December 2, 2001

Former military lawyers say they are angered by public perception, fed most recently by top White House lawyer, that military tribunals authorized by Pres Bush are merely wartime versions of American courts-martial, routine part of military life with longstanding reputation for openness and procedural fairness; lawyers say proposed tribunals are significantly different from courts-martial, adding that confusion between two has distorted debate over tribunals and unfairly denigrated military justice; Ronald W Meister, former Navy lawyer and judge, says tribunals 'are a totally different animal' than courts-martial; John S Cooke, retired Army judge who is chairman of American Bar Association's committee on armed forces law, says military courts have been tainted by association with tribunals, which many commentators, politicians and civil libertarians criticized as effort to find foolproof shortcut to guilty verdict; White House counsel Alberto R Gonzales, in New York Times Op-Ed article on Nov 30, defended commissions, saying they will be fair; photos (M)

DENOFF-Bernice. Born November 25, 1923, in Brooklyn, NY. Died November 26, 2001, in Beverly Hills, CA. Born Blossom Levey to Ada Levey Lissner and Louis Levey, both of Brooklyn. Beloved mother of Douglas and Leslie Denoff, both born in Manhattan. No grandchildren (...yet...sorry mom ...we're working on it). ''Nobody ever dies as long as there is someone who remembers. When there is nobody left to remember, that means they're all together again.'' Services were November 29, 2001, at Groman Eden Mortuary, Mission Hills, CA. Donations in lieu of flowers contact the family.

LOEB-Louise Steinhart. Died Saturday, December 1, 2001, at age 86. Widow of Henry A. Loeb (who died in 1998). Survived by her children Jean and Raymond Troubh and Betty and John Levin, her seven grandchildren, her 14 great-grandchildren. Interment is private. In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory may be made to the Child Development Center of the Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services, 120 West 57 Street, NY, NY 10019, attn: Jane Berenbein; or to Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, attn: Alvin Teirstein, M.D., Director of Richenthal Institute.

Tens of thousands of students are joined by university staff and faculty members in demonstration to protest plan to overhaul Spain's universities; Education Min Pilar del Castillo says aim is to improve quality of teaching by instituting new selection procedures for tenured professors and creating national evaluation agency that will rank colleges and improve administration of universities; critis contend overhaul is start of subtle process of privatization, that it handicap public institutions and favors private colleges, which will lead to two-tier system; most of all, they say plan is flawed because government has not proposed any new resources to put new system in place; photo (M)

ROTHSTEIN-Nathaniel, 89. On November 29 at the Bethel Health Care Center, formerly of Southbury, CT and Harrison, New York. Beloved husband of Jane Rothstein of Stamford, CT, cherished father of Amy (Peter Salerno) and Julie Ruff (Leslie), adored grandfather of Daniel and Emily Ruff, devoted brother of Beverly Kahn and the late Edna Valenstein, retired lawyer, director emeritus of Visiting Nurse Service of Connecticut. He graced everyone who knew him with his wit, intelligence, generosity and originality. Memorial service to be held at a later date.