everyone smile. His wisdom is enriched with love, and I think this is his vibrant source of inspiration. Indeed he influenced me, his love and our love to him is truly our greatest inspiration.
| Date added: 6/3/2009 11:01:02 PM |
| Name: Jerome R. Bellegarda | I worked for Ed in the mid-1980's. My PhD thesis advisor had not received the research grant he expected to support me, and my status at U of R had become somewhat precarious. So Ed introduced me to ambiguity functions, and offered me a job working on some of his own on-going contracts. I was blown away: in a generous effort to help out, he was taking a chance on an unknown graduate student, whose thesis was on a different subject, and who knew nothing about this particular field! Over the next couple of years, we ended up expanding this research area into many interesting directions, and writing several papers together. This serendipitous collaboration definitely ranks as a highlight of my time in Rochester. And even though I ultimately pressed on with my original PhD topic, I still had the privilege of counting Ed as a mentor and member of my defense committee. In more recent years, we have seen each other at ICASSP every so often, and at every ICASSP I have been eagerly looking forward to touching base with him. I can't express how deeply I will miss his sparkling wit and infectious laughter.
| Date added: 6/3/2009 1:37:32 PM |
| Name: Jack Thomas | I have many fond memories of Ed, but two seem to stand out. One is of the informal guitar jam sessions that Ed and Al Clark and I had in the 1970's, mostly rock and country music. (You should have heard our version of "Okee from Muskogee"!) The other is of Ed's tremendous enthusiasm for the first Apple Macintosh computer: he was the key figure in the UR's participation in that development, and his glowing accounts of it convinced me to order one of the first batch delivered by Apple. (I've been a loyal Mac user ever since then.) I miss him as a valued friend and colleague, and I extend my sympathies to his family. | Date added: 6/3/2009 12:50:27 PM |
| Name: Elizabeth Durkin | While I didn't know Ed for very long it was always wonderful to see him at the dog shows helping Barb or us in whatever he could. He was always pleasant and interesting to talk to to.
I was shocked to hear of his illness and even more so of his passing. My prayers go out to Barb and the family, he will be missed. | Date added: 6/3/2009 12:09:38 PM |
| Name: Judi Smetana | I've known Ed for most of the 32 years he spent with Barb, and he and Barb have been my close friends for about 20 years. I have so many fond memories, both from Rochester and from my trips to Florida .. He and Barb were part of our Rochester 'family,' and we spent many, many holidays together. Ed's potato kugel -of which he was very proud - will be missed at the Jewish holidays. Ed became like an uncle to my younger son, Jeremy, and they had a great bond, particularly over their mutual interests in music. When Jeremy wanted to get a new guitar, it was Ed who helped him shop. They discussed the merits of various guitars - this was a very serious decision, after all - and finally picked out the one that fit all the important criteria. I also have a very funny memory from when my family visited Florida. The garbage disposal broke, and Ed and my husband Ron spent a good part of the morning trying to fix it. Those of you who knew Ed well know that he was not very mechanically inclined, so needless to say, this was a disaster. Ed was warm, caring, wickedly funny, and very smart. He loved to go out to eat - and Barb, Ed, Ron, and I did that a lot. He loved to make jokes, and we always had a lot of laughs. Ed cared deeply about Barb (I haven't let my husband forget that Ed always brought Barb a cup of coffee and her breakfast in the morning). He was devoted to his sons and a very proud and loving grandpa. He cared deeply about teaching and mentoring, and he was intellectually engaged in his work. I lost a good friend, and I will miss him greatly. | Date added: 6/3/2009 10:20:34 AM |
| Name: Mark Waldstein | Perhaps my fondest memory of Ed was from one of the times you all came to visit us in Verona, and he played me some sonar recordings he was working with -- the sounds of whales chattering deep in the ocean. I was probably 9 or 10 years old, and thought this was just about the coolest thing I'd ever heard. He played them into my own little cassette recorder, and I listened to them quite a lot. To this day, I can still hear them vividly in my mind. | Date added: 6/3/2009 9:51:16 AM |
| Name: Rachel Frohm | I remember when Barb and I would go on our shopping dates and she would have to stop at the house to get changed or to drop off the dogs. Well when we were at the house Ed always made me feel at home and always helped us if we needed anything. I also remember when I stayed at Barb and Ed's house because my parents weren't there, Ed cooked Barb and I breakfast before I had to go to school and if I remember correctly it was bagels, eggs, and bacon and of course it was delicious. | Date added: 6/2/2009 8:02:05 PM |
| Name: Celeste Frohm | I fondly remember many times with Ed! Lots of doggie times with Ed and Barb-remember how set against he was about Bounce having pups? And then he doted on them terribly! Barb was even able to convince him to allow another litter with Patty!
