In Memoriam
Peter Lindenfeld (1925–2025)
Born in Vienna on March 10, 1925, and shaped by the upheaval of the 1938 annexation of Austria,
Peter Lindenfeld’s life carried him from refugee to professor emeritus of physics at Rutgers University.
He died peacefully on Friday, November 21, 2025, at age 100, in New Jersey, holding the hands of his children.
100
Years of a life in full
45+
Years teaching at Rutgers
3
Cities that shaped his journey
2
Continents he called home
Driven from Austria as a teenager, Peter’s path led through Switzerland, England, and Vancouver before
graduate study at Columbia University and a long career at Rutgers. His research in solid-state
superconductivity was matched by a lifelong dedication to making physics accessible and meaningful to
non-specialists.
Rooted in Jewish tradition yet open to a wide philosophical world, Peter built a life woven from family,
teaching, social justice, and community — from Princeton civic life and environmental causes to summers in
Vermont and a deep engagement with global art, music, and culture.
He shared this journey with his late wife, textile artist Lore Kadden Lindenfeld, his partner in later years,
Mary Clurman, and a wide circle of friends, former students, and colleagues.
Peter is survived by his son Tom and his partner Becky Leise of Princeton, New Jersey, his daughter Naomi and her husband Michael Bosworth of Brattleboro, Vermont, and his grandson Sam Lindenfeld of Brooklyn, New York.
From the Family
After 100 years of fully engaged and varied pursuits, our father, friend, colleague, physics education advocate,
musician, author, creative, and fellow social justice warrior, Peter Lindenfeld died. But to his credit, he left us
not only with his imprint, but his memoir as well. Only days before he died, he held his published hard copy book in
his hands: A Century in the Making, published by Catalyst Press.
A Century in the Making is Peter’s own account of an immigrant who struggled, we’d say successfully, to
assimilate into a new and often baffling culture while holding his old-world sensibilities close. What he never lost
was his empathy for those who struggle to be accepted and don’t come with the advantages afforded the wealthy and
well-connected.
He listened, and he championed the causes of students and faculty members in whom he saw promise, but none of the
foundational advantages that seemed to come easily to others. He regularly invited immigrants to join our dinner
table for American holidays, and at other times as well. He encouraged young blood to take over leadership positions
at work and in his civic pursuits. He wore his form of social democracy and inclusive responsibility on his sleeve,
and we are all richer for it.
Anyone wishing to do so might consider a contribution in Peter’s memory to:
