Document Type
Oral History
Publication Date
4-11-2011
Biography
Prof. Marvin Newman grew up in Chicago, Illinois, and South Florida. He received his bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University in 1956, then continued his studies at the University’s law school, where he earned his L.L.B. and J.D. degrees, graduating magna cum laude.
With his wife and newborn daughter, Newman moved to Orlando in 1960 and began practicing as an attorney. He joined Rollins in 1961 as an adjunct lecturer in Business Law. His passion for the subject was evident, and within a year, he was teaching classes Monday through Thursday and sometimes on the weekends, while continuing to practice law and devote time to his growing family (the Newmans eventually had four daughters). In 1972 he became a tenured professor in the College of Arts and Sciences.
A popular and dedicated teacher, Prof. Newman received numerous awards over the course of his career, including the Hugh and Jeannette McKean Grant, The Outstanding Professor Award from the Crummer Graduate School of Business, The Rollins Decoration of Honor, and the College’s Distinguished Teaching Award. He introduced a total of 10 courses to the Rollins curriculum, but the one that is dearest to him is “Death and Dying.” This class was immediately popular with students and led to Prof. Newman becoming an internationally recognized scholar on ethical and legal issues related to the terminally ill. He is the author of numerous publications and co-author of several books on this topic, including To Die or Not to Die and Perspectives on Death and Dying.
Prof. Newman retired from Rollins in 2011. Looking back on his teaching career, he said, “I feel that it’s the memories my students will have of me that will count more than the assets that I leave. So it’s been wonderful.”
Recommended Citation
Zhang, Wenxian and Newman, Marvin, "Interview with Marvin Newman" (2011). Oral Histories. 14.
https://scholarship.rollins.edu/oralhist/14