ADPSR Mourns the passing of national board member Michael Sorkin

The national board of ADPSR is greatly saddened by the passing of one of our own members, Michael Sorkin. Sorkin was 71 years old and lived and worked in New York City, but his sphere of concern and influence was global.

Michael was a generous out-of-the box thinker. He was feisty as hell and filled with life and energy. He was a son of great visions, a brother of love, a lover of life and builder of cities, a seeker of truth, a maker of peace and a source of great wisdom. He was able to see the bigger picture and cut through distractions from the real issues; he could listen to a concept and create fully developed language around it almost magically and immediately.

Michael was a man of the left. He used his teaching, his studio, and his publications to advance progressive causes. He always advocated for progressive groups in architecture to grow stronger and to work together. Michael joined the ADPSR national board in 2017 and was helping ADPSR to rejuvenate its efforts to fight injustice on behalf of the powerless.

Within the great tragedy of Michael’s loss is the irony that he died from an illness that could perhaps have been prevented if we had a government that was more interested in protecting working people than coddling the powerful. His untimely death due to Covid-19 cannot sum up his life, but it can remind us of his passion to fight for the public, for just and livable cities, and to protect the most vulnerable. In the end, Michael might have noted, we are all vulnerable.  

To use Michael’s frequent sign-off:

In solidarity,  

ADPSR National Board 

Photo of Sorkin was posted to Twitter by Harriet Harriss