Michael Mandel, Osgoode professor and anti-war activist, is being remembered as a “terrific mentor” and “warm colleague” by students, faculty, and alumni at Osgoode.
Mandel, the longest-serving professor at Osgoode, died on October 27 at age 65 after battling with a rare heart disease.
Dean of Osgoode Hall Law School, Lorne Sossin, says despite the debilitating illness, colleagues and students saw a professor who was passionate about teaching and educating students in class.
“From start to finish, he had a real passion for the classroom and a real clear commitment to students and in particular provoking student to react to his ideas and to form their own ideas,” says Sossin. Sossin is a former student of Mandel’s.
Mandel, a founding member of member of Lawyers Against the War, was a very outspoken commentator on the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.
Sossin saw Mandel get behind causes that were sometimes not popular among activists and says Mandel separated from the crowd and led the way on many issues.
“He was one of those who really treasured his academic freedom,” says Sossin. “In the tradition of the university and the law school, you don’t get punished for expressing your views.”
Though Mandel had many passions including music and literature, he continued teaching, because of his love and skill for it, says Sossin.
“I think he really loved it, and he was exceptionally good at it and saw it as a valuable contribution in a place where he could really have an impact,” says Sossin.
This fall, Mandel went on sabbatical but continued with his writing and research projects. “He never lost any of his drive,” says Sossin, who last spoke to Mandel a couple of weeks before his death. “He was himself right to the end.”After sending an alumni notice, Sossin says there was a huge outpouring from students and alumni about Mandel’s impact at Osgoode, especially from those who had a chance to work with him as a supervisor and a mentor.
In Mandel’s funeral guestbook, one student wrote, “His ‘Law of War’ class was easily amongst the best law courses I have ever taken,” while another wrote, “I always appreciated his uncensored, tell-it-like-it-is legal analysis.”Though Mandel’s funeral has already passed, Sossin says Osgoode will be working with Mandel’s family to create an event where students and colleagues and friends of Osgoode and York can participate in celebrating his memory.
“I would say from the standpoint of the Osgoode community, it was a real shock to many people that he was ill and of course, even more of a shock that he passed away,” says Sossin. “When the shock subsides, we’ll look forward to coming together to celebrate his effervescence, zeal and all of things he contributed to the intellectual life of the law school and York more broadly.”
Victoria Alarcon
Assistant News Editor
