In Memoriam

In Memoriam Spring 2024

We honor the lives and legacies of Purchase College community members who have passed.
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In Memoriam Spring 2024

Stephen B. Antonakos ’81 (Music) died from COVID-related heart failure in March 2020. Hailed as "one of the most interesting and instantly recognizable lead guitar virtuosos around" by New York Music Daily, he played with many incredible musicians, all who he loved and respected.

Jan Leder '79 (Music) (1958-2023) died from cardiac arrest at her home in Boston on October 4, 2023; she was 65 years old. Jan was an inspired jazz flutist, songwriter and lyricist, mother, and New Yorker through and through. A self-styled course of study in jazz history at Purchase led to her compilation of the first comprehensive history of women in jazz, entitled Women in Jazz: A Discography of Instrumentalists, 1913-1968. Listen to her music ... that is all she truly ever wanted. (More)

Kevin Wynn '79 (Dance) passed away suddenly on October 13, 2023. An accomplished dancer, teacher, and choreographer with an extensive and diverse background in the arts, Kevin was an Associate Professor Emeritus of Dance at Purchase College and on the faculty of the Alvin Ailey/Fordham University BFA program. His dance career was marked by collaborations with renowned companies and choreographers around the globe.

William Klingenstein (1944-2024), a long-standing officer of the Purchase College Foundation Board, passed away in April 2024 after a prolonged illness. Over the past thirty years, he and his wife, Francine, generously supported the students at Purchase College with gifts to scholarship, the Make An Impact Fund, the Adopt-A-Dancer program, and to support the arts, including The PAC and the Neuberger Museum of Art.

Patricia Jacobs (1923-2024), a 20-year member of the Purchase College Foundation Board, died peacefully on May 7, 2024, at 101 years old. Mrs. Jacobs had a special interest in the arts and regularly supported the College’s Adopt a Dancer program and scholarships for arts students. She was a charter member of the President’s Club and a member of the Purchase College Legacy Circle, which honors those who include Purchase College in their estate planning. (More)