Milton Bassin, who as president of York College in Jamaica, Queens, oversaw the construction of a vast campus on a once-blighted site — steering the project through New York’s fiscal crisis and, in the process, helping to revitalize Jamaica and educate thousands of disadvantaged students — died on Monday in the Bronx. He was 88 and lived in Somers, N.Y.
Judith Crist, one of America’s most widely read film critics for more than three decades and a provocative presence in millions of homes as a regular reviewer on the “Today” show, died Tuesday at her home in Manhattan. She was 90.
When Marvin Hamlisch auditioned for the Juilliard School of Music, he played not Chopin or Mozart but the American folk standard “Goodnight, Irene,” a choice that could have had lamentable results for any other prospective student.
Martin E. Segal, whose puckish warmth and old-fashioned ways belied his power and influence as one of the city’s leading cultural figures, died on Sunday at his home in Manhattan. He was 96.
