They made us better: Remarkable people from Rochester who died in 2023
A civil rights leader, a philanthropist, a real-estate expert, a coach, and more.
We lost eight of this column’s Remarkable Rochesterians during 2023. Varied in background and achievement, they all made our community a better place. Here they are:
Edith Handleman Lank (Died Jan. 1, 2023, at age 96): Her column on real estate was carried by more than 200 newspapers and websites. A localized version ran in the Democrat and Chronicle from 1975 to June 2019.
Born in Boston, she graduated from Syracuse University before coming to Rochester in 1950. She wrote 10 books on real estate and, and wrote the blog “86 and Holding,” on her adventures in aging. A former director of the Jane Austen Society of America, she was the author of "Jane Austen Speaks to Women."
Minister Franklin Florence Sr. (Died Feb. 1, 2023, at age 89): A minister and activist, he was born in Florida and was a pastor there before coming to Rochester. He then became senior minister of the Central Church of Christ in Rochester.
A leader on matters of racial equity, after the uprising of Black residents here in 1964, he pressed Eastman Kodak Co. and other workplaces to employ and advance more people of color. He also was the first president of the civil rights group F.I.G.H.T.
Ed Nietopski (Died March 6, 2023, at age 95): In a high school coaching career that spanned decades, he amassed 705 career wins in baseball and 545 career wins in basketball, winning multiple Section V titles in both sports.
A native of Buffalo, he played minor-league baseball, including time with the Rochester Red Wings in 1950 before serving two years in the military. A graduate of SUNY Brockport, he taught physical education and coached at Brockport High School, Cardinal Mooney High School and Bishop Kearney High School.
Nancy Slinker Robbins (Died March 15, 2023, at age 100): Inspired by her own experience of having a child hospitalized with a serious illness, in 1990 she led the successful effort to raise $2 million to establish the Ronald McDonald House near Rochester’s Strong Memorial Hospital. It continues to serve as a place to provide lodging and support for families with sick children in the hospital.
A graduate of Westminster College, she received the New York state Senate’s Woman of Distinction Award in 2008 in recognition of her many community efforts.
Claudia Rosett-Wilson (Died May 27, 2023 at age 67): Writing for the Wall Street Journal, she witnessed, and reported on, the June 4, 1989, massacre at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, as the Chinese government killed hundreds of student protesters.
A graduate of Brighton High School, she had degrees from Yale University, Columbia University, and the University of Chicago. At the Journal from 1984-2002, she served in Hong Kong, was bureau chief in Moscow. Later, as a freelancer, she exposed corruption in the U.N.’s oil-for-peace program in Iraq.
Pincus Cohen (Died June 17, 2023 at age 96): As the principal of his alma mater, the 3,000-student Benjamin Franklin High School, from 1969 to 1981, he drew national attention by buying a newspaper ad announcing the school’s honor roll.
An advocate for an in-school daycare facility so young mothers could attend school, he led many other efforts to ensure student success. A native of Rochester, and the son of Russian-Jewish immigrants, he served in the Navy during World War II and earned three degrees from the University of Rochester.
James Blount (Died Sept. 28, 2023, at age 80): Along with his wife, Carolyne S. Blount, who survives him, he assumed ownership of “about...time” magazine in 1972. The publication celebrates the accomplishments of Black people in Rochester, telling stories not always told in the mainstream press.
A graduate of Virginia State University, he was a member of the U.S. Navy Reserve from 1965 to 1971 and worked for IBM in Owego, NY, before being transferred to Rochester in 1970. At “about... time,” he served as publisher. He also served on the board of the Rush-Henrietta Central School District.
Barbara Hotham Iglewski (Died Dec. 10, 2023, at age 85): She broke barriers as a woman in science and was the chair of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Rochester's School of Medicine and Dentistry for 23 years.
A native of Pennsylvania and a graduate of Allegheny College and Penn State University, in 2015, she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls in part for her landmark study on how a bacteria spreads and causes infections in hospitalized patients and those with weakened immune systems.
One more Remarkable Rochesterian
On Dec. 23, 2023, we lost another over-achiever who wasn’t on the list of Remarkable Rochesterians but should have been. Let’s add the name of this athlete who lived to be 104 to the list that can be found at https://data.democratandchronicle.com/remarkable-rochesterians/
Frank A. Okey (1919-2023): Playing competitive tennis locally and nationally for more than 70 years, he won more than 200 titles in singles and doubles, including 85 wins in Rochester tournaments. A native of Rochester and a military veteran, he graduated from Aquinas Institute and from the University of Rochester, where he played tennis and basketball. A longtime employee of International Harvester, he also played squash, winning many titles at the University Club of Rochester.
From his home in Geneseo, Livingston County, retired senior editor Jim Memmott, writes Remarkable Rochester, who we were, who we are. He can be reached at jmemmott@gannett.com or write Box 274, Geneseo, NY 14454.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Remarkable people from Rochester NY who died in 2023
