What's in a Name?: Class of 1982 Pedestrian Way

A version of this article was originally published in the Summer 2025 issue of the GFS Bulletin.

Even four decades after graduating, Michael Cohen’s ’82 friendships from GFS remain deeply important. 

“My best friends in life are my GFS friends,” he said. “I share a value system with this group of people, like the importance of empathy, respect, and worrying about other people's conditions and existences.”

Michael’s GFS friends share an active group chat, and when their kids were younger, they’d take family vacations together. He’s been on fishing trips with William and David Bank (both Class of ’82) in Massachusetts. A painting by Nicholas Ruth ’82 hangs in the Cohens’ living room. Michael is still in touch with David Felsen, Sr., his old basketball coach, and at least once a week for the past 25 years, Cohen has shown up for an early-morning basketball game in Scattergood Gym. 

Sam Rhoads ’82 (who Michael met in sixth grade), Michael, and Michael’s wife, Amy Cohen, all have birthdays in the same month and often celebrate together. For their 50th, Amy dug up an old column the two friends used to write for Earthquake, “The Mike and Sam Connection,” and mounted it to a poster that all their friends signed. Michael’s GFS relationships aren’t a memory, but a vital part of his every day.

After committing a significant gift to GFS’ Picture This campaign in 2022 (establishing a new endowed fund for scholarship), the Cohen family stepped forward with a second gift in early 2025 to support the All School Commons. Their gift will be acknowledged through the naming of a new walkway that runs between the Meetinghouse and the new building, which will now be known as the Class of 1982 Pedestrian Way.

Naming it for his class publicly celebrates a group of people Michael holds dear.

“I think naming it for my class is a really nice way to memorialize an important time in our lives,” Cohen says. “And I love the fact that for generations, kids will walk along there and say, ‘Wow, the Class of 1982.’”

The Cohens, whose children also attended GFS, have given generously and consistently to the school for years, through the Annual Fund, endowed funds, EITC for scholarship, and capital gifts. “Giving is a habit,” as Michael puts it.

“Anyone who knows Michael wouldn't be surprised that he’s given so consistently to the causes he cares about, because he's very disciplined, and was mature before his time,” Amy said. “I also give to my alma mater every year, and that’s Michael's influence. He says, ‘If you appreciate your education, you give to your school, it’s the right thing to do.’ I learned that from him.”

After graduating from GFS, Michael attended Northwestern University, and then earned a master’s in city and regional planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He can trace his passion for city planning to the urban studies class he took with Joan Countryman ’58 at GFS. He vividly remembers a class trip in which they rode the Route 23 trolley from Chestnut Hill to the stadiums.

“We went through all these different North Philadelphia neighborhoods, through Center City and South Philly, and it was eye opening in many ways,” he said. “The experience really had an impact on my future!”

Michael forged a career in real estate, and lends his expertise to GFS by serving as the Clerk of the Real Estate Committee and the annual Financial Aid Review Committee (he also served on the School Committee from 2013-2023). He appreciates the addition of the All School Commons as a central gathering point on campus, as well as the thoughtfulness of the building’s design.

“The space is great. It is understated, not flashy, and really fulfills the school's Quaker ideal of simplicity while providing an important and much needed upgrade to the experience on campus."