AU Professor Emeritus Charles I. Bartfeld passed away on Feb. 18, according to a memorandum from Mary L. Clark, Dean of Academic Affairs and Senior Vice Provost.
Bartfeld was born in Vienna, Austria in 1921, but spent time in a variety of professions all over the world before accepting a teaching job at American University. Bartfeld immigrated to Palestine in 1938 where he attended agricultural school and became an avid cheese maker, according to his obituary in the Washington Post.
He served with the British forces in North Africa during World War II and became recognized for his official photographs for the British Army. After the war, he returned to Tel Aviv and joined the Israel Defense Forces and played a role in the defense of the newly established State of Israel.
In 1961, Bartfeld became the first person to graduate from Columbia University graduate school with an MBA without a high school or undergraduate degree. He also received a Ph.D from Columbia in 1969.
Bartfeld joined the faculty at AU in 1966, teaching Management Science and Operations Research at the School of Business Administration, later named the Kogod School of Business, and he retired in 1992.
During his retirement, Bartfeld and his wife, Ruth, remained supporters of various Jewish organizations, including the Jewish Studies Program and the Center for Israel Studies at AU. He also volunteered at the American Museum of History and Technology and enjoyed creating pottery at Glen Echo Park in Bethesda.
Bartfeld is survived by his wife, three children, four grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews in Israel and the United States.
A funeral service will be held for Bartfeld on Monday, Feb, 22 at 10:30 a.m. at Temple Sinai, 3100 Military Road NW, Washington, D.C.
