Alan Cohen, NHS Class of '70, passed away in September 2014 at a hospital in Toledo, Ohio. Al was 62 years old and was affectionately known as Big Al to nearly all of his friends. Al was recovering from heart bypass surgery. His wife, Donna, passed away several years ago. They had 5 very talented children. Al played football and basketball at Northwood, and briefly played football at Marietta College. He also was a member of the NHS Choir and his children are all musically inclined. Big Al was quite a character in his day! He will be cremated in Ohio
Lee Levine
Heartbroken to hear about Big Al. Whoever wrote the opening tribute hit the nail on the head.
Steven Palder
alan and i lived in the forest knolls area close to northwood. we spent many a summer trying to figure out how to make money to do whatever we were going to do. most often we were not successful. one time we went around collcting glass bottles. we were going to return them to collect on the deposit. we must have spentt a week collecting a multitude of bottles. as we loaded them up in one of our parents cars we realized that every bottle we had collected was no deposit, no return. not to be deterred we started a window cleaning business. neither of us had any idea what it took to clean a window; nor had we any idea as what to use to accomplish the goal. on our first "job" (i can't believe even till this day that someone actually allowed us to clean their windows) we broke four windows. needless to say we spent many a summer penniless but content.
he was a good person and i am sad to hear about his death
"avec un poignee de main en sentiment mon ami"
Steven Palder
Glenn Fell
I large part of my personal history was lost when Big Al passed away last week. Of course I knew he was having serious physical issues for some time and that it was inevitable during this recent incident.. so it wasn't a shock when I got the final word... but it still felt like a piece of me was gone.
Al was a major part of my formative years ... and kept poping in and out of my life over the following decades .. mostly with his midnight phone calls. I will always remember our times with great fondness. So many that I won't try to recount them all here.. but highlighted by the two years we developed and ran a basketball camp together, and when Al started his "women's sports" magazine. I remember being excited about an article I wrote that he published in the first issue.. I believe about the Woodson High School Girls basketball team ... a team I had never seen play, but wrote based on reading box scores in the Washington Post (hey, Al had no budget to actually send me to the games).
I particluarly mention these because that was what characterized Al.. the great entrepreneur .. always passionate and driven about his latest "project" .. always optimistic regardless of fact.. never quite making it over the top in business, but a major success where it really counted.. as a loving father and husband.. and a sincere, dear friend.
..... But no recollection of Al would be complete if I didn't mention his infamous New Years Eve party... where a great time was had by all, his house was trashed (sorry Maxine).. and all the basketball players in attendance paid a heavy price when the coach found out about our choice of beverages!
God Bless you Al... Hope you are re-united with Donna and off starting your next big thing.
Barbara Goldfarb (Denrich)
I spent my elementary and Jr High school years close to Alan the chubby boy whose mother was our Girl Scout leader. I never got to see him grow into Big Al because I left our shared neighborhood the first year we were all starting school at Northwood High School. Barbara wrote me the sad news of his death and also offered her pass so I could write this memorial. On a brief visit to Silver Spring just before I started college in Mexico I went back to our old neighborhood but found that everyone I remembered was no longer around. Everyone had left for college I was told. But as I was walking down the hill towards my old house Alan appeared. We stopped and looked and after only a moment's doubt we recognized each other. And I said Alan! I never forgave you and Steve Rosen! for not inviting me to your bar mitzvah was the only one left out. And he answered with a smile that it was a festivity "for member's only" but if I would leave my telephone with him I would be invited, he promised,if it was meant to be,to his first son's bar Mitzvah. And he added "¿Where did you go anyway? One day you just disappeared". So many years have passed and I now learn that he had five children but the invitation never came because I never left him a phone number. And now it is he who all of a sudden disappeared. Alan: I will always remember you and your mother fondly and it is time for me to forgive for not being invited to your party."Que en paz descanses amiguito".
Ana Ashwell
Oren Kaplan
On the eve of our 50 year reunion; fond memories of the way we knew you:
Oren Kaplan