I remember the beautiful wedding and great reception when Barb and Ed were married...those Thai lettuce wraps were to die for and who can forget the Music!
Ed once told me he could never play guitar hero because he knew the real thing...I tried to convince him that it was fun anyway but he would hear nothing of it!
I will really miss Ed-such a sudden loss to all of us. | Date added: 6/2/2009 7:58:23 PM |
| Name: Aleksandar Jovancevic | Professor Titlebaum was my PhD advisor. When I heard the sad news I recalled all the fond memories from my years at U of R and realized that most of them involved him. He was a great mentor and a wonderful human being and I shall miss him very much. | Date added: 6/2/2009 5:13:52 PM |
| Name: Kevin J. Parker | Bats....Dolphins.....Radar....Guitars.....Ambiguity Functions....Humor....Van Trees.....Estimation Theory....Music....Macs.....Networks.....Florida....
Is there any fascinating subject that one could not enjoy by having a discussion with our great colleague Ed T'baum?
It was a great pleasure and privilege to have him right here in Hopeman Hall for many years. He is irreplaceable as a leading authority in detection and estimation theory and communications. And he is also irreplaceable as a source of information, humor, irony, and wit. I miss him greatly but am grateful for all he did for UR, his colleagues and his students. | Date added: 6/2/2009 4:44:29 PM |
| Name: Yupeng Jia | I was Prof. Titlebaum's teaching assistant and had taken his detection course. He left me a lot of good memories. He was so knowledgeable, was always available for a good chat and patient to help. He always hold a cup of coffee and was full of jokes... I will miss him | Date added: 6/2/2009 9:27:35 AM |
| Name: Deke Kassabian | More than 20 years ago, when I was a young tech staff member in UR EE, I met Ed. I was neither faculty not student, and so frankly was invisible to many of the faculty, but not to Ed. He was easy going, and was always available to speak with me about my interests in music and communications technology and the space where the two areas meet, He did it with genuine interest and support, and lots of smiles and laughter. I'll miss him. | Date added: 6/2/2009 8:08:11 AM |
| Name: H. Oktay Altun | I took detection and estimation course from him at UR a couple of years ago and coauthored a paper with him. He was a terrific source of reference for the last few decades of signal processing. I could tell he enjoyed teaching a lot and his class was quite fun. He was one of the rare professors that I keep quoting stories from; especially about research during cold war, dolphins, ultrasound, gambling, submarines, bats, acoustics; he was amazing.. | Date added: 6/1/2009 10:46:22 PM |
| Name: Liudvikas Bukys (Liudy) | Ed was my boss when he was Vice Provost for Computing circa 1996-1999, and he recruited me to join him as Associate Vice Provost. He was a straightforward and honest man. His ambition was solely to get the job done (and that was not always simple). He cared about and respected the people working for him, either immediately or within the organization. I'm glad to have had him as a friend. | Date added: 6/1/2009 10:46:08 PM |
| Name: Geof Williams | I had the privilege of of being one of his physicians. Ed and I always had wonderful discussions about his work and his health. He took great interest in what was happening in his life, and yet he always was sure to ask about my work. I often felt he was taking care of me a bit, too. He had a great curiosity about life and he greatly appreciated explanations about what was happening. In spite of all the serious issues that come up around one's health, I can't think of any times when we didn't share a laugh about something when we talked.
Barb, I am very sorry for your loss. I have missed working with him over the past year, and I want you to know what a privilege it was for me to get to know him and to work with him as his doctor. | Date added: 6/1/2009 10:09:30 PM |
| Name: Lynn Gordon | Ed was our dear friend; over the years we had many good times and great conversations with him and Barbara. Ed had a wide range of interests and talents. He was passionate about his work and the challenges of research. He was devoted to his students and had a real gift for talking to and helping them. Intellectual problems, whether theoretical or practical, fascinated him and he liked listening as much as he did talking (a rare quality in an academic!).
Barbara and Ed were not only wonderful friends as individuals, but also as a couple. Their sociability and sense of fun made them great guests.
