Kurt Salzinger

Kurt Salzinger was a deeply thoughtful, humane, and passionate man. A loving father and husband, a brilliant and prolific scholar, a talented leader, and an inveterate punster, he will be profoundly missed. He died of a head injury after being knocked down on the subway.

Kurt was born in Vienna, Austria in 1929. At nine he fled the Nazis with his family, living along the way in Latvia and Japan and eventually taking a boat to Seattle. Arriving in New York after two years, Kurt attended Bronx High School of Science, NYU, and Columbia University, where he received his Ph.D. in Psychology under the mentorship of Dr. Joseph Zubin.

As a committed behaviorist, Dr. Salzinger held positions at the NY State Psychiatric Institute, Polytechnic University, the National Science Foundation, the American Psychological Association (APA), and Hofstra University. He was President of the NY Academy of Sciences where he initiated dialog with the Soviet Academy of Sciences. He was Executive Director of Science at the APA, among other roles, as well as President of the Association of Behavior Analysis and the Eastern Psychological Association. He wrote 14 books and 200 journal articles, and his work continues to be cited widely.

He was joyfully married to Deanna Chitayat for 38 years. His children from his first marriage to Suzanne Salzinger loved and adored him. He leaves his wife Deanna Chitayat, his children Leslie, Alison, Meryl and John Salzinger, his grandchildren Tova Salzinger, Sanjay and Penelope Day, and Dev Singh-Salzinger, his step-children Mara and Aimee Chitayat, and his previous wife Suzanne.

The Memorial will be followed by a reception at the chapel. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations in his name to HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society).