In Memoriam

John Lapato ME'77

John Lapato ME'77 was born on June 24,1955 in Brooklyn, NY. He was the third child of John and Florence Lapato. He grew up in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn. He attended elementary school at SS. Cyril & Methodius School in Greenpoint and St. Anne's School in Flushing, Queens.

Harold Mukamal CE'61

Dr. Harold Heskel Mukamal CE'61 passed away on January 14, 2023 in Orange County, California. He lived for 83 years and died from complications of Parkinson’s Disease.

Robert Erickson CE'54

Robert Erickson CE'54 was born on December 26, 1931, to Albert and Clara (nee Buckley) Erickson in Brooklyn, NY. He graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School and attended The Cooper Union School of Engineering in New York City.

Francis J. Kaelin CE'57

Kaelin, Francis (Frank) Joseph (CE'57), age 88 of Rochester Hills, passed away March 6, 2023, surrounded by his sons, Frank Jr. and Jeffrey Kaelin. Loving husband of the late Ceil Kaelin. Frank was born in Jamaica, NYC borough of Queens, the oldest of ten children.

  • Founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.

  • “My feelings, my desires, my hopes, embrace humanity throughout the world,” Peter Cooper proclaimed in a speech in 1853. He looked forward to a time when, “knowledge shall cover the earth as waters cover the great deep.”

  • From its beginnings, Cooper Union was a unique institution, dedicated to founder Peter Cooper's proposition that education is the key not only to personal prosperity but to civic virtue and harmony.

  • Peter Cooper wanted his graduates to acquire the technical mastery and entrepreneurial skills, enrich their intellects and spark their creativity, and develop a sense of social justice that would translate into action.