By MARTIN SUGARMAN Special to the Palisadian-Post Alton Robert Cohen, a Pacific Palisades resident who lived a life dedicated to belles-lettres, teaching and creating, and living the California dream, died on May 6 at the age of 81. His son Zachary, 27, summed up his father’s life and persona most succinctly when he said, ‘My father embraced and celebrated life in the extreme. He had an unbelievable loving relationship with my mother, Idell, and was always there for us. He never apologized for his life or felt the need to prove himself. My father was a very lucky soul because he squarely knew who he was.’ There is so much to say about Altie Cohen and not enough words to fully describe him. Many people have commented on his rich life by posting their thoughts on Legacy.com under the tab of Alton Robert Cohen. Family members ask the readers of this article to visit the site and add your individual thoughts. Fortune favored me when I met Altie sitting on the water’s edge at Will Rogers State Beach one summer afternoon in the early 1960s. He complimented me on my surfing. My memory of that day is green and vivid. He was most astute in his observations about life. I loved and admired his intellectual straightforwardness and mental alacrity. His eyes shone with joy when he talked about ideas and transcendental metaphysics. Above all, Altie was most watchful in how we lived; the rest did not matter. He had the mark of a complex thinker and a superb teacher. Most importantly, he was a good friend within and outside his circle. Alton Cohen was born on August 26, 1926 in Los Angeles, in the Jewish ethnic neighborhood of Boyle Heights, into what one can describe as a house of learning. His parents, Jenny and Lazarus, were both well educated. His father was a voracious reader who taught Altie to love books and the marvelous worlds they contained. Jenny, a Yale graduate, instilled in Altie a love and veneration of the English language and its power to communicate and represent the world. The 20th century ushered in radio, television and film, and Los Angeles was home to all three. Lazarus, a carpenter by trade, took advantage of this entertainment boom and became a set designer in Hollywood, winning recognition for his work on the film classic ‘Casablanca.’ In Altie’s middle teens, his family moved to West Hollywood where he graduated from Fairfax High School. He went on to UC Berkeley, earning an undergraduate degree in journalism, and worked as a sportswriter at the Los Angeles Times for a short while before returning to school to obtain a teaching credential. He served in the Army during World War II as a member of a special intelligence unit called the Rainbow Corps. Altie moved to Pacific Palisades in his mid-20s and lived in four different houses there over the course of his life. He first taught at Palisades Elementary in the late ’50s and then at Kenter Canyon Elementary, where he became a household name in the neighborhood. Altogether he was a distinguished teacher for thirty years before retiring in 1967. Locally, Altie Cohen championed and fostered a sense of community at Will Rogers State Beach where he spent most of his free time camped out. He had a wonderful sense of humor and was instrumental in creating a unique sense of place. Membership in this community was unrestricted as long as you understood State Beach etiquette, such as never disturb someone taking a nap on the beach. Altie was one of the best body surfers on the California coast in his day (he mastered the killer waves at the Wedge in Newport Beach) and was also a champion beach volleyball player. The State Beach culture was very much a reflection of Altie’s outlook on life, which emphasized that members have a shared sense of responsibility for each other and there should be an absence of class distinctions, that everyone is on equal footing, living free from intolerance and prejudice. Altie’s life and teaching chartered a course in alignment with these values. He encouraged a deeper understanding of oneself and one’s role in our global village. Altie Cohen not only lived the California dream, he helped create it. What is known as the California lifestyle owes its character to people like Altie Cohen who chose to build their own lives according to their own terms. He leaves his devoted and loving wife, Idell; three children, Nancy Fredgant (husband Dean) of Mar Vista, Cathy Cohen Conklin (husband Ed) of Venice, and Zak of Pacific Palisades; and two grandchildren, Henry and Emmett Conklin. Beyond your grave, Altie Cohen, rest assured that your spirit lives on in each person you touched. You are not alone; your friends are thinking about you.
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