Alumnus dies in a car accident, leaves behind a rich Bruin legacy

Steven Halpern, a longtime UCLA historian, former student body president and active alumnus, died Oct. 18 in a car accident in Malibu.

Both he and his mother, Belle, 90, were killed in the crash. Halpern was 61.

Halpern’s commitment to UCLA began in 1968, when he moved from his native New York to Westwood to attend the university. He became involved in undergraduate student government early in his college career and served as a general representative during his second year and administrative vice president during his third year.

These roles led to his eventual tenure as council president from 1972 to 1973, said John Sandbrook, former UCLA assistant chancellor and former Daily Bruin Sports editor who was one of Halpern’s closest friends.

Even after graduation, Halpern wanted to stay involved with the council and started a tradition of meeting with new council presidents to give them a pin commemorating their position.

“I always thought he was a prime example of giving back to his Alma mater,” Sandbrook said. “He enjoyed being around UCLA, and it just became part of our lives.”

As president of the student body presidents alumni group, he also organized reunion dinners every five years. The next dinner would have been in fall 2012, said Steve Sann, chair of the Westwood Community Council and one of Halpern’s friends.

Outside of Kerckhoff Hall, Halpern was an avid Bruin fan and served as the Joe Bruin mascot for football and basketball games during his second year.

The Bruin sports fan also loved Major League Baseball, a topic that made him and Sandbrook fast friends during their first year of college. In the mid 1970s, the friends set up a joint season ticket account for the Los Angeles Dodgers and watched many games together.

Aside from his undergraduate activities, Halpern is also remembered for his role in the development of a UCLA women’s intercollegiate athletic program. Prior to 1974, the women’s athletic program was just part of the university intramural leagues. Along with then-Vice Chancellor Norman Miller, Halpern helped to recruit the first director of the women’s athletic program, Sandbrook said.

During the rest of his adult life, Halpern served on various committees for alumni involvement, including the Alumni Association’s board of directors, and the Steering Committee for the Order of the Golden Bruin, an honorary organization for those who have provided exemplary service to UCLA, Sann said.

In addition to his time commitment to UCLA, Halpern volunteered his knowledge. Before his death, Halpern completed a book about UCLA student government and its presidents from 1967 to the present.

The 1,232-page manuscript was intended to be a continuation of Bill Ackerman’s original book that chronicled the student council until 1967, Sann said.

The UCLA First Century history book is also indebted to Halpern’s knowledge, as he contributed a large amount of original research to the project, said Ralph Amos, assistant vice chancellor of alumni relations who was involved with the book’s publication. The book will be released in November and will contain an insert in Halpern’s memory for those who knew him.

“He was a beautifully talented and bright critical thinker,” Amos said. “He felt UCLA gave to him, and he wanted to give back to the university.”

Halpern’s love for UCLA even extended to distinctive UCLA vanity license plates on his car.

“Everywhere we went, people would approach us and ask where he got those plates,” said Karen Mack, former director of public relations for UCLA alumni and development and one of Halpern’s friends.

On a personal level, friends spoke of Halpern’s humor and witty remarks.

“He was absolutely brilliant and hilarious and that combination made him an amazing person,” Mack said. “He was a big part of my life and most importantly, he was a creative positive energy source ­­â€" someone so brilliant that sometimes I would be in awe.”

Halpern was born on Aug. 1, 1950 in New York. After graduating from UCLA in 1973, he returned to New York to attend law school at New York University. In 1980, he was admitted to the California State Bar and practiced law in the state for eight years, working as an estate planning attorney for a time.

When Halpern returned to California, he brought his then-retired parents with him, and the family moved into Ronald Reagan’s former home in Pacific Palisades. After his father died in 1983, Halpern and his mother moved to Beverly Hills and later to Malibu. A devoted son, Halpern would frequently take his mother to the movies, a shared passion of theirs. The pair would also go to Hollywood Bowl events or dinner with Sandbrook and his wife.

Halpern’s career diverged from law in 1987, when he took a job with Disney and gained experience with writing. This introduction to the entertainment industry would stay with Halpern for the rest of his life, as he would regularly watch television shows like Glee and use “TV lingo” to talk about the programs, Mack said.

Halpern is survived by his younger brother, Jan. Funeral services are yet to be announced.