, August 2026. [v4]
I first met Eddie Goldson when I arrived as a freshman at Antioch College in the Fall, 1960; he was our dorm advisor in Caldwell, Mills Hall. He was striking- an elfin, Yiddish-speaking Jewish kid from the Bronx, 3rd year biology/pre-med major who seemed to know everyone. He was always lively (musician and Friday night folk dancer), friendly and kind; a mentor right from the start. I was also a pre-med major with a strong biology background, thanks to my Detroit/Henry Ford High School biology teacher, Alex Mercer who had a strong connection to Antioch and was married to Bessie D, an Antioch graduate. I was allowed to wave the Biology 101 class for which Eddie was the TA and instead took a third-year course in embryology with, among others, Eddie, Stephen J. Gould (our TA), and Mario Capecchi who went on to receive the Nobel prize in Medicine. It was a very heady experience for a 17yo kid like me from a working class, immigrant, Yiddish-speaking home in Detroit.
Somehow, after Antioch, I always maintained a connection with Ed, although I don’t recall many experiences. I once shared a car ride with him, Alan Meyers, and Anita Rui to New York City at the end of a quarter.
They all went to Rochester Medical School, and I followed 3 years later. When Jane (Mason) came to the US in the summer of 1965 to test out whether we would marry and make our home in America, we lived in Ed’s apartment on Genesee Street in Rochester for the summer; our downstairs landlady was the wacky Greek woman- Mdme. Kristopher; Jane & I were married in 1966. The photo (at right, circa 1966, Rochester NY) shows me, Jane, Eddie, and my cousin Jaime Klinger.
Ed graduated with his MD from Rochester in 1966 and went to Cleveland’s Rainbow Baby & Children’s Hospital for a pediatric residency. There, he met my older sister and brother-in-law, Evelyn and Ben Gorge, whose children Karen and Marshall received medical care for their cystic fibrosis; the whole family was devastated when they died in adolescence. Ed was very kind to them and the family. Thus, he was connected to my family’s greatest joys and tragedies.
I have a lifetime of Xmas letters and family photos from Ed’s clan growing up in Denver although I’m not sure if I ever met Pixie or the children.
We did manage to get in some phone calls with a few words spoken in Yiddish. I do remember him telling me that his family received the Yiddish language Forverts in New York, but only one of his parents was literate in Yiddish and read the paper out loud to the other.
I did keep in touch with him about the chaotic history of Antioch College. He was on the alumni board for a while; I followed on the ACAB after the 2008 closure and reopening. We met up at the Antioch alumni reunion in Yellow Springs in 2018. Jane was already struggling with her worsening symptoms of dementia. I particularly remember Ed’s second wife, Terri Schiavonne, who was very kind to Jane and helped me to take care of her during the event.
The last time I saw Eddie was in Davis CA in December 2024, the year that Jane died. He stayed for a few days in my small ADU, where we reminisced endlessly; he talked about Denver, the kids, his dog, playing the violin, hiking & skiing in the Rockies; he was very grateful to have connected with Terri after Pixie’s death; by then, Terri had also died. The photo is of the two of us at the American Indian Museum on the campus of UC Davis.
We also shared a dinner with some of his former Denver colleagues who now live in Davis- Gordon Ulrey, Robin Hansen and others. I could see that he was beginning to fail then- but aren’t we all.
I was sad to hear of his death today. May his memory be for a blessing to all who knew him over his long, loving and productive life.
Bernie Guyer, August 2026
