Paul Chaim Mishler died on Aug. 25, 2024, at the age of 71, after a long battle with cancer, complicated by other health issues. His beloved wife, Gerrie Casey, and their beloved son, Max Mishler, were at his side. Paul was a brilliant activist, historian, professor, and mentor, a loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, cousin, and a friend and comrade to many.
Paul earned his Ph.D. in History from Boston University (1988) and his B.A. from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst (1975). He was an Associate Professor Emeritus of Labor Studies at Indiana University at South Bend.
Paul leaves behind his wife Gerrie Casey, with whom he shared a life since they were in high school, son Max Mishler, daughter-in-law Shauna Sweeney, and grandson Maceo (the apple of his eye), brother Mark Mishler and sister-in-law Renee Hariton, sisters-in-law Freddie Gillespie (Richard) and Doreen Casey (Glen), nephews Raphael Mishler and Nikolai Mishler, step-mother Vicky Steinitz, step-sisters Rebecca Steinitz (Sam), Sarah Steinitz (Charlie), and their children Mara, Eli, Eva, and Liana.
Paul was a dedicated organizer for social justice his entire life. He was deeply involved in the labor and anti-racist movements, as well as peace movements and in solidarity with people struggling for justice around the world. Paul brought strategic thinking, humor, commitment, and a deep belief in the power and value of people working together to achieve justice. Paul’s parents, Elliot and Anita Mishler, were radicals and intellectuals who taught Paul and Mark that the world is out there to be changed and that there is a lot of work to be done.
Paul’s research focused on left-wing social movements and the ways radicals attempt to transmit their values to their children. His first book, Raising Reds – The Young Pioneers, Radical Summer Camps, and Communist Political Culture in the United States (Columbia University Press, 1999), explored the children-based activities of the Communist Party from the 1930s – ’50s. His most recent work, an edited volume, is Philip Foner, Marxist Historian (International Publishers, 2024.)
Paul believed a better world is possible, one based on human needs rather than greed. This was grounded in his life-long belief in socialism. He recognized the path to a more just world was neither easy nor clear. In the final paragraph of Raising Reds, in 1999, Paul noted that while the vision of a just world may have proven, so far, to “have been more of a dream than a practical possibility,” “visions, unlike strategies, cannot fail. They can only be forgotten.” The goal of his work was “to remember the dream so that it may enrich our current political reality—dismal as it may seem now.”
Paul was an extraordinary teacher and mentor to many students and younger scholars, always making clear his respect for their experiences and knowledge. Many former students and mentees have shared the transformational impact Paul had on their studies, careers, and work.
Paul loved folk music and had remarkable expertise in the history of political music from around the world. He approached the world with humor. He was upbeat through many years of medical difficulties. Until the end, Paul was much more interested in speaking with friends and relatives about their work and activism, in particular the ongoing Palestinian solidarity movement, than talking about his own serious health issues.
The family profoundly thanks Paul’s amazing South Bend friends: Rebecca Torstrick, Jeff Sutter, April Lidensky, Carol Stuart, Jorden Giger, Spencer French, Kay Westhues, Marsha Heck, Lisa Cunningham, Lee Gloster, Molly Moon, and Riely O’Connor, all of whom provided extraordinary love, care, and assistance to Paul and Gerrie during Paul’s last months. East-coast family members repeatedly mobilized for Paul, including Paul’s cousin Kathy Lessuck, Mark, Renee, Raphael, and Nikolai. The family deeply appreciates assistance provided by the Center for Hospice Care, and Henrietta Cobbin.
If you choose to make a donation in Paul’s memory, please consider contributing to Jewish Voice for Peace, an organization close to Paul’s heart. Paul was an active member for many years, helping JVP build a community of activists determined to ending U.S. complicity in Israel’s genocidal treatment of the Palestinian people. Please send an email to info@jvp.org stating that the donation is in honor of Paul C. Mishler so they can notify Paul’s family of your contribution.
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