Abram Bernard Bernstein

Abram Bernard Bernstein, 87, of Berkely, CA peacefully died on June 2, 2023, at Aldersgate AssistedLiving in Charlotte, NC surrounded by family both in person and by phone from all over the country.Abe was born on July 11, 1935, to Irving and Sonya Bernstein in New York, NY. He graduated two yearsearly from Bronx High School of Science. Abe went on to earn his Bachelor of Science in Meteorologyfrom The City College of New York and graduated Phi Betta Kappa; then earned his Master of Science inMeteorology from Penn State University; concluding with his Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science from theUniversity of Washington in 1973 in Seattle, Washington.Abe married in 1957 in Seattle, Washington and divorced in 1976; they had two sons, Jonathan andKevin.Abe began his professional career with the Environmental Sciences Services Administration in SilverSpring, MD while assigned to the University of Washington in Seattle. He also went to Australia andworked with the International Geophysical Year (IGY).Abe continued as a research meteorologist and for 15 years worked with the National Oceanic andAtmospheric Administration's Air Resources laboratories in Silver Spring, Maryland. He engaged intheoretical and observational studies of turbulence in the earth's surface and planetary boundary layers,including air-sea interaction.Starting in 1973 he worked with the National Advisory Committee on Oceans and Atmosphere inWashington, D.C for 5 years.In 1978 Abe worked with the National Academy of Sciences as a Senior Program Officer. He also servedon the National Research Council. There he managed studies of natural and technological hazards andhow they applied to new technology to building and to urban infrastructure systems. His major projectsdealt with chlorofluorocarbons and stratospheric ozone; coastal flooding from hurricanes, landslides,and other ground failure hazards; hazard mitigation in communities prone to multiple natural hazards;and underground mine-disasters.After working in research Abe moved into the world of academia. He was a professor in the Departmentof Technology and Society at the State University of New York Stoney Brook in Stony Brook, New York.He taught courses on sociotechnological problems and relevant methods of analysis and decisionmaking and conducted research on societal and instrumental aspects of environmental disasters. Hethen was a professor at Antioch University in Keene, New Hampshire. Abe concluded his career inacademia with retirement as a Dean from Prescott College in Prescott, AZ. Following retirement Abefollowed his passion for writing and moved to Big Sur, California where he lived and worked at theEsalen Institute.Before Abe began to write fiction, he published articles in numerous journals such as: The Journal ofApplied Meteorology and Climatology, Weather Review, Boundary Layer Meteorology, the BulletinAmerican Meteorological Society, and National Academies: Science, Engineering, Medicine.Abe was someone who never stopped moving or working on something. Even at age 87 you could seehim walking up and down the steep hills of the San Francisco Bay area and taking the bus from one placeto another. Abe was unstoppable. He was always busy working on his craft; preparing or acting incommunity theatre; writing hundreds of short stories of various genres; and reading every book hecould find. His writing passion was for children and youth. Abe always gave books as gifts and made itpersonal to the receiver, especially to his four grandchildren. In addition to an artful handmade cardand an inscription in the book, he would write a letter explaining how he found the book, what he likedabout it and why he thought the receiver would enjoy reading the book.Abe was preceded in death by his father, Irving Bernstein and mother, Sonya Rubin Bernstein.Abe is survived by his partner, Sue Londerville; Sister, Judy Plotner (Stan); sons Jonathan Turner(Kristen); Kevin Turner (Kathy); four grandchildren Sarah (Jared), Alex, Cole, and Natalie; and nieces andnephews David (Julie), Daniel, and Lisa (Jeff).A celebration of life will be in Durham, NC on November 18, 2023. In lieu of flowers the family requestsdonation of books be made to a local library or book vending machines for children.