J. Richard Block, former Hofstra vice president, professor, dies at 92

J. Richard Block, a former Hofstra psychology professor who helped pull the higher learning institution out of a financial crisis in the 1970s as a university leader, has died. He would have been 93 next month.

Block, who lived in Lido Beach, died Oct. 6 from heart failure, his wife, Patricia Clark, confirmed.

Block served as the university's vice president for planning and liaison from 1986 to 2001, working closely with former university President James Shuart and others to transform the university from one with dropping enrollment in the mid-1970s to greater prominence, Newsday records show.

"That team and that administration deserves great credit for building the financial foundation and the recruitment foundation that helped make the Hofstra of today possible," Provost Emeritus and the Lawrence Herbert Distinguished Professor of Economics Herman Berliner said in a statement.

Block, who wrote books and games, is also remembered as a great mind who conducted research on attitudes toward people with disabilities and for his charismatic way with students, whether they be in introduction psychology or seeking out a doctoral degree.

"A good sense of humor and an ability to clearly explain concepts," Berliner said of Block in a separate interview. "So somebody who really talks in a way … that regardless of your level, you can understand."

Born in 1930 in Manhattan, Block graduated from Stuyvesant High School. He graduated in 1952 from Hofstra College, which became a university in 1963.

He also served as a United States naval officer from 1952 to 1956, the university said. When he returned to civilian life, he decided to come back to Hofstra, this time as a teacher in the psychology department.

In 1962, he obtained a doctorate from New York University and became a certified New York state psychologist, the university said. 

Between 1968 and 1979, he was the chair of Hofstra's Psychology Department. After being asked to take more administrative responsibilities, Block was appointed vice president for planning and liaison, a role he would hold until his retirement in 2001, the university said in the statement.

He was also instrumental in developing the Hofstra Cultural Center and the Hofstra University Museum of Art.

Block published roughly 100 articles and papers at scholarly conferences, the university said. He was also a member of the American Psychological Association and held positions at places such as the Initial Teaching Alphabet Foundation.

Block also developed playing cards that had different maps on the other side. He wrote books and games, including The Towers of Illusion board game and "Seeing Double: Over 200 Mind-Bending Illusions," the university said.

An Anglophile, he owned several London taxis. He would drive around campus and was sometimes hailed for a ride, his wife said. "He was always trying to come up with another project … He was very creative and he loved life," said Clark.

In addition to his wife, Block is survived by daughters Cheryl Block and Janet Meyers, four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. He was cremated and services will be held on Wednesday at Long Island National Cemetery in Farmingdale.

By Tiffany Cusaac-Smith

tiffany.cusaac-smith@newsday.com@T_Cusaac

Education: Howard University 

Tiffany Cusaac-Smith came to Newsday in 2023 after being a race and history reporter at USA TODAY, where she wrote enterprise and spot articles examining how the past shapes the present. Previously, she worked as the race and justice reporter at the USA TODAY Network of New York, covering issues such as criminal justice reform, housing, environmental justice, health care and politics. At The Journal News/lohud.com in Westchester County, she covered Yonkers, the state's third-largest city. She also worked at The Associated Press in Atlanta.

Honors and Awards: Criminal justice reporting fellowship with the National Press Foundation;  New York News Publishers Association award for distinguished investigative reporting;  Contributed reporting for Best of Gannett honor; Member of Table Stakes, a program funded by the Knight-Lenfest Local News Transformation Fund and managed by the American Press Institute to transform local news.