Paul and I first met when I was 17 and he was 18. We sneaked out of one of the Freshman Orientation sessions at Princeton in September 1957, because we found we would rather talk about literature, music, art and film, and started a conversation that lasted 65 years. We never once got together all this time without my feeling either happier or wiser for it; mostly both, given the madcap Till Eulenspiegel humor radiating from him at all times, as some of the photographs make wickedly clear, and the gift of intense attention and sympathy which is so beautifully expressed in others. It´s a great trial to lose you, Paul. But though I can say Ave, Paule, `Hail, Paul´, I won't go on like Catullus to say atque vale, `and farewell´. You will be a part of me and everyone else who loved you to the end of our lives. And when that´s over, your poems will still be singing like nightingales.




It was  inspiring  to hear Paul recite Rilke in German to students  in the halls of the NAC building at City College.  I was fortunate to work closely with Paul when he was the Chair of English.  He was funny, brilliant, argumentative and kind.  He brought energy, passion and a sly wit  to every conversation.  I will miss my esteemed colleague and friend.  Here is a photo of Paul and Mikhal Dekel, our Chair, at our recent English department party.  I will miss him very much and offer the family my sincere condolences.

 I was fortunate to take Professor Oppenheimer’s “Medieval Epic and Romance” course last spring at CCNY. Halfway through the semester, Professor Oppenheimer asked us to describe the papers we planned to write so he could approve them. I work in theater, so I decided I’d research how epic poems were performed at court. Professor Oppenheimer listened politely, approved my proposal, and then told me - smiling -  that there was absolutely no way of discovering how the poems were performed. I felt shocked at first - why had he approved my paper? But now I am grateful. He gave me a question and a mystery that will continue unfolding for me, widening my view of the past. Throughout the course, I would tell my 13-year-old daughter and her father about what we were learning- how beautiful and strange it all was. Near the end of the term, my daughter’s father, who also works in theater, was cast as the ‘Mysterious Man’ in the Broadway revival of Sondheim’s “Into The Woods.” We were excited to realize that Sondheim and Lapine were almost certainly referencing the medieval idea of the woods as a transformative space -a concept we likely never would have encountered had it not been for Professor Oppenheimer. How a fragment of ancient knowledge can inform a contemporary performance is the second vibrant mystery we received from Professor Oppenheimer. We are truly grateful, and send our deepest condolences to the great professor’s family and friends. 

So very sorry to hear of the recent loss of one of the finest professors I ever had at City College, and who became a colleague when I began to teach there. Paul Oppenheimer gave us such a deeply intensive and intelligent approach to the great literatures, and was a fine poet and writer as well. I will always be grateful for what he gave us, in these realms, and his insights to the works we studied with him will always stay with me, and many others who had the chance to study with him.  Paul's love of the literature he taught, and the poetry that he wrote, were a foundation for him, and he gave that love of so many classic literatures to those of us who were lucky to receive it. I will miss his continual presence and his words at the campus.

Paul was a great inspiration to me. As a graduate student in the Creative Writing program at City College, Paul sparked my ardor for medieval literature... so much so that I went on to complete a Ph.D. His brilliance, erudition and artistry, are evident not only in his scholarly writings and poetry, but in the dedication and passion he had for sharing knowledge with his students. This is a great loss to us all. My condolences and prayers to all those knew and loved him.

Paul was an esteemed colleague at City College, and a friend who could always be relied on for insightful ideas and stimulating conversations. It was my good fortune to have team-taught a Senior Seminar with him at CCNY -- an unforgettable experience. Paul left a rich legacy of writings, and we will miss his irreplaceable mind.  Deepest condolences to his family. 

Great professor and dedicated educator, we are forever indebted to you Professor Oppenheimer.

Professor Oppenheimer was brilliant, an inspiration to any aspiring teacher of literature, and for a time I wondered if he were Chaucer himself, bound by some magic to read his Canterbury Tales to his lucky students forever. He was extremely encouraging to me personally about my work - and I am deeply saddened by his loss. 

For over half a century, Paul had been an intellectual, feeling and radiant light. Whenever Assia, my friend Stella and I met (too few times, as I  now realize), we spent hours talking, arguing (wonderful arguments about history, literature, travel, politics) and the friendship we had enjoyed since high school. His loss to Assia and his school is without parallel. His loss to me is so so personal. May his wife and children find comfort in his memory.

OBITUARY

Paul Oppenheimer

May 1, 1939 – July 28, 2022

Riverside Memorial Chapel

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