SCHAGRIN, Dr. Morton L. Of Needham, MA died peacefully in his sleep on October 20, 2019. He was born in Wilmington, Delaware on November 22, 1930. He is survived by his wife Shirley (Ruston) Schagrin; his daughter Alissa (Schagrin) Keene and her husband David of Wellesley, MA; his sons Stuart Schagrin of Amherst, NH and Kenneth Schagrin and his wife Sallianne Schagrin of Arlington, VA, and his brother Edward Schagrin of Rehoboth, MA. He is also survived by seven grandchildren Hannah Keene, Ruston Keene, Matthew Schagrin, Caroline Schagrin, Kyle Schagrin, Sarah Schagrin, and Samantha Schagrin. He is pre-deceased by his parents Sydney E. Schagrin and Bessie (Cohen) Schagrin, and daughter-in-law Florence Schagrin.
Dr. Schagrin earned his bachelor and master’s degrees in Physics from the University of Chicago and a PhD from the University of California at Berkeley. He was a professor at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Fredonia, Denison University in Ohio, and the University of Florida at Gainsville teaching Philosophy of Science. He also served as the Chair of the Philosophy Department and was Associate Dean for Humanities, Fine Arts and Education at SUNY-Fredonia. In 1988-89, Dr. Schagrin held a Fulbright Teaching Fellowship in Beijing, China where he witnessed the pro-democracy student protests that resulted in violence and bloodshed in Tiananmen Square.
Dr. Schagrin is the author of the textbooks, “The Language of Logic” and “Decision Theory and Heuristics” and co-authored a number of other textbooks. He published numerous articles in Reason Magazine, Philosophy of Science and the World Book Encyclopedia. His professional affiliations included: History of Science Society, Philosophy of Science Association, American Philosophical Association, American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Association of University Professors.
Dr. Schagrin also served in the United States Navy from 1954 to 1957.
Funeral services will be private. Donations in Dr. Schagrin’s memory can be made to the American Cancer Society at http://www.cancer.org.