Alvin Arlen Krakow

Dr. Alvin Arlen Krakow, known to many as the Silver Fox, passed away on, Saturday, October 20, 2018. He was 89 years old. Born in Danbury, Connecticut, Alvin was the second-youngest of 5 siblings. He attended Danbury High School, got his bachelor’s degree from New York University, and then attended Northwestern University School of Dentistry in Chicago. After a 2-year stint in the Army, and completion of his post-doctoral education, Alvin became a renowned Endodontist, founding a long-lasting and esteemed private practice in Boston. He was also heavily involved in the academic arm of dentistry, serving as an Associate Clinical Professor and Chair, Department of Endodontics, at Harvard School of Dental Medicine, as well as a Clinical Professor and Chair, Department of Endodontics, at the Forsyth Dental Institute. He was also a Diplomate, Director, and Past President of the American Board of Endodontics.

Alvin married his wife, Barbara, in 1959. They lived together in Brookline, and had two children, David and Lisa.

Alvin became a bike enthusiast in his later years, participating in multiple coast-to-coast rides. He was a supporter of Jewish philanthropies as well as the annual Pan-Mass Challenge – which he personally biked in, even into his 70’s and 80’s-- on behalf of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

Alvin was preceded in death by his older siblings, Evelyn Krakow, George Krakow, and Naomi Kanter. His spirit is carried on by his wife, two children, his younger sister, Harriet Blum, his two daughters-in-law, Jeanette Cueva and Cara Miller, his two grandchildren, Isabella Krakow and Maxwell Krakow, and an extended family of relations, former colleagues, and friends.

Alvin was known by those lucky enough to share his orbit, as a loving, generous and gentle man who was incapable of leaving a joke untold.

Services will be held at Levine Chapels, 470 Harvard St., Brookline, MA 02446 at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, October 23, 2018.

In lieu of flowers, if desired, contributions may be made in Alvin’s memory to the Krakow Harvard/Forsythe Endowed Endodontic Research Fund, via Harvard School of Dental Medicine, 188 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA 02115.