OBITUARIES, Nov. 8, 2005

Ruth Rabstein Pellettieri, Robert E. Kuenne, Joseph L. Greenberg, Wilma Grayson, Michael K. Fahey, James H. Bennett Sr., Al Sussman

Ruth Rabstein Pellettieri
Pioneering attorney
   
Ruth Rabstein Pellettieri of Princeton, an attorney for more than 50 years and one of the founders of Pellettieri, Rabstein and Altman law firm, died Friday at home. She was 92.
   Born in New York City, she was a resident of Princeton for the past 50 years.
   She graduated from Newark Law School in 1934 and ranked second in her class and was one of only seven women.
   Despite her class rank, no Newark law firm would interview her for a job. She returned to Trenton and a young attorney, George Pellettieri, agreed to hire her for the mandatory clerkship. The firm became Pellettieri & Rabstein.
   In the late 1930s and early 1940s, she uncovered many problems in the workmen’s compensation system in New Jersey with companies intimidating injured workers into not filing claims, or company doctors ignoring serious injuries and sending employees back to work. She responded by educating shop stewards and making sure that injured workers were channeled to her. For decades, she represented injured employees, working to get them recoveries that they otherwise would never have obtained.
   By the 1960s, she was widely regarded as the best workers’ compensation lawyer in New Jersey. The firm represented many citizens in civil and criminal matters and earned a significant following. For some time, the firm was state counsel to the AFL-CIO.
   In January 1948, she helped convince the NAACP to become part of a nationwide protest following the verdict against six black men in the "Trenton Six" case. The ACLU became involved and asked Pellettieri & Rabstein to become part of the legal team.
   On appeal, in June 1949, the New Jersey Supreme Court reversed the convictions and sent the case back for retrial. The second trial began in March 1951, with Mr. Pellettieri as one of the defense attorneys and Ms. Rabstein at counsel table. Four of the defendants were acquitted and freed. Two defendants were convicted. One died in prison while the appeal was pending.
   Along with the Scottsboro case in Alabama, the "Trenton Six" ranks as one of the classic civil-rights cases of the mid-20th century reflecting the legal struggle of blacks for fair treatment in the American justice system. In that period, she became a lifetime member of the NAACP. Later, she served on the NAACP executive board and on its state conference. She was influential in getting a number of black judges and prosecutors appointed.
   Since retirement, she was honored for outstanding service by the Women’s Rights Section of the New Jersey State Bar Association, the Worker’s Compensation Section of the New Jersey State Bar Association, American Trial Lawyers Association, Mercer County Women Lawyers, American Jewish Committee, United Jewish Federation of Princeton Mercer Bucks, Israel Bonds and the NAACP.
   She was a member and served on the executive board of the American Jewish Committee, a member and former campaign chair of the United Jewish Federation Princeton Mercer Bucks and served as a trustee at the Greenwood House. She was one of the founders of the George Pellettieri Home for the Aged.
   Daughter of the late Samuel and Molly Rabstein, sister of the late Rose Hirsch and wife of the late George Pellettieri, she is survived by a daughter and son-in-law, Peshe and Peter Kuriloff of Philadelphia; son and daughter-in-law Norman Cantor and Jane Klueger of Hoboken; sister Estelle Bogad of Pasadena, Calif.; grandchildren Aaron Kuriloff and wife Liz Brown, Gabriel and Shoshana Kuriloff, Vivienne Washburn and Yevette Parker; and four great-grandchildren.
   The funeral was Monday.
   The period of mourning is being observed today at the Pellettieri residence in Princeton.
   Memorial contributions may be made to the American Jewish Committee, P.O. Box 705, New York, NY 10150 or the NAACP, 318 S. Broad St., Trenton, NJ 08608.
   Arrangements were by Orland’s Ewing Memorial Chapel, Ewing.
Robert E. Kuenne
Princeton economics professor
   