Ed was the best dinner companion imaginable. He enjoyed good food and liked to talk about its preparation. He always knew the right dish to order and we learned to respect his advice. He was an eager contributor to our Jewish holiday meals; his potato kugel was perfection and his kasha varnishkes won that old ethnic dish a new generation of fans.
As other contributors to this page have noted, Ed loved a good joke. He and my husband, Harold Wechsler, were inveterate punsters. I complained a lot about their exchanges, and of course that only made things worse--the more outrageous the pun, the more fun they had with my responses.
I was privileged to attend Ed's most recent birthday party in Florida this spring, held at a restaurant in the Keys. Great meal, nice people to talk to and best of all--Ed played the guitar for us, along with his friend Bobby. I will cherish that memory.
Most of all, I will remember Ed as a good, kind, hospitable and sensitive friend who adored his wife, took great pride in his sons, and much pleasure in his grandchildren. He was one of a kind, irreplaceable. | Date added: 6/1/2009 8:36:51 PM |
| Name: Chao Yu | I was fortunate enough to take a course of Prof. Titlebaum's. As an instructor, he always kept us awake and delighted by his humor. As a scholar, he greatly broadened my view on the subject of the course. Wish him rest in peace. | Date added: 6/1/2009 6:03:11 PM |
| Name: Basak Oztan | I met Prof. Titlebaum when I joined the department 6 years ago as a graduate student. I was the TA for two of his classes and I also took one of his course in communications theory. He was a great teacher, excellent advisor, and someone you can count on sharing your research problems and getting very useful feedback. In fact, he would have been a member on my phd defense committee this summer if he had been with us now. He was an inspirational scholar, who will be missed dearly. Rest in peace Prof. Titlebaum. | Date added: 6/1/2009 3:58:20 PM |
| Name: Dave Rogachefsky | Henry and Mike, so very sorry to learn of your father's passing. Though I haven't seen him much these past years, I do remember him to be a talented, caring person. May you hold onto your memories and know that you're both in my thoughts and prayers. | Date added: 6/1/2009 3:05:10 PM |
| Name: Hui Wu | From the limited interaction in committees and meetings, Ed had always struck me as an active champion of our department and students. He was full of life and humor. I wish him and his family the best. | Date added: 6/1/2009 2:39:13 PM |
| Name: Evan Chan | I am so sad to hear of the news today.
I intended to take the Estimation Theory class, which was supposed to be instructed by Dr. Titlebaum in the next semester, with great interest and passion because everybody told me how patient and knowledgeable this professor is, and now it turns out to be impossible.
Best wishes with him and his family. | Date added: 6/1/2009 1:46:20 PM |
| Name: Gaurav Sharma | I first met Ed when I joined the department six years ago and he immediately made me feel at ease as he welcomed me in his characteristic warm friendly manner. Over time, I came to rely on him as a mentor and a friend. Ed was the patriarch of our "Signal Processing and Communications Faculty Group" - always offering sage advice based on his experiences. I will miss him, not only for the guidance he provided but also for his perpetually cheerful and imperturbable demeanor. | Date added: 6/1/2009 1:24:49 PM |
| Name: Benjamin Castaneda | I had the opportunity to work for Ed as his Teaching Assistant. He always supported me and provided excellent advice. He was always concerned with my professional development. His sense of humor always kept a smile on me. He was an excellent professor and a wonderful person; a role model, that I will try to follow. I will certainly miss him very much. | Date added: 6/1/2009 11:51:43 AM |
| Name: Jill Tristram | I remember vacations we used to take together...like Cape Code (where Henry got chicken pox!), and our visits to see the Titlebaums where ever Ed was working--Baltimore and San Diego. I remember Ed and my Dad always laughing and telling jokes. He will be greatly missed. My love to you all. | Date added: 6/1/2009 11:43:32 AM |
| Name: John Strong | Ed was always a positive light in my day. Whenever we spoke, whether it was about an issue at work, computers, music, or just catching up, Ed always had good a good message to share. Our conversations always left me smiling and wanting to try a little harder to be a good person. Ed had a great deal of knowledge in a wide variety of fields. This knowledge was surpassed only by his openness and desire to share what he knew with others. Ed's way of communicating with others is rare and so necessary in our world today. Ed was a wonderful person and I will miss him very much. | Date added: 6/1/2009 11:03:10 AM |
| Name: Eby Friedman | Ed was my friend. He was also my next door neighbor in the department for about my first five years here (until he moved to another building). As a young faculty member, Ed would always say warm and supportive things, assuring me that tenure was not an issue and that I had an exciting career to look forward to. I even had the priviledge of co-advising two PhD students with Ed, both of whom have developed into outstanding engineers and wonderful human beings. Ed was simply a good guy and a great person to be around. I miss him very much.
