Prof. Peter B. Mosenthal passes away

Prof. Peter B. Mosenthal passes awayAugust 12, 2004Matthew R. Snydermrsnyder@syr.edu

Peter B. Mosenthal, professor of reading and language arts in the School of Education, died suddenly on Aug. 3. Mosenthal was a former chair of his department, as well as a former associate dean of the school. He was the co-founder of Performance by Design, an educational consulting company.

“Prof. Mosenthal was a brilliant scholar, a wise mentor to hundreds of teachers, administrators and researchers and an irreplaceably generous colleague,” says Kathleen Hinchman, associate professor and chair of the School of Education’s Department of Reading and Language Arts. “We will miss him deeply.”

Dean of the School of Education Louise Wilkinson adds, “We deeply mourn the loss of our dear friend and colleague Pete Mosenthal. For 24 years he served as an outstanding member of the faculty, a caring member of the Syracuse community and internationally recognized leader in the field of reading research.”

Mosenthal’s specialty was testing and assessment. He was past president of the National Reading Conference, active in the International Reading Association, served on the editorial boards of five publications, was a consultant to the Educational Testing Service Adult Literacy and Learning Group and published more than 150 books, articles and chapters. His latest project involved working with three area schools to enhance student performance on New York State’s 4th- and 8th-grade standards tests.

Mosenthal received his bachelor’s degree from The College of Wooster, and his master’s and doctoral degrees from Ohio State University.

He is survived by his wife, Randie; two daughters, Beth and Lauren; his mother, Barbara; three siblings; and several nieces and nephews.

A memorial service for Mosenthal was held Aug. 8 in Hendricks Chapel. Contributions in his memory may be made to the School of Education, 230 Huntington Hall.