Robert E. Kuenne of Princeton, a noted professor of economics at Princeton University and author of more than a dozen books in various areas of economics and military strategy, died Nov. 5 at home of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease. He was 81.
   Professor Kuenne joined the Princeton University faculty in 1956 and retired as professor emeritus in 1997.
   Prior to joining the Princeton faculty, he taught at Harvard University and the University of Virginia.
   While at Princeton, he also served as director of the General Economic Systems Project.
   He was the author of more than 100 books, articles and monographs on economic theories ranging from general equilibrium and oligopoly to spatial and defense economics. Three of his most noted works are, "The Theory of General Economic Equilibrium" (1963), "Economic Justice in American Society" (1993) and "Price and Nonprice Rivalry in Oligopoly" (1998). He was associate editor for the Journal of Regional Science and served on the board of editors for a number of other scholarly economics journals.
   Professor Kuenne, a veteran of World War II, participated in the second wave of the D-Day invasion. He was awarded campaign stars for the battles of Normandy, Northern France and Central Europe. He held the Theodore Roosevelt Chair in Economics at the Naval War College in 1955 and was a visiting professor of military systems analysis at the Army War College in Carlisle Barracks, Pa., for 22 years.
   He also served as a longtime consultant to the Institute for Defense Analysis, a think tank for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and a number of other defense and military agencies.
   Born in St. Louis, he earned a bachelor of journalism degree from the University of Missouri, bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics from Washington University in St. Louis, and a doctorate from Harvard University.
   He was awarded an honorary doctor of philosophy in 1985 from the University of Umea, Sweden. Among his many fellowships, he was a Ford Foundation faculty fellow and a Fulbright Scholar in Vienna.
   Outside of academia, he enjoyed his three-month sojourns with his family at his cottage, Genequil, on the shores of Lake Champlain.
   Professor Kuenne also enjoyed traveling both as a participant in international conferences in more than eight countries and for pleasure with his wife and family. He was an avid walker, making the trek from the university to the Institute Woods five days a week and walking six miles a day when in Vermont.
   Son of the late Edward S. and Margaret E. Kuenne, he is survived by his wife, Janet Brown Kuenne, a retired learning specialist and teacher at The Hun School of Princeton for 21 years; son Christopher Kuenne of Princeton; daughter Carolyn of Washington; and six grandchildren.
   The funeral is scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday at Trinity Church, 33 Mercer St., Princeton, followed by a reception at Prospect House.
   Private interment will be at Princeton Cemetery.
   In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Olivia Rainbow Fund of the Princeton Area Community Foundation, 15 Princess Road, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648.
   Arrangements are by Kimble Funeral Home, Princeton.
Joseph L. Greenberg
Princeton University registrar
   
MONTGOMERY — Joseph Lawrence Greenberg died Sunday of complications from brain cancer. He was 58.
   Born in Philadelphia, he grew up in Allentown, Pa.
   He was university registrar in the Office of the Registrar at Princeton University, an office he assumed this fall.
   In the newly created position, he focused on large strategic issues and policy matters facing the office and the institution in the years ahead.
   Dr. Greenberg joined the registrar’s office in 1978 as assistant registrar after a year as a lecturer in the Department of English, where he earned his doctorate in 1977. He was promoted to deputy registrar in 1993 and became acting registrar in 1999. Since 2000, he served as registrar.
   He received a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Temple University and a master’s in education serving in the Teacher Corps. He received a master’s degree in English literature from the University of Minnesota.
   Son of the late Aaron and Ruth Greenberg, he is survived by his wife of 37 years, Hinda; children Jacob, David and Sarit; and grandson Aaron.
   The funeral is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. today at Goldsteins’ Rosenberg’s Raphael Sacks Suburban North, 310 Second Street Pike, Southampton, Pa.
   Burial will follow at Shalom Memorial Park, Huntingdon Valley, Pa.
   Shiva will be observed at his home through Thursday evening.
   Memorial contributions may be made to the Coalition for the Homeless of New York, Development Department, 129 Fulton St., New York, N.Y. 10038 or the Center for Jewish Life at Princeton University, 70 Washington Road, Princeton, NJ 08540.
Wilma Grayson
Retired professor
   