| Date added: 6/1/2009 10:24:25 AM |
| Name: Mark Bocko | Ed and I have been friends since I began my career at the University of Rochester 25 years ago. As a new faculty member back then I could always count on him for sound advice and support. Ed delighted in the beauty of mathematics and science and his enthusiasm was infectious. He knew just about everything one might ask him about our field and on the rare occasion when he didn't have an answer or hint, he would tell you a joke and before you knew it you had forgotten why you had called on him in the first place - but you had a great time none-the-less.
Ed was a fine and wise human being. He had a great perspective on life and enjoyed it, he did not let the little things bother him, and he delighted in the success of his children and everyone he helped and mentored at the University - the other faculty, his graduate students and countless undergraduates.
Throughout my entire career Ed was a valued sounding board and always injected a note of sanity on any issue. His counsel and friendship will be greatly missed both by me and by everyone he touched at the University.
| Date added: 6/1/2009 8:31:59 AM |
| Name: Jim Berube | Ed and I first connected through the Apple II group. We spent many years with a close group of guys sharing our experiences in the very early days of personal computing. Ed was a joy to be around and I loved going to dinner with Barb and Ed. Unfortunately my last contact with Ed was several years ago, but that dinner with Barb and Ed and the old group of guys carried that same fond memories that I still carry in my heart for Ed. Barb if there is any thing I can do for you please contact me. Jim and Diane Berube | Date added: 6/1/2009 7:08:44 AM |
| Name: Derek Greenfield | For many years, I had absolutely no idea that Ed possessed a PhD and was a university professor. I just knew that he "worked with computers" for a living. He was such a humble, down-to-earth individual who clearly cared so deeply about friends and family. This website represents a wonderful way to remember him.... | Date added: 6/1/2009 12:15:19 AM |
| Name: Himanshu Shekhar | I joined UofR in September last year. I was alotted an office in Hopeman building next to Prof. Titlebaum. He would often hop in, just for a short conversation...I could instantly note his jovial nature, all of us students noticed this 'cool' professor. In fact whenever i recall him, it brings a smile to my face.
My senior labmates who had taken his courses were in awe of him. I was looking forward to taking his course this fall. It is hard to believe that he is no more. All of us will miss him and fondly remember him... | Date added: 6/1/2009 12:07:40 AM |
| Name: Thomas Myers | There are so many things to remember. Ed was not only smart, he was a really great guy. I first met him when he was using a Apple II and created Ed's Plot package, a FFT package that allowed him to do the math HE wanted to do. I'm sure it was one of the first "viral" programs as it was everywhere. For many years every month we met and discussed all the latest computer gossip in our "Apple Orgy Group". Barb we are so sorry for your loss, you made a great couple and we loved going to dinner with you both. If there is anything we can do up North for you just yell. Mary and Tom Myers. (mailto://tmyers@itainc.com) | Date added: 5/31/2009 10:53:32 PM |
| Name: Shayin Jing | I am so sad to hear the news that prefessor Ed Titlebaum passed away. He was a very nice and patient professor. When I was his TA last semester, he helped me with some doubts on my DSP course. He was really an excellent professor! I will remember him. | Date added: 5/31/2009 9:07:36 PM |
| Name: MYRA AND EARL HALSTEAD | WE ARE SO SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS, EVEN THOUGH WE DIDN'T KNOW YOUR FATHER WELL, WE KNEW HE WAS LOVED BY ALOT OF HIS RELATIVES AND FRIENDS. I HAVE BEEN READING ABOUT HIM THROUGH E-MAILS AND MY THOUGHTS WERE WITH HIM AND HIS FAMILY. HAVING LOST MY FATHER AT A YOUNG AGE, I UNDERSTAND HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO LOSE A PARENT. SEND MY LOVE AND THOUGHTS TO YOUR FAMILY! | Date added: 5/31/2009 9:03:14 PM |
| Name: Wendi and Steve Heinzelman | Ed was a great mentor for me, ever since I came to UR 8 years ago. He and Barbara made Steve and me feel so welcome at the University and in Rochester. Ed was always available for a good chat and a laugh. He will be very sorely missed around Hopeman Hall and by his many friends and colleagues throughout the fields of signal processing and communications. | Date added: 5/31/2009 7:45:05 PM |
| Name: Pam and Ed Carstensen | A few pictures come to mind as though it were yesterday. One crystal clear picture is of Ed in the Hopeman mailroom explaining to me that, in MacWrite, one could actually Òcut and paste text!Ó From that moment on, IÕve spent a good part of my time sitting in front of a Mac. He taught me what little I know about statistics; the speakers that he contributed to our stereo system are a daily reminder of our personal friendship. Over our 45 years together in the Electrical Engineering Department, Ed has always been ready and able to help, a truly great teacher, always several steps ahead in his many fields of research, invariably upbeat. The University and his many colleagues throughout the world have suffered a great loss. | Date added: 5/31/2009 11:07:40 AM |
