Benjamin Sevitch

Benjamin Sevitch of Newington, Connecticut, died on April 12, 2026. Dr. Sevitch was a Professor of Communications, Emeritus, at Central Connecticut State University, where he taught from 1975 until his retirement in 2009. Previously he had taught at Indiana University and the State University of New York. His books included SPEAKING IN PUBLIC: A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE and HISTORY OF AFRICAN AMERICAN SPEAKERS. He was the author of numerous book chapters and juried journal articles. Six times at Central his students nominated him for the Excellence in Teaching Award Panel. He frequently delivered papers at Communication Association Conventions. Dr. Sevitch established the Professor Ben Sevitch Communication Scholarship at Central Connecticut State University which is awarded annually to the student entering their senior year with the highest cumulative grade point average.
    

He is survived by his wife, Martha Lamb Sevitch, their son, Brian Kujawski of East Hampton, and grandchildren Alecia Vecchitto of Wallingford, Joshua Fitzgerald of Waterbury, and a great granddaughter Keira Vecchitto of Wallingford, and was pre-deceased by their daughter, Deborah Jean Fitzgerald.

Dr. Sevitch was born and grew up in Philadelphia. He received his Bachelor degree in Government from Oberlin College in 1960, his Master’s in Speech from Temple University in 1963 and his Doctorate in Speech Communication from Indiana University in 1973. His teaching career spanned 47 years, and he was always delighted in the success of his students, especially those who followed him in the communication field, and became professors themselves. He will be remembered for his offbeat humor, and his habit of asking questions that most people wouldn’t consider; for example, if a funeral were held at night, would the cars in the procession have their lights off?
 

The funeral and burial will be private and friends and relatives are asked to contribute to Foodshare. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to the Doolittle Funeral  Home, 14 Old Church St., Middletown, CT. To share memories or send condolences to the family, please visit www.doolittlefuneralservice.com.

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