Wilma Grayson of Princeton died Saturday at the Princeton Care Center. She was 75.
   Born in Old Forge, Pa., she was a resident of Princeton the past 18 years.
   She was a professor of textile design at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She was a graduate of the institute.
   She is survived by her husband, Alan Grayson; son Marlowe Grayson of Princeton; brother Arnold Freed of Bayside, N.Y.; sister Gladys Citron of Teaneck; and several nieces and nephews.
   The funeral is scheduled for 2 p.m. today at The Jewish Center, 435 Nassau St., Princeton.
   Burial will follow at Princeton Cemetery.
   The period of mourning will be observed at the Grayson residence.
   Arrangements are by Orland’s Ewing Memorial Chapel, Ewing.
Michael K. Fahey
Accountant
   
Michael K. Fahey of Princeton died Friday. He was 52.
   Born in Trenton and raised in Ewing Township, he was a Princeton resident since 2000.
   Mr. Fahey was a certified public accountant and a partner with MMR Associates in Princeton. He began his career with Peat, Marwick and Mitchell. Later, he served as assistant comptroller and tax manager for Applied Data Research in Princeton.
   A graduate of Notre Dame High School, he received a bachelor’s degree in finance from Fairleigh Dickinson University and a master’s degree in business administration from Pace University. In both high school and college, he was a varsity basketball player.
   He enjoyed playing golf and was a former member of the Hopewell Valley Golf Club.
   Son of the late Francis X. Fahey, he is survived by his mother, Phyllis M. Fahey of Ewing; sisters Gertrude Fahey of Princeton and Christine Fahey of Ewing; aunt Mary F. Malone of Lawrence; and several cousins.
   Private services will be held under the direction of M. William Murphy Funeral Home, Ewing.
James H. Bennett Sr.
Longtime Princeton resident
   
James H. Bennett Sr. of Princeton died Friday at University Medical Center at Princeton. He was 67.
   Born in Galveston, Texas, he grew up outside Chicago and was a Princeton resident over 40 years.
   He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Cornell University and earned his doctorate under Alonzo Church at Princeton University.
   He was active in many community affairs.
   He is survived by his life partner, Grace Gambino of Princeton; son James H. Bennett of Wayne; daughters and son-in-law Hilary and Larry Donahue of Morrisville, Pa., Emily and Rodney Reid of Raleigh, N.C., Valerie Bennett of Media, Pa., and Laura and Uri DeYoung of Israel; brother Paul Bennett of Michigan; sister Ann Bennett of Seattle; and grandchildren Haley, Julia, Benjamin, Jacob, Matthew, Mark, Elizabeth, Rebecca, Suriel, Avigail, Beruria and Noa.
   Arrangements are by Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, Princeton.
Al Sussman
Founded real estate firm
   
EWING — Al Sussman died Monday at Greenwood House. He was 88.
   Born in Trenton, he was a former Lawrence and Pennington resident.
   Mr. Sussman was founder of Al Sussman Realty Inc.
   His career originated in a Trenton grocery business. Later, he was the co-owner of the Cordial Inn and retired after 35 years in real estate.
   Mr. Sussman was a former trustee of the Jewish Community Center in Ewing and a member of Adath Israel Congregation in Lawrence, Fortitude Lodge No. 160 Knights of Pythias and the National Association of Realtors.
   He enjoyed golf and was a member of Greenacres Country Club in Lawrence.
   As a youth, he was an avid pingpong player and was a pingpong tournament champion.
   He served in the Army during World War II.
   Husband of the late Aviva Konov Sussman, he is survived by a son and daughter-in-law, Barry and Elaine Sussman of Princeton; daughter Carole Ballew of Austin, Texas; brother and sister-in-law Jules and Blanche Sussman of Newtown, Pa.; sister and brother-in-law Edith and Jerry Goldman of Lake Worth, Fla.; and grandchildren Scott, Jeffrey, Daniel and Carly Sussman and Sunday Ballew.
   The funeral is scheduled for 11 a.m. Wednesday at Adath Israel Congregation, 1958 Lawrence Road, Lawrence.
   Burial will follow at Fountain Lawn Memorial Park.
   The period of mourning will be observed Wednesday and Thursday at the Sussman residence in Princeton.
   Memorial contributions may be made to Greenwood House, 53 Walter St., Ewing, NJ 08628 or Jewish Community Center, 999 Lower Ferry Road, Ewing, NJ 08628 or Adath Israel Congregation, 1958 Lawrence Road, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648.
   Arrangements are by Orland’s Ewing Memorial Chapel, Ewing.