| Name: Jean Tristram | Dear Ed, You couldn't help but love him. I have many good memories,especially him cooking potato pancakes[latcos] at Christmas. Love to Barb, Henry and Mike, and the whole family. | Date added: 5/31/2009 10:37:02 AM |
| Name: Michelle Titlebaum DeBaker | I have many fond memories of my Uncle Eddie. One such memory was when I was around 12 or 13. I got to fly to Rochester by myself and spend some time at Eddie, Hope, Michael and Henry. I remember that Uncle Eddie took us to a basketball game for some b-team from Rochester...but we got to sit it the FRONT ROW! I was mesmerized by the game and he taught me some of the rules, as I knew little about hoops back then. We had many sleepover with Michael and Henry in the pop-up trailer, laughing until the wee hours of the morning. My sister Lynn said it right. Ed was a master joke teller and I think that was something that Grandpa Dave must have taught all of his boys. Maybe it was something in the Fontaine's chicken! His infectious love of music and computers, his zest for life, and love of chinese food and family will be missed. I'm sure your playing ball with Unlce Elliot and listening to a sox game w/ Grandpa and Grandma. I'll miss you tons Uncle Eddie. | Date added: 5/31/2009 9:00:56 AM |
| Name: Stan Berkovitz | So Sad. I always enjoyed seeing Ed at family gatherings. Remember all the good times. Lots of love to the family. Cousin Stan | Date added: 5/31/2009 1:07:57 AM |
| Name: Hannah Titlebaum | I specificaly remember the many lunches Grandpa Ed and I went out to, movies we saw, and stores we stopped in. He could always make me laugh and it didn't matter the situation, he had a joke or a story to go with it. I loved him a lot and I know that with each story, joke, or smile he loved me too. I always felt special around him, like for a few moments I was super-important. I remember one day I couldn't find a plate of food I'd just set out and while Grandpa Ed and I were looking for it either Patti or Charlotte(I don't remember which) snuck in and I turned around just in time to see her finding my food for me. I turned back to him with the plate in my hands and he was laughing. As it turned out something very similar had happened a few weeks before, only the plate of food was eaten and not by a person. He told me that story and after a while both of us were just lauging. It's memories like that that I'll always have of Grandpa Ed. | Date added: 5/30/2009 9:26:19 PM |
| Name: Zoe Titlebaum | One more thing. I loved Grandpa Ed very much. He would always tell me that he loved me. One way that he told me that he loved me was when I laughed and he grinned widley. That's how he made me feel special. | Date added: 5/30/2009 9:14:43 PM |
| Name: Zoe Titlebaum | Sometimes during to summer when Hannah and I were in Rochester, we would spend time with Grandpa Ed and Grandma Barb. Hannah would go with Grandma Barb to dog training. I would go to the University of Rochester with Grandpa Ed. We go to his secretary's office you had a water machine,hot chocolate packets, and mugs. We would always have trouble getting the water working because we kept forgetting how to work the machine. We would have to ask his secartary, Barbara, to help us. Then, we would go to the teachers lounge and heat the hot chocolate. Then, we would go to his office. There, we would meet his student. While they would go to the next room to work, I would go on the computer to chech my e-mail and drink my hot chocolate. When they were finished working, Grandpa Ed and I would go to the Cheesecake Facotry, or to Sam's, and have lunch. There, I would have more hot chocolate and would go crazy later, annoying Hannah. | Date added: 5/30/2009 9:07:53 PM |
| Name: Henry Titlebaum | I have several remembrances of my dad but I thought I would share one of my favorites which I will call the Diaper Story. As has been previously mentioned, Ed loved music and was a very fine guitarist. He used to play guitar and sing folk and country songs in a small intimate club in Rochester called the Park Avenue Project which I'm pretty sure no longer exists. Anyway in the middle of one of these concerts in which I was attending, my dad introduces me to the crowd as his 10 year old son. I got some nice applause from his introduction. But then dad proceeds to pull out the cloth diaper that he used to clean his guitar and proceeded to point out to the same crowd that the guitar cleaning diaper used to be one of mine when I was just a baby. The applause then turned to laughs and I went from very proud to very red faced. Anyway, I've always wanted to say "Thanks a lot dad" for that inauspicious moment in the sun at the Park Avenue Project. | Date added: 5/30/2009 9:05:57 PM |
| Name: Mark Salvati | I will always remember how "Mr T" (as most of Mike's high school friends called him) would engage in conversations that were brilliant yet completely down to earth, usually including a lot of loud laughter.
Ed was a 2nd generation student of the Schillinger System, which is an extremely extensive method of quantifying music used by the likes of George Gershwin, Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, and John Cage. The Shillinger House where he was a student became the Berklee School of Music where I went to college a few decades later. So we compared notes on several occasions. He would tell me about Boston, the school, founder Lawrence Berk back then, and I would tell him about how even the brief primer of Shillinger's methods was lost on the metal-head in spandex sitting next to me who didn't need it because he "knew all 8 power chords".
He seemed to make similar connections with everybody around him, and he will be missed by us all. | Date added: 5/30/2009 8:43:27 PM |
| Name: Carlton Quallo | I first met Ed when I was dating his ex-wife - Hope (who ultimately became my wife). I was impressed with what a loving, caring father he was. Though they were divorced, Hope and Ed were able to put their differences aside when it came to Mike and Henry. I've always thought of their cooperation regarding their kids as an excellent example for divorced couples. As for Ed and me, we got along well. When I was studying for the computer science GRE, Ed helped me understand some of the concepts. I'm glad to have know him and I am sorry he's gone. | Date added: 5/30/2009 7:29:19 PM |
| Name: Esta Titlebaum | I will always remember Eddy with his great big
(teddy bear) hugs that he would give me everytime
we would see each other at family functions, etc.
My heart goes out to all of you for such a sudden
loss.
Love, Esta | Date added: 5/30/2009 3:39:06 PM |
| Name: MJCKI WESSONE | EDDIE LOVED MUSIC, AND EDDIE LOVED FOOD AND SO DO I. WE GOT ALONG VERY WELL. I LOVED THAT HE WAS SO SMART ABOUT TECHNOLOGY, A SUBJECT I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT.I AM HAPPY TO HAVE ENCOUNTERED HIM. | Date added: 5/30/2009 3:02:09 PM |
| Name: Judy Levy Schulze | Hope and Eddie...Jerry and Judy...we were so young --15 or so. Even tho were very busy all the time we made time to rehearse often for our troupe shows, entertaing at the Army and Navy Hospitals and children's hospitals. Eddie was so serious about his music and so gifted. My fondest memory is how his body shook when he laughed. Rest in peace, dear Eddie | Date added: 5/30/2009 2:38:07 PM |
| Name: Joyce Paxton | One of my fondest memories of Ed was singing along with him as he played guitar. I especially remember harmonizing with him to Carly Simon’s “It Was So Easy Then”. We were in our early thirties, and it was always fun to get together with our young families. I loved his joyful way and twinkly eyes. | Date added: 5/30/2009 12:07:03 PM |
| Name: Lynn Titlebaum Burns | Uncle Eddie...the joker. I have very vivid memories of Uncle Eddie telling endless jokes. He was an expert joke teller, and I think it ran in the family as my Dad can tell a mean joke too. I think I still remember some of them...the one about the dentist with the punchline "Abscess makes the fart go honda." With a slow and meticulous approach, the jokes were more of a story that grabbed you. I think he also was the teller of "Two obsese Patties, special Ross, Lester G's pickled bunions on a Sesame Street run!" I remember how much fun we had with Henry and Mike, playing cards in the camper and sleeping in the living room, tape recording each other doing stupid childhood things, while Uncle Eddie, Auntie Hope and my parents hung out being adults. I remember how impressed he was when we (the cousins) sang the Alka Seltzer theme song at Grandma and Grandpa's anniversary party (I think that was what the party was). I'll always remember his smiling, bearded face, that tickled me when he kissed me. I'm tearful as I remember...I'll miss you Uncle Eddie. Thanks for all the laughs. | Date added: 5/30/2009 10:01:36 AM |
| Name: Brad Paxton | I first met Eddie at the U. of R. around 1967. I had just taken a leave of absence from Kodak after seven years to work on a PhD with Bill Streifer. Our son Kenny was 4, Joyce was pregnant with Holly, and it was considered quite a risky enterprise at the time.
