The Robert F. and Augusta Finkelstein Memorial Lecture

The Robert F. and Augusta Finkelstein Memorial Lecture Series was established by Adelphi University in 1981 in honor of the late Robert F. Finkelstein, a noted industrialist and staunch believer in state and federal support of elementary and secondary education. The endowed lecture is provided through the generosity of Mrs. Augusta Finkelstein, a 1928 Adelphi graduate, in memory of her husband. Her goal was "to provide a series of lectures by well-known persons recognized for their commitment to the elementary and secondary public school system." Following Mrs. Finkelstein's death, the lecture was renamed in honor of them both.

Mr. Finkelstein was a dedicated crusader for public education, who believed that local advances would strengthen the entire public education system. He was an advocate of state and federal aid to education, the separation of church and state, and he urged open communication between school boards and citizens. His commitment to education is demonstrated by affiliation with various groups whose purpose was to improve the public school system. As a leading industrialist in Woonsocket, RI, Mr. Finkelstein had wanted nothing except "the satisfaction of seeing young people have the opportunity for the best education possible."

Years Name Press Release 2008–09 Patrick Finn Patrick Finn was born the eighth of nine children into an Irish Catholic family on the south side of Chicago. His father was a plumber and a devoted union man, and the union tradition has continued in the family... Read more. 2007–08 Ngugi wa Thiong’o Read Press Release 2005–06 Richard Mills   2003–04 Gerry House Read Press Release 2002–03 Dr. Betty Reardon   2001–02 Harold Levy   2000–01 Tom Sobol   1999–2000 Rudy Crew   1998–99 Jean Anyon   1997–98 Henry Levin   1995–96 Elliot Eisner   1994–95 David Elkind   1993–94 Nell Noddings   1992–93 Marc Bernstein   1989–90 Maxine Greene   1988–89 Howard Gardner   1987–88 Basil Bernstein   1986–87 Linda Darling-Hammond   1985–86 Ira Singer   1984–85 Richard Doremus   1983–84 John Goodlad & Sol Chaiken   1981–82 Raymond Moore

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