COM Outlook Winter 2019

NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY | 19 just a poor Jewish student from Rutgers,’ ” said Cohen of his fearless self-introduction. “He then asked me to sit down, which shocked me, because I couldn’t believe he would even talk to me.” Clearly impressed by Cohen’s youthful bravado, Einstein tendered an intriguing offer: to serve as his driver for the princely sum of $14 a month. Although he was 67 years old at the time, Einstein had yet to master the art of driving—a circumstance that turned out to be both financially and intellectually rewarding for Cohen. “For the next two years, I drove him around on the weekends and sometimes on Thurs- days, depending on my classes,” said Cohen of their Driving Miss Daisy relationship, which eventually deepened into a full- fledged friendship. “I knew, of course, that he was a famous scientist, but what truly amazed me was his knowledge of cultural anthropology, psychology, sociology, philosophy, and even politics. I really think I learned more from him in these areas than I did from my classes,” said Cohen, who published a book documenting his time with the genius in 2012 entitled My Time with Einstein . “If I could have handpicked a father, it would have been him, because he was so nice to me,” Cohen explained. “I wasn’t his kid, but boy, I felt like he was my father, mentor, and hero. He taught me so much about life, including his philosophy that if you don’t fail at anything, you never tried anything.” Finding His Fit While his driving adventures with Einstein con- sumed much of his free time, Cohen still remained focused on his studies. “When I went to Rutgers, I thought I wanted to do medical research, because I saw so many things in science that needed answers,” he explained. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in biology in 1950, however, Cohen soon discovered he and medical research were an ill- fated match. “When I was doing research at Rutgers, I was around people, which I liked,” said Cohen, who went on to earn his M.Ed. in 1955 and his Ed.D. in 1965 from Temple University, where he majored in edu- cational administration. “But after I graduated and started working, I discovered you’re by yourself, working in a lab, and looking through a microscope all day. It just didn’t fit my personality.” One thing that clearly fit his personality was his wife, Joan, who he met when he was a junior at Rutgers. “I was playing ping-pong at the Hillel chapter on campus one day when she walked in with a girl- friend,” he recalled. “I took one look at this marvelous creature, and I was hooked. That night, I even told my roommate I had met the person I was going to marry. Interestingly, I found out 25 years later at our anni- versary party that Joan had told her sister the same thing that very same night.” Because money was tight, Cohen had to borrow the four-dollar marriage license fee when he and Joan tied the knot in 1950. The couple also moved in with Cohen’s parents to help make ends meet since he had given up his medical research ambitions to unearth his true vocational passion. “I could have stayed in research, but my wife was very supportive and said, ‘Don’t worry about the money; do what you want to do,’ ” he said. “I knew I needed to make some money because I didn’t want to sponge off my parents all the time, so I was doing a variety of jobs like stage hypnosis, putting up television towers, repairing television sets, and removing steam boilers.” During this time, he also decided to take a stab at substitute teaching. To his surprise, Cohen discovered he loved students and the teaching process, and a 60-plus-year career was born. The 1950s would prove to be a fruitful decade for Cohen both personally and professionally. He became the proud father of five children and watched his career reach diverse and unexpected heights. “When I started substituting, I saw a lot of students who had major personal and emotional problems,” he explained. “There were so many good, young minds dropping out of the school system, so I started taking psychology courses at Temple University in addition Two books authored by Stanley Cohen