In Memoriam: A.M. Rosenthal

A.M. Rosenthal (right) and his wife Shirley Lord are joined by Phoenix House president Mitchell S. Rosenthal, MD at the Phoenix House Public Service Award dinner in 2005.

Phoenix House mourns the loss of A.M. Rosenthal, a giant of American journalism and one of our most ardent supporters.

America remembers Mr. Rosenthal for his legendary newspaper career, including his stints as managing editor and executive editor of the New York Times. We remember him as a passionate advocate for the millions of Americans striving valiantly to overcome substance abuse.

Mr. Rosenthal used his considerable media power to keep the issue of drug abuse in the minds of newspaper readers, often featuring Phoenix House in his Times column, called “On My Mind.” Even as the nation’s concern about drug abuse waxed and waned, he never lost sight of the importance of combating drugs, not only through law enforcement efforts, but also by assuring access to treatment for all Americans who need it.

Mr. Rosenthal’s close relationship with Phoenix House began in 1989, when he spent a day at the Phoenix Academy of New York in Westchester County with Phoenix House president Mitchell S. Rosenthal, M.D., teachers, counselors and students. That experience prompted him to write "A Good-News Column,” in which he observed that “Phoenix Academy turns out some of the hardest-working students in the country. They work to get decent grades, then do the cooking and cleaning. All day, every day, they work even more to help themselves and each other build on years of pain and degradation to create fulfilling lives.” (To read this and other columns about drug treatment by Mr. Rosenthal, click here.) 

Mr. Rosenthal concluded:

“I knew I had seen a program that worked against drugs – not perfectly, not for everybody, but it worked. I tried to think of why the Government doesn’t invest more in expanding Phoenix House and about a dozen schools like it around the country, why corporations do not give more, and governors, mayors and senators do not go to (Phoenix Academy) so they can have a happy day, too. There must be good reasons but I have not figured them out yet.”

Mr. Rosenthal’s support – both through his column and, in later years, as a regular presence (with his wife Shirley) at Phoenix House events – sent a signal to other influential Americans that Phoenix House was a cause worthy of their support.

We truly appreciate his long advocacy of drug treatment – and his empathy for those in need of it. He will be sorely missed by the entire Phoenix House family.