Harris Drucker, Ph.D., professor emeritus at Monmouth University, passed away Jan. 10, 2024, at the age of 80.
He is survived by his wife Elsalyn Palmisano; son David P. Drucker and his wife Amy Kaiden Drucker; son Jason P. Drucker and his partner Joseph Ortiz; grandsons Dylan and Charlie Drucker; brother Robert Drucker and his wife Anne; sister Judy Meltzer and her wife Melanie; sister-in-law Lane Palmisano and her husband Cary; and sister-in-law Jan Palmisano.
Harris was born July 28, 1943, in Brooklyn, New York, to parents May and Arthur Drucker. The family lived around the world, including Japan, Thailand and Puerto Rico, before settling in Virginia, where Harris graduated high school. He received a B.S. from Pennsylvania State University in 1964 and then received a full fellowship to the University of Pennsylvania, completing his Ph.D. in electrical engineering in 1967 at the age of 23.
He met his future wife Elsalyn in 1965 at the University of Pennsylvania Moore School of Electrical Engineering library where he was studying and she was the librarian.
Dr. Drucker was an exceptional teacher and mentor to students, teaching for over 50 years at Monmouth University in West Long Branch. After one year at RCA Corporation in Camden, he arrived at Monmouth University in 1968 to teach in the newly formed graduate program in electronic engineering. He and Elsalyn lived in an 1896 historic Victorian house in West Long Branch for 30 years, where they raised their family.
He received tenure in 1971, was promoted to associate professor in 1973, and to full professor in 1978. Dr. Drucker also served as chair of the Department of Electronic Engineering from 1983 to 1992 and from 1996 to 1999. He was the vice president and chief negotiator for FAMCO (the faculty union), co-founder of the graduate program in software engineering, and received the distinguished teacher’s award in 1982. While he was chair, he managed a process that led to the development and approval of the information technology minor and certificate program. He was proud to initiate the tuition exchange program whereby faculty children were able to attend schools at reduced tuition rates.
Author of over 50 papers in machine learning and speech processing, Harris also worked for many years as a consultant at Bell Labs, AT&T, and others, doing pioneering research. He retired in 2006 but continued to teach as an adjunct faculty member.
In 2002, Harris and Elsalyn moved to Marina Bay Club in North Long Branch where they enjoyed beautiful sunsets and activities on the Shrewsbury River. Their greatest adventure was living through Super Storm Sandy and riding out the storm with no power or heat for a week.
Beyond his accomplishments in academia, Harris reserved his greatest love and devotion for his family and close friends. He had a great sense of humor and loved bike riding, reading, gardening, sailing his boat (Free to Be), bridge, beaches (including summers in Stone Harbor and Ocean Grove), classical music, and chocolate. He will be missed terribly by his family.
Harris will be remembered and celebrated by all who knew him, especially the many new friends that he made in the last decade at Seabrook Retirement Community in Tinton Falls. Serving as chair of the Resident Advisory Council finance committee, Harris was an active volunteer since 2015.
Elsalyn, David, and Jason are grateful for the compassionate assistance that was given to Harris by caregivers from the Gardens at Seabrook, Boardwalk Homecare Agency, Homeside Hospice, and the exceptional doctors at Jersey Shore University Medical Center.
A private service was held by his family at Bongarzone Funeral Home. Tribute messages can be left online at bongarzonefuneralhome.com. Charitable donations can be made in Harris’s memory to Seabrook Scholars Fund, 3000 Essex Road, Tinton Falls, NJ 07753.
A memorial service will be planned later in the spring.
This article originally appeared in the January 25 – 31, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