I hit it off with “Prof. Titlebaum” right away, and he was always finding ways to encourage me in my studies. He found out I had been doing some Fourier Transform optics work at Kodak, and he was interested in similar math for his acoustic research, so he talked me into giving a seminar on my work. He was quite enthusiastic after the talk, and told me “we don’t have any students here who can give a talk like that”, which was quite encouraging.
Not many people knew this back then, but I was somewhat concerned about what might happen if I didn’t succeed in getting my PhD, and had to return to Kodak (presumably) without it. Both Bill and Eddie (who were good friends) were always helping me and giving me their advice on how to, for example, prepare for my oral exams. This is the big test, for if you don’t pass your orals, you are toast. Bill told me to read Feynman’s Lectures on Physics, and Eddie told me to just get a good night’s sleep because “You are going to be fine”. Eddie, Bill, and several other Professors were on my oral exam committee, and the game was to see if you can “stump the kid” without being too arcane. One question was about a complicated experiment that, say, didn’t come out too well, and what statistical methods would I use to try to make sense of the data. I replied that if the data was that lousy I would redesign the experiment instead of using fancy statistics, because if the experiment is designed well, the right answers will “stand up and salute”. The Professor who asked the question was a tad put off by my answer, but Ed defended it and said, with a big smile, “That’s a great answer”!
About that time, Joyce came home one day and said she met this “very interesting” gal whose name was Hope Titlebaum. I asked if maybe she was connected to Ed Titlebaum at the U. of R., and Joyce found out later on the answer was yes. So the Paxtons and the Titlebaums became good friends.
I will always fondly remember Eddie’s good humor, smarts, and encouraging attitude…he helped me a lot.
God Bless you, Eddie.
| Date added: 5/30/2009 9:44:22 AM |
| Name: Lois Hicks-Wozniak | (I clicked the button too soon)
I also have a vivid memory of Grandpa Ed holding Hannah & Zoe at an outdoor concert at Trophy Point - the girls must have been about 5 months old. You probably couldn't have found a more gentle, loving Grandpa -- he delighted in all three of them and their accomplishments.
Brilliant, gentle and genuine
| Date added: 5/30/2009 8:16:39 AM |
| Name: Lois Hicks-Wozniak | I remember Ed visiting us in NYC and we walked down 3rd Avenue to go see Les Paul play. Ed was so excited and passionately and patiently explained all of the sound and guitar innovations for which Les Paul was responsible. It was a small club and I remember how thrilled Ed was to hear him play.
| Date added: 5/30/2009 8:11:21 AM |
| Name: Hope Quallo | I met Ed when I was 14 and he was 16, and we were both acting in a production of "You Can't Take it With You" as part of a Jewish youth group activity at Temple Mishkan Tefila
( before it moved to Newton). Ed was tall and handsome, had beautiful red hair, and was always polite, friendly and kind. He was the oldest of 3 brothers, and it was his job to shovel the coal in the middle of the night, so the apartment would stay warm. Even at that age, he was very responsible, and impressed my parents, who were not easily impressed, with his love and concern for his brothers and his parents.
He was the first member of his family to go to college, and we were all so proud when he graduated from Northeastern University in 1959. Later, when he attended graduate school at Cornell, he used to joke that he went to "Northeastern Where" because no one had ever heard of Northeastern, then a very local commuter school. So they would ask, You mean Northwestern? And he would patiently explain and they would invariably ask "Where? " | Date added: 5/29/2009 7:37:33 PM |
| Name: Mike Titlebaum | Dad was a great guy. When we were kids, without his knowledge, Henry and I entered him to be a contestant on our favorite game show, Bowling for Dollars. We would have rather been on the show ourselves, but being something like 5 and 8 years old, we obviously weren't old enough. When they drew Dad's card and called him to be on the show, he was shocked, but obliged us. We all went down to the WOKR studios and watched him bowl on live TV. We still remember what he scored: a three, then nailed the spare winning $10. | Date added: 5/29/2009 4:30:29 PM |
