Louis S. Greenbaum (1930- 2017)

Amherst, Louis S. Greenbaum, 87, of Amherst, passed away peacefully in his sleep on Monday, August 7th, 2017 at the Fisher Home in Amherst.

Louis was born on February 14, 1930 in Chicago to the late Adolph and Jennie Greenbaum but moved early on to Milwaukee, WI. He graduated from Washington High School in Milwaukee, the University of Wisconsin, (B.A. 1950) (M.A. 1951) and Harvard University, (Ph.D. 1955). He was the recipient of numerous awards and honors including a Fulbright Fellowship, the American Philosophical Society, and Fellow with the National Institute of Health.

Louis was a Professor of History at The University of Massachusetts from 1955-1992, specializing in 17 and 18th century European History, Church History, and the History of Public Health and Medicine in France. As a scholar he wrote one book, co-authored another, wrote numerous articles and participated in many conferences. Interested in the nexus of early American and French history, he discovered Thomas Jefferson’s designs for his “academic village” in Charlottesville, Virginia were based on plans for the proposal being debated in the Academy of Sciences to replace the religious Hotel Dieu with a scientific and medically enlightened hospital for the City of Paris, which were well-known to Jefferson when he was our ambassador to France in the 1780s.

Louis was a member or chair of numerous University committees over the years: Chairman of the Fine Arts Council, chairman of the Scholarship and Study Abroad Program, and Chairman of the University Fulbright Fellowship Program, member of the Faculty Senate, and faculty advisor and campus coordinator of Phi Eta Sigma, national freshman honor society among others. Nominated several times, he was named a Distinguished Teacher twice and was rewarded by being appointed Chair of the selection committee. As the first and founding Director of the University Honors Program, he was very proud that it not only prospered but thrived and evolved into the Commonwealth Honors College more than fifty years later.

In addition to his passion for teaching his many students over the years he was an equally passionate student of art, music, local Amherst history as well as Connecticut Valley decorative arts and architecture. Louis was very engaged in the Amherst Community as a member of the Historical commission in the 1970s and again forty years later, a trustee of the Jones Library and a long time town meeting member. Louis was also a founding member of the Jewish Community of Amherst and was instrumental in finding the Community’s current sanctuary. Louis enjoyed his daily swim (and social life) at the Hampshire Athletic club almost to the end of his life.

He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Hilda, and his three children, Joel (Lisa) Greenbaum, Rachel (Robert) Vigderman all from Amherst, Jessie (Jeff) Goebel from Naples, FL and adored his eight grandchildren Jenna, David and Ava Greenbaum, Aaron and Daniel Valitt, Adam Vigderman, Sarah and Nathan Goebel.

Funeral services were held August 10th at the Jewish Community of Amherst with burial at the JCA cemetery in Shutesbury. In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to The Jewish Community of Amherst, Hospice at the Fisher Home of Amherst, or the UMASS History Department undergraduate research fund to be established in his memory.