Oscar Pemantle

December 25, 1930 - March 8, 2023

Oscar Pemantle died peacefully at the age of 92 at Summit Hospital on the evening of March 8, 2023. Oscar was best known as the founder and director of Black Pine Circle School, a K-8 school in Berkeley, founded in the early 70’s and known for its innovative programs in Math, Science, Creative Writing and Music.

Oscar was born in Calcutta on December 25, 1930, to a Portuguese/ Indian father from Goa and a Jewish mother from Saudi Arabia. He grew up in Calcutta and went to school at Northpoint in Darjeeling. Oscar came to the USA while in his late teens to attend Iowa State University, where he fulfilled a promise to his parents by earning a BA in Engineering. After that he decided to follow his own academic dreams and started graduate school at Minnesota in Political Philosophy. His first child, Joni Clark (b. 1956), was born during this time. While at Minnesota, Oscar received his M.A. under Mulford Sibley, after which he continued on to Yale where he met Willmoore Kendall, who became his close friend and mentor.

Later, as a graduate teaching assistant at UC Berkeley, Oscar became known for his use of Socratic methods. His Poly Sci 1 section was taught to standing-room-only audiences, especially attracting the leaders of the Free Speech Movement in the early 60’s. As a lecturer in the Speech Department (later known as the Rhetoric Department) his classes were quickly filled to capacity and he was nominated for Teacher of the Year. From 1973 onward, he devoted his efforts to Black Pine Circle School, its adjunct publishing branch, The Institute for

Curriculum Development, and the annual BPC Math Competition which drew middle and high school students from all over the state.

During his early teaching years at UC he met Frances Kandl, a grad student at Cal, a musician, and a partner in his intellectual pursuits, translating French and German texts into English for his work on alienation and reification. Oscar and Frances were married from 1962 to 1985. Oscar and Frances had two sons, Robin (b. 1963) and Nico (b. 1967).

In 1990, Oscar lost his sight due to Leber’s Syndrome. In spite of this setback he never lost his interest in political philosophy. In his later years, with the aid of his friend and benefactor Pastor Peter Krey, Oscar published a book containing his educational theories and critiques of several well-known educators and philosophers. The last chapter of the book, “Contrasting Arguments” (Peter Lang, 2019), is itself a quintessential example of Socratic questioning.

Oscar is survived by his 3 children, 7 grandchildren, and 5 great-grandchildren. Those who would like to share memories should e-mail pemantle@math. upenn.edu.