At Oberlin, we hosted Sid for two
lectures in recent years. I am delighted to reflect briefly on the
visit of Sid and Jackie to Oberlin during Commencement Weekend, May 27-30,
2011, when the College conferred on Sid the degree of Doctor of Science.
At the graduation ceremonies it was my privilege to present Sid for that award.
Over the course of that weekend, Sid
participated in a round of social activities, including a reception at my home
for anthropology graduates and their parents as well as returning anthropology
alums. He and Jackie also met with Vern and Raymonde Carroll, Oberlin residents
and old friends from their days at Yale. Sid was of course his charming self,
warmly engaging young anthropology students with an ease and grace that erased
the generational differences. His gifts as a teacher were apparent. He had much
to teach each generation, including seasoned anthropologists. My colleagues and
I relished his stories, some leavened by light humor. He reflected on growing
up in Dover, New Jersey and his experiences in his father’s restaurant, “where
the customer was always wrong.”
Sid will occupy a bright space in my
memory as an esteemed friend and colleague whose professional and personal
legacy will continue to enrich all of us.
Sid and Jack Glazier on May 30, 2011
at the Oberlin Commencement when Sid received an honorary degree.
