In Memoriam: Arthur Ochs Sulzberger (CC'51)

September 30, 2012

Columbia University President Lee C. Bollinger issued the following statement today celebrating the life of Arthur Ochs "Punch" Sulzberger: "The entire Columbia community mourns the loss of Arthur Ochs 'Punch' Sulzberger. He was a loyal and devoted College alumnus and trustee, the son of a great Columbia family whose name and generosity graces programs, structures and scholarships across the entire University. "His stewardship of our nation's newspaper of record is an achievement of the first order. The Supreme Court decisions in "The New York Times v. Sullivan" and "The New York Times v. United States" regarding the Pentagon Papers were historic moments in the evolution of freedom of speech and press as we have come to know it, and it was Arthur Sulzberger who had the determination and courage as publisher to see those landmark cases through to the end. "Over many generations, there are many ties, both professional and personal, between these two great New York institutions—Columbia University in the City of New York and "The New York Times"—but none has been greater than the shared commitment to freedom of thought and the pursuit of information and knowledge in the public interest. Arthur Sulzberger personified this connection and this ideal. He was called a 'life trustee' of Columbia, but in ways we will come to know his impact here will be felt long beyond his lifetime. On behalf of the entire university community, I extend condolences to the Sulzberger family and to everyone who feels the loss, as we do, of 'Punch' Sulzberger."