Harriet Bjelovucic, who joined the history department in 1961 and taught until her retirement in 1988, died at age 79 from complications following surgery. As a professor, her major interests were in early modern Europe and the Balkans; she taught courses in early modern history, in the history of the Middle East and in women’s history. “Mrs. B” to legions of her students, she was immensely popular with undergraduates and devoted much time to Phi Alpha Theta, the National History Honors Society.

Award-winning playwright, director and actress Vinnette Carroll, who received her B.A. at the Brooklyn Campus in 1944, died at the age of 80. Her plays include “Your Arms Too Short to Box with God” and “Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope.” She won an Emmy Award and an Obie Award and was inducted into the Black Film Makers Hall of Fame. In 1967, she founded the Urban Arts Corps in New York City, which sought to assist minority performers in all theatrical disciplines.

Jer Gin-Chen, a 2001 graduate with distinction of the computer science master’s program, died in an accident on Christmas morning when he fell on the subway tracks while crossing between cars on a train. He had worked in the Anatomy and Cell Biology Laboratory at SUNY/Downtown Medical Center.

A senior adjunct professor of journalism for 16 years, Alexander Oliver died at age 72. A Korean War veteran, he pursued a career in the advertising industry and became one of the first African-American creative directors, teaching at the Brooklyn Campus after his retirement.