In Memoriam

Vera Klement A'50

Vera Klement, whose boldly gestural art navigated between abstraction and German Expressionist-influenced figuration over the course of a career spanning seven decades, died October 20, 2023.

Lauren Esnes ChE'80

Lauren Patricia Esnes, 65, of Boca Raton, Florida, passed away on October 24, 2023. Lauren graduated from New Hyde Park Memorial High School in 1976 and later earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering in 1980 from The Cooper Union.

Jack Eichenbaum ChE'63

Jack Eichenbaum – geographer, teacher, tour guide, civic activist, scrabble expert, and the Official Queens Historian – died on Dec. 30, 2023.

Arnold J. Celentano EE'59

Arnold John Celentano, a beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and mentor, passed away peacefully in his Louisville home on Friday, November 10, 2023, at the age of 94.

  • 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.