Obituary of Phyllis Grodsky

Dr. Phyllis Grodsky died on May 26, 2023 at the age of 84. Phyllis was a lifelong New Yorker, earning a bachelor’s degree in math and a Ph.D. in social psychology from the City University of New York. She was a professor at the New School for Social Research and then a researcher at Memorial Sloan Kettering before MS forced her into early retirement. She contributed in a meaningful way to the feminist movement in the early 1970’s. Her research influenced public policy and practice from animal testing, to AIDS risk reduction, to intake procedures around gambling for social agencies. She coined the term “Apartners” in an article she co-authored that appeared in New York Magazine. Despite the many challenges she faced living with MS for almost 40 years, she steadfastly maintained her independence, pursued various intellectual curiosities and writing projects, and coordinated the Visiting Neighbors Midtown East for several years. Her most recent project was a treatise on Chester Arthur. She is survived by her loving family, children Ora Grodsky and husband Jonathan Rosenthal and Jason Grodsky-Guadagno and wife Cindy Guadagno-Grodsky, granddaughters Sasha and Zoe Grodsky, nephew Paul Behrman and wife Adri Taylo-Behrman, grandniece Clara Behrman, and cousins Wayne and Claire De la Roche and Janet Lai. Donations in Phyllis’ memory can be made to HIAS, an organization she supported, which provides vital services to refugees and asylum seekers worldwide and advocates for their fundamental rights so they can rebuild their lives.