Dr. Janet Lieberman was born on October 2nd, 1921 in Flatbush, Brooklyn. Dr. Lieberman died on March 19th, 2019. She passed away from complications due to pneumonia at the age of 97. Lieberman had many accomplishments throughout her career at LaGuardia Community College. One of them was establishing – in the 1970’s – Middle College High School for struggling students on LaGCC’s campus. In 1983 Dr. Lieberman started the International High School a tLaGuardia Community College campus for new immigrants with limited knowledge of English.
Dr. Lieberman also established collaborations with other educational institutions to attract high school students who were struggling academically, or had to hold down jobs while taking classes, or who could not afford a four-year college. She won the 1989 Charles A. Dana Award for Pioneering Achievement in Higher Education, and the 2004 Harold W. McGraw Jr. Prize in Higher Education.
During Dr. Lieberman’s time at LaGCC she mentored Richard Lieberman (no relation) who also worked at the college. “Dr. Janet Lieberman taught me everything I know about education and student’s needs,” he said. “I was very fortunate to have worked alongside her. The things I remember most about her were her creativeness and her honesty.”
According to Dr. Richard Lieberman, Dr. Janet Lieberman was the driving force behind the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives. LaGuardia Community College was the first to have an archives. In the beginning the archives consisted of photographs and oral history from the Queen’s community. As time went on and with more experience the archives grew, collecting more history of Queens like primary documentations from local politians like Rudy Giuliani and others.
Dr. Janet Lieberman was first married to Allen L. Chase, she had two sons: biostatistician Gary Andrew Chase, PhD, and physician Randolph Hugh Chase, MD. She later wed Dr. Jerrold S. Lieberman, MD. A longtime member of Temple Emanu-El in Manhattan, she was preceded in death by her husband Dr. Lieberman, brother Herbert Rubensohn, and elder son Gary (Carol S. Weisman). She is survived by her son Randolph (Marilyn Morris Chase), grandsons Alexander “Sandy” Chase, Jordan “Jack” Chase, MD, (Rebecca McEntee Chase); granddaughter Rebecca Chase- Chen (Jondou John Chen); nieces Leslie Moore and Barbara Rubensohn; and four great-grandchildren.
