In memoriam: Alvin Sokolow

Al Sokolow, emeritus UC Cooperative Extension specialist in public policy and governance, passed away from complications from Parkinson's disease on June 1 at the University Retirement Community in Davis.

Sokolow joined the UC Davis Department of Political Science as an assistant professor in 1965 after receiving his bachelor's degree in journalism and Ph.D. in political science from the University of Illinois.

Sokolow served as a faculty member at UC Davis for 39 years, teaching, conducting research, and engaging in outreach work in the areas of American state and local government and politics until his retirement in 2004.

He specialized in the politics and governance of small communities. In the last dozen years of his UC Davis service, Sokolow focused on farmland protection policy in California's Central Valley and elsewhere, after transitioning to a UC Cooperative Extension specialist position in the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences.

He served as an associate editor for California Agriculture, UC ANR's peer-reviewed journal. He credited his training and experience in newspaper work, including as the editor-in-chief at the Daily Illini college newspaper in 1955-56, for the interviewing and writing skills he employed as a researcher.

On Facebook, a few of Sokolow's former colleagues expressed their condolences.

“Al brought an interesting social economic perspective to issues affecting rural California. He will be sorely missed,” wrote Dan Dooley, former UC vice president for agriculture and natural resources.

Cattle rancher Karen Sweet said she had benefited from Sokolow's work on conservation easements.

Claudia Bagley Reid, who worked in UC ANR government relations, wrote, “He was one of my favorite (and most informative) mentors when I worked at UC ANR.”

Janet Byron, former managing editor of California Agriculture, wrote, “He was a wonderful man and a great associate editor.”

Sokolow is survived by his wife of 68 years, Sandra; children Michael, David, Daniel (Lupita Ochoa) and Deborah (Scott Speh); grandchildren Irene Sokolow-Ochoa and Edward Sokolow-Ochoa; sister Shirley Segal; sister-in-law June Shifrin; and cousin Audrey Bashkin.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a charity of the donor's choice in memory of Alvin D. Sokolow.

Read more at https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/sacbee/name/alvin-sokolow-obituary?id=55254126.

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