|
Obituaries
A
Tribute to Stephen Jay Gould '63
A
Tribute to David Mayer Epstein '52
A
Tribute to Virginia Hamilton '57
The
Antiochian is published by the Office of Development and Alumni Relations.
Articles submitted for publication should be addressed to the Antiochian
Editor, Antioch College, Yellow Springs, Ohio 45387-1697. Or send via email: alumni@antioch-college.edu Editor:
Rachel Moulton '97
Contributing
Writers:
Laurien Alexandre
Derek Ali
Patricia Corrigan
Masha J. Etkin '63
Lauren Heaton
Dan Kaplan '76
Fred Kraus
Mary Laskowski '02
Meredith Moss
Rachel Moulton '97
Robyn Overstreet '96
Anne Townsend '03
Photography:
Dennie Eagleson '71
Lauren Heaton
©2002
Antioch College
|
A Tribute
to David Mayer Epstein '52
David
Mayer Epstein '52, former faculty member and Trustee, passed
away on Tuesday, January 15, 2002. Robert H. Devine '67, former President
of Antioch College, delivered the eulogy at the service.
It is my honor to be here today to celebrate someone
whose vision, creativity, passion and dedication touched so many lives.
The central focus
of David's life was, of course, music, but he was also extremely interested
in teaching and learning, and his extraordinary enthusiasm for connecting
ideas and values led him to invest a great deal of his energy in his
alma mater.
David attended Antioch College, graduating in the early
1950s. Later he joined the Music faculty at the College, and cut his
teeth in a small
department within a liberal arts program. Most recently David served
as a Trustee of Antioch University. Antioch has, I believe, been a significant
thread and contributed to shaping David's life -- he in turn contributed
to the shaping of the directions of the College.
According to his admissions summary sheet, at age 18
David's educational
aims were focused on business administration and advertising and in
his application he noted that he had recently read Moby Dick, The
Return of the Native, The
Count of Monte Cristo and The Way of All Flesh. His most recent job
had been as a waiter at a camp in Maine where he earned a total of $165
for 2 months.
David did not, as we all know, pursue a career in business, but along
the way to his distinguished career in music theory and composition he took
risks and always appreciated the opportunity to examine the big picture and
the unanswerable questions.
The Antioch curriculum requires students to alternate
terms of study with terms of work, known as co-ops. David wrote in his
senior paper that
it was during this time that he was encouraged to "evaluate basic assumptions." There
were two co-op jobs that stood out for him. One co-op was as a door-to-door
butter and eggs salesman. He wrote, "It was an unusual experience,
meeting a hundred strange housewives each week, convincing them that my company's
merchandise was the finest in town, learning to keep my sales talk creative
and dynamic … and there were the men in the wholesale food houses -- packers,
shippers, manual laborers -- men whose contacts and friendships I never
would have made in the usual course of my life. I met them, I talked
with them, I heard their thoughts and problems: I was interested in
them with
almost Walt Whitmanish intensity. I liked them, and through them I
appreciated the human race yet more deeply."
The second influential co-op was as a musical therapist
at the Marlboro State Mental Hospital in New Jersey. Here David reflected, "the
contacts with patients, which immeasurably increased my compassion and
understanding of human beings, the insight into the workings of a public institution,
and
the experience of communicating with others through the medium of music:
these events were all important to the furthering of my ever-broadening
appreciation and understanding of this dynamic life."
David understood Antioch College better than most, and
was often the voice that best articulated Antioch's values, its mission
and its place in the higher education community. On the Board of Trustees
of Antioch University,
he was an advocate for the faculty among his colleagues and had a tremendous
grasp of the curricular challenges faced by the liberal arts.
For the past five years David served as a mentor to
me in my role as Antioch College's President. David adopted me, and provided thoughtful
counsel, a principled sounding board, and a boundless source of inspiration
and vision regarding the possibilities of the liberal arts at Antioch. David
was generous with his time and his insight, and many of our conversations
expanded very quickly from practical circumstances to broad philosophical
principles. He would inevitably weave stories of his daughters Eve and Beth
into the conversation, and would often conclude by charging me with accomplishing
minor miracles: "I know," he often told me with a smile, "that
you'll find a creative way to make this happen." It was pure
butter and eggs! His confidence, like his friendship, was both comforting
and persuasive. David was the driving force in bringing the Amernet
Quartet into a residency at Antioch, played a major role in the development
of our
summer program, served as advisor in the development of our Music program,
and pushed the institution forward in developing public relations strategies.
For the past year David and I had been actively discussing the possibility
of convening a national symposium at the College
Four years ago David returned to Antioch to teach composing and conducting
in the Summer Music Institute. His classes and workshops were extremely popular
and he took tremendous enjoyment from his interactions with Antioch students.
He became somewhat of a celebrity in the intellectual ambience of our summer
program, and his community performances were both riveting and emotional.
In David's Life Aims paper, a required reflective assignment for all
Antioch students at the time, he concluded, "I want to spend my life
in such a way that when it comes time for me to depart from this earth, I
can look fondly in retrospect and say to all who care to listen, 'I
HAVE LIVED IT!!'"
I will miss the rich, thoughtful and always reflective
discussions, David's wise counsel and the essential kindness of this
remarkable man who, without question, LIVED IT with passion, humor and
grace.
[ Top of Page ]
[ Top Stories ] [ University News ] [ Campus News ] [ Alumni News ] [ Book Notes ] [ Class Notes ] [ Obituaries ]
[ Antiochian Home ]
[ Winter 2002 Site Map ] [ Send Us Your News ]
|
Antioch College Home 
