Students, faculty remember Russian professor

Few university students can say they have brushed elbows with an international rockstar, and even fewer can say their famous acquaintance doubled as one of their college professors. Many students in the Russian department at the university, however, can lay claim to both, as they remember Alexander Lehrman, who unexpectedly passed away in his sleep Oct. 10 in his home in Newark. He was 59.

Lehrman, a Moscow native, lived in Soviet Russia until he emigrated west in 1975, eventually settling in the United States in 1976. While living in the USSR in the 1960s and 1970s, Lehrman was a vocalist, bass guitarist and songwriter in two famous underground rock bands—Veselye Rebiata and Dobry Molodtsy.

Senior Kathleen Westmoreland, a Russian and European studies double major and one of Lehrman's former students, said the name Veselye Rebiata translates to "the cheerful guys." She said the name could not be more appropriate in describing Lehrman's character.

"He was a very cheerful person," Westmoreland said. "He always had a smile on his face."

She said despite his fame in the rock ‘n' roll scene in Russia, Lehrman was never one to boast about his accomplishments. She said his students didn't know about his life as a Russian rockstar unless they asked him directly about his life in the former Soviet Union.

"He never really talked about, you know, ‘I've done this with my music, I've done that,'" she said. "He's very humble. He never liked to boast."

Lehrman's move to the U.S. led him down the path of academia. He obtained his Ph.D. at Yale University, and then landed a job at the university in the foreign languages and literatures department in 1989.

Richard Zipser, chair of the foreign languages and literatures department, said he fondly remembers the first time he met Lehrman in May 1989 over lunch in Zipser's home. He said he can still envision the colorful necktie with a cheery floral design Lehrman was wearing that day.

"He was just very full of life, full of energy," Zipser said.

Zipser said prior to hiring Lehrman and his wife, Susan Amert, as professors, the Russian department offered very few classes. With the introduction of the two new professors, however, Zipser said the department was able to grow. Amert is now retired from the university.

Lehrman taught Russian, foreign language and literature courses, First-Year Experience courses and classes in philology—the study of language in literary contexts.

Zipser said he will remember Lehrman as one of the most intelligent professors he has worked with.

"He fits into the category of an extremely educated and beautifully intelligent person," he said. "Students in his classes marvelled at his brilliance. They recognized they were in the presence of someone extraordinary."

Along with Lehrman's fame in the music world, his resume included international recognition for his work and research in translation, literary theory and literature. Lehrman wrote three published books and a number of scholarly articles and translated poetry and novels throughout his career. His students and colleagues said Lehrman knew 40 different languages.

"If he can be successful in 40 languages, the least I can do is be successful in Russian," Westmoreland said.

Dave Mack, a 2010 university graduate with a double major in Russian studies and international relations, entered the university having taken a few Russian courses in high school, and opted to continue studying the language in college to fulfill language requirements.