In Memoriam
Columbia Engineering mourns the loss of Richard Longman, professor of mechanical engineering and professor of civil engineering and engineering mechanics. Longman, who taught at Columbia for more than 40 years, was best known for his innovation in the control of dynamic systems, resulting in important contributions to three burgeoning fields: time optimal control of robots for increased productivity, satellite mounted robot kinematics and dynamics, and iterative learning control to make robots doing repetitive tasks improve their performance to ultimately achieve zero tracking error. In his many collaborations, Longman brought an incredible mathematical talent, an instinctive understanding of dynamics, and an intellectual curiosity and attention to details that were unmatched and helped raise the bar of all the collaborators.
Tullio “Ted” Borri BS’51, ’82BUS, ’84BUS died peacefully on April 5, 2024, two days after his 95th birthday. His connection with Columbia Engineering was very important to him. He was an active member of the Columbia Engineering Alumni Association, serving as president and a board member, and was the secretary of the Class of ‘51. He was also a member of every milestone reunion committee, serving his class with pride. Ted and his wife, Cecil Ane Borri, endowed a scholarship, and meeting and mentoring the scholarship’s students was an ongoing source of pleasure and pride.
Mark Carlos MS’77 passed away on July 16, 2024, at age 72.
Lynn Conway BS’62, MS’63 passed away on June 9, 2024, at age 86. Read our tribute.
Columbia Engineering mourns the loss of Dr. Edward A. DeCarbo Jr., former Engineering dean of students (1985 – 1990), who passed away on Feb. 18, 2024, in New York City.
William “Bill” Doll MS’55 passed away on July 10, 2024, surrounded by his loving family. He obtained his MS in electrical engineering at Columbia University in 1955. He was most proud of creating CHIRP, a radar technology that uses frequency modulation and pulse compression. Following a 20-year career at Bell Labs, he took a position at Lockheed Electronics and continued to work in the defense industry designing radars for warships and planes for the U.S. and other countries. Bill was always curious and a lifelong learner who will be greatly missed by his friends and family.
Kristopher “Kris” Holder MS’24, age 30, passed away on July 5, 2024, in a tragic motorcycle accident. Kris was a man of faith and an adventurer, who deeply loved his friends and family, and work as a traffic engineer.
Dr. Michael N. Infantino BS’76, MS’77, 70, of Holmdel, New Jersey, passed away peacefully at his home, on July 30, 2024. Michael was born on April 6, 1954, in Brooklyn, New York, where he grew up in the Dyker Heights section and met his beloved wife, Veronica “Ronni” (Albergo) Infantino. He earned both his bachelor’s degree in bioengineering and his master’s degree in chemical engineering from Columbia.
Ira M. Millstein SEAS’47, LAW’49 died on March 13, 2024 at age 97. Ira was the oldest and lonest serving partner at Weil, Gotshal & Manges, a prominent civic leader in New York City, and an ardent supporter of Columbia University. Although his passion was in law, Ira remained an avid member of the Engineering community. In 2007, he became the first recipient of the Samuel Johnson Medal. He was later a longstanding committee member on the Samuel Johnson Medal committee, serving from 2009 to 2019.
Raymond Moran BS’96, MS’04 passed away in January 2024 following a serious illness. Raymond earned a BS in mechanical engineering and an MS in civil engineering and engineering mechanics. He was also a student in the Doctor of Engineering Science program, working under the supervision of Dr. Ibrahim Odeh.
Elna Okin Robbins passed away on June 3, 2025, in Basking Ridge, NJ, at age 94.
Born in Brooklyn to the late Lily and Benjamin Loscher, Elna was a brilliant student who decided to become an engineer when she was 12. Graduating from Hunter College High School, which had a rigorous academic program, and ignoring all advice to the contrary, she became an industrial engineer: B.S. in 1951, M.S.I.E. in 1954, both from Columbia University. She and her dear friend were the 5th and 6th women to earn bachelor’s degrees from Columbia School of Engineering; Elna was the first female instructor there. She co-edited the engineering journal and received membership in the engineering honor society.
Encountering sexism in the booming job market for engineers in the early 1950s, she was not offered employment by any manufacturing company, as “ladies” were not permitted on production floors. Instead, she worked for a major retailer, in an industry which had women executives. After that, being a committed Zionist, she worked in the young State of Israel as an industrial engineer in a factory that manufactured water pumps. In Israel she was treated like a lady, but also like a qualified professional who could solve their problems.
Elna returned to Columbia to teach and pursue graduate degrees (over the objections of her parents who thought she would be “too smart” to marry). To her parents' relief, she married Jack Okin, a lawyer with whom she had four children. She worked professionally as a consultant during the 1960s and 1970s. An NYC native with interests in classical music and history, she also supported Jack’s interests and hobbies, which included camping and flying a private plane. She was game for anything and was the navigator in those days before GPS, but sadly, Jack died when their youngest child was only 8.
Suddenly needing to be the breadwinner, she landed a full-time job as a telecom executive, initially with Western Electric, retiring from Lucent in the early 1990s. During the 1980s, she was the international project manager for the world’s only working cellular telephone switch.
In the late 1980s she married Murray Robbins, a Bell Labs research chemist. In retirement, she and Murray traveled the world. Between trips they hosted Shabbat dinners and volunteered in schools, teaching science to third graders. She was particularly delighted to teach girls about the adventure of science and engineering.
Elna was predeceased by her parents, sister Rona Furer, and both husbands. She is survived by children Susan Okin Goldsmith (Ash Yadav), Sharon Okin (James Reback), Liz Okin D’Aloia (John D’Aloia), David Okin (Tara Okin), Steven Robbins (Yuklan Young), daughter-in-law Inga Robbins, grandchildren Jonathan and Jessica Goldsmith, Talia and Sarah Robbins, Laura and Brian Reback, Shannon Okin, all their respective partners, and a host of dear family members and friends. The funeral will be held at Menorah Chapels, Millburn, on Sunday June 8 at 12:30 PM. Please call the office for shiva information. In lieu of flowers, please donate to Planned Parenthood or the Jewish charity of your choice.