Barbara Pogul Rivlin

Barbara Pogul Rivlin, EdD, 81, proud mother and grandmother, wife, educator, scholar, francophile, and disability rights activist of Fort Lee, NJ, passed away on September 24, 2017. She was the daughter of Herman Pogul, a lawyer and chief clerk of the appellate division of the New York State Supreme Court, and Mary Berman Pogul, a singer and music educator. Barbara grew up in Flatbush, Brooklyn, and earned her undergraduate degree from Sarah Lawrence College in 1957. She earned a Master’s degree from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education and completed additional graduate work at Columbia University’s School of Social Work. Barbara worked as a social worker at Johns Hopkins University, and as a reading specialist in Baltimore and in the northern New Jersey school systems. In 1987, she obtained a Doctorate of Education from Teachers’ College, Columbia University.

In her role as Coordinator of the Office for the Handicapped at Teachers’ College, Barbara developed and implemented an ambitious ten-point plan to improve life for the disabled or handicapped student population, which included raising awareness and improving accessibility on campus, counseling students, creating a library, and coordinating conferences on disabled issues. For the book Disability, The College’s Challenge, published by the U.S. Office of Education, Barbara contributed a chapter entitled “Disabled Working with Disabled,” in which she discussed her own challenges in being a single parent with multiple sclerosis while pursuing an advanced degree. While at Columbia, Barbara also rewrote and edited Teachers’ College’s “Handbook for Handicapped Students.” More recently, she published a book chronicling her life with MS, home health aides, and various travels, entitled My Life With Help.

A longtime resident of Tenafly and Fort Lee, NJ, Barbara worked with local governmental committees to improve the lives of people with disabilities and expand their options for accessibility in education, transportation, and other facets of life. One of her motivating factors was her own struggle with accessibility due to MS and the need to use a wheelchair in her daily life. Barbara took impeccable care of herself throughout her life and all the stages of her illness, having first experienced symptoms in her early twenties. An avid swimmer, she stayed active as long as she could.

Barbara’s first husband was Dr. Richard S. Rivlin, with whom she had two children, Kenneth and Claire. Barbara is survived by them; their spouses, Renee and Patrick; her grandchildren Madison, Alex, and Toby; and her sister, Harriet, and other family members. Her second husband, Frank Ezra Levy, died in April.

A talented flutist, Barbara also enjoyed playing the piano and attending concerts. She derived energy from spending time with family and friends, and being an active member of her community. Her indomitable spirit, love of life, and unfailing kindness endeared her to everyone she knew. Barbara’s courage and perseverance in the face of MS were beyond measure.

Please consider making a contribution in Barbara’s memory to MS Hope for a Cure (www.mshopeforacure.org) or your local chapter of the MS Society.