State College — Marshall S. Michelson, one of the longest-working taxi drivers in State College, died of medical complications Dec. 10 at Mount Nittany Medical Center. He was 65.

Born in Farmingdale, N.J., Michelson grew up near Asbury Park, taught school and involved himself in 1960s-era political movements before he settled here in the mid-1980s.

He took up driving for Handy Delivery, a local taxi company, and earned a master's degree in history at Penn State. Michelson earlier earned a bachelor's at Central Michigan University.

By the time he began work on his master's, he was in his 50s, sister Ginny Michelson said. (Family and friends gathered last week in New Jersey for a funeral.)

In a conversation here, Ginny Michelson described her brother as an avid reader with a voracious intellect. He adored sports including horse-racing, politics and the history of the Roman Empire and early Christianity, she said.

"For me, he was a gentle, kind person," Ginny Michelson said. "He was just fun to be with."

Although he loved women, she said, her brother never married. He suffered from asthma and an unhealthy diet, but he never complained as his health deteriorated the past couple years, she said.

"We shared a great friendship that deepened each year," Ginny Michelson said.

At Handy Delivery, General Manager Jeff Bennett said Marshall Michelson "was a late-night guy." Company records showed Michelson began work there in 1989.

"He had sort of a wry wit," Bennett said. In earlier years, he said, Michelson had joined other men for weekly trivia contests at Champs on North Atherton Street.

Richard Gibson, a faculty member at San Diego State University, established a friendship with Michelson in the '60s. They met again in the '80s at Penn State.

Michelson, until his death, continued to proofread Gibson's work, Gibson said.

"He held me to standards I'll probably never attain again," Gibson said.

He said life never dealt Michelson the best luck.

"I think it's fair to say that, like many people, he was truly superior to his circumstances in every way," Gibson said. "But he never let that get him down. He didn't let it depress him."

Indeed, Gibson said, Michelson "offered a lot of good conversation to people who had enough sense to listen to him. But who looks for an intellectual cab driver?"

Michelson, a Jew, was preceded in death by his parents, Dr. Simon J. Michelson and Thelma (Goldstein) Michelson.

In addition to his sister, a Centre County resident, he is survived by his nephew, Michael P. Kosick, of Boston, and his niece, Shirley A. Kosick, of Texas.

No local funeral is planned.
State College cabbie lived the intellectual life
By Adam Smeltz
asmeltz@centredaily.com
STATE COLLEGE — Marshall S. Michelson, one of the longest-working taxi drivers in State College, died of medical complications Dec. 10 at Mount Nittany Medical Center. He was 65.

Born in Farmingdale, N.J., Michelson grew up near Asbury Park, taught school and involved himself in 1960s-era political movements before he settled here in the mid-1980s.

He took up driving for Handy Delivery, a local taxi company, and earned a master's degree in history at Penn State. Michelson earlier earned a bachelor's at Central Michigan University.

By the time he began work on his master's, he was in his 50s, sister Ginny Michelson said. (Family and friends gathered last week in New Jersey for a funeral.)

In a conversation here, Ginny Michelson described her brother as an avid reader with a voracious intellect. He adored sports including horse-racing, politics and the history of the Roman Empire and early Christianity, she said.

"For me, he was a gentle, kind person," Ginny Michelson said. "He was just fun to be with."

Although he loved women, she said, her brother never married. He suffered from asthma and an unhealthy diet, but he never complained as his health deteriorated the past couple years, she said.

"We shared a great friendship that deepened each year," Ginny Michelson said.

At Handy Delivery, General Manager Jeff Bennett said Marshall Michelson "was a late-night guy." Company records showed Michelson began work there in 1989.

"He had sort of a wry wit," Bennett said. In earlier years, he said, Michelson had joined other men for weekly trivia contests at Champs on North Atherton Street.

Richard Gibson, a faculty member at San Diego State University, established a friendship with Michelson in the '60s. They met again in the '80s at Penn State.

Michelson, until his death, continued to proofread Gibson's work, Gibson said.

"He held me to standards I'll probably never attain again," Gibson said.

He said life never dealt Michelson the best luck.

"I think it's fair to say that, like many people, he was truly superior to his circumstances in every way," Gibson said. "But he never let that get him down. He didn't let it depress him."

Indeed, Gibson said, Michelson "offered a lot of good conversation to people who had enough sense to listen to him. But who looks for an intellectual cab driver?"

Michelson, a Jew, was preceded in death by his parents, Dr. Simon J. Michelson and Thelma (Goldstein) Michelson.

In addition to his sister, a Centre County resident, he is survived by his nephew, Michael P. Kosick, of Boston, and his niece, Shirley A. Kosick, of Texas.

No local funeral is planned.