Dr. Steven Appelbaum passed away on June 7, 2024 after a long illness. He leaves his loving wife and partner, Barbara, who was the sunshine of his life, after 45 years of marriage. He fell in love with her the first time they met in 1976. He also leaves behind his warm and talented children, Wendy (Brent Charbonneau), granddaughter, Logan Charbonneau, and his ski buddies, whiffle ball teammates and WWE connoisseurs, Geoffrey and Eric (Arielle Gottesman). He also learned to make room in his heart for all the cats that Barbara brought into his life after being a loyal beagle lover.

He was as passionate about skiing, jogging, watching the CFL, basketball, and baseball with his wife as he was about his profession of teaching-research–consulting.

 Born August 10, 1941, Dr. Appelbaum started his path of academia in his birthplace of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he earned a B.S. from Temple University in Marketing and Management as well as an M.A. from St. Joseph’s University in Social Science. To pursue his doctoral studies, Dr. Appelbaum went north to the University of Ottawa where he received the Ph.D. degree in 1972 and focused his research on organizational behaviour. He was awarded Phi Delta Kappa (Honorary Society) for Doctoral studies. He was recruited by Concordia University and began a 45 year career in Montreal as a faculty member where he served as Chair of the Management Department and Dean of the John Molson School of Business. He pioneered the Executive MBA (EMBA) Program as well as the Master of Science Program at Concordia. He served on the Board of Trustees for 6 years, won the Best Teaching Award at JMSB twice and supervised many Ph.D., M.Sc., and MBA students with their research papers, all while bringing his expertise to many companies here and abroad.

 Dr. Appelbaum became a world-recognized researcher in the field of organizational behavior, and his research performance contributed to the placement of Concordia University as a “leader” in the Business and Management category for 2023. He authored/co-authored eleven successful textbooks used throughout Canada and the US and was the author of over 150 research and applied articles appearing in major publications and journals in Europe, the United States, Canada, and the Far East. He was appointed to the Editorial Advisory Boards of several academic journals. 
 

During his tenure at Concordia, Dr. Appelbaum had received numerous accolades and honours, including the Leaders in Management Education Award, sponsored by the Financial Post and Bell Canada. He was inducted into the Provost Circle of Distinction 2012 by Concordia University and was recognized at the 2023 President's Media Outreach Awards for his media impact.  The crowning achievement for so many accomplishments was the conferral of the designation of Distinguished Professor Emeriti shortly after Dr. Appelbaum retired in 2023. This is an honor that Concordia University bestows upon its recently retired professors who have distinguished themselves by their exceptional accomplishments over the course of their careers.

He and his family are extremely appreciative of the excellent medical care and support received from the MUHC. For this he thanks Dr. Catalin Mihalcioiu, Ms. Cora Trinidad, Dr. Ben Smith, members of the Respirology Department, members of the Internal Medicine Department, as well as Dr. Lawandi and the ICU team.

 In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the McGill University Healthcare Foundation at either  https://www.muhcliquidbiopsy.ca/donations, https://muhcfoundation.com/works/breathe-easier, or a charity of your choice.

 A graveside service will be held on June 18, 2024 at 1:30 p.m. at the Mount Royal Cemetery (1297 Chemin de la Foret, Outremont) in Section L5.  A memorial service will be held in the Loyola Chapel (Concordia University) at the end of this summer for which an announcement will be forthcoming.