Dr. Harold Starr

Dr. Harold Starr, 91, died peacefully at home on October 1, 2020 surrounded by his immediate family. Born and raised in Bayonne, New Jersey, he attended Purdue University, earning his degrees including his Ph.D. in clinical psychology. Dr. Starr served in the Army during the Korean War working as a clinical psychologist at Ft. Leavenworth. During those years he was introduced to Joyce Edwards in Kansas City who became his beloved wife. After his discharge from the Army he moved to New Jersey where he worked as a psychologist at the state Women’s Reformatory under the leadership of Edna Mahan who the institution is now named after, and then the New Jersey Department of Education in Trenton. He was elected to the Sommerville NJ School Board, and then in 1967 moved his family to Columbus where he accepted a position at Ohio State University’s National Center for Vocational and Technical Education. During his tenure at OSU he spent time consulting with various states and school systems on how to evaluate and improve their vocational and technical education programs, and overseas in Singapore and American Samoa. He also worked as a consultant evaluating Social Security disability claims. In the 1970s he served as President of the Columbus Hebrew School which operated out of the Columbus Jewish Community Center. After retiring from OSU he volunteered as a member of the Columbus Community Clinical Oncology Program Review Board at Grant Hospital until his resignation in 2006. Dr. Starr will be remembered for his loving kindness by his family. He is survived by his wife Joyce; his three sons Sanford (Sami Kahn), David (Amy) and Barry (Linda); his brother Ivan; his grandchildren Rachel, Benjamin and Adam Starr, Rachel Kahn, Jamie Bindell, Jessica Irwin, Zachary Stern; and 11 great grandchildren. Due to COVID, the family will hold a private graveside service. The family requests that contributions be made in Harold Starr’s memory to the Mid-Ohio Food Bank at www.midohiofoodbank.org an organization that Dr. Starr financially supported for many years, or the charity of your choice.