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The Passing of a friend In Memoriam “…Seems The Good They Die Young By Stu Eber The Statesman Friday October 3, 1969 July 17, 1932 – October 1, 1969. A lifetime that was too short. Thirty-seven years is never enough. But it will have to suffice. The most absolute fact of life doesn’t seem true. Dr. Ashley Schiff. Dead. It can’t really be true. “…Seems the good they die young…” Ashley Schiff’s smile. Not a grin or a nervous laugh, but a genuine, humane smile that would cover his face at the slightest provocation. “Sit down.” He would say to anyone who lingered in front of his office door. It didn’t matter what you wanted to talk about. Dr. Schiff was willing to listen. It wasn’t just because he was a gentleman, it was because he was a human being who cared about people. “…Seems the good they die young…” In the academic world, Dr. Schiff will be remembered from here to California as an outstanding conservationist. One of the most beautiful Stony Brook legends depicts this man threatening to tie himself to a tree in order to prevent a bulldozer from tearing it down. Whether this is true or not is irrelevant. If he didn’t, he would have. “…Seems the good they die young…” As a teacher, Ashley Shiff was outstanding. He would protest to those who knew him that he wasn’t able to communicate with his students. And when John Jones, senior class president, Class of ’68, pronounced Dr. Schiff as one of the five best teachers his class had learned under, the Associate Professor of Political Science wept. The Class of ’69 also bestowed this honor on Ashley Shiff. The class of ’70 will do the same. Posthumously. “…Seems the good they die young…” But most students will remember Dr. Schiff as the Master of Benjamin Cardozo College. While others were pointing to his college as the role model, Ashley Schiff would smile and shake his head. In his soft, slow voice he would say, “No. In five years this will be the worst program. The newer masters will do a far better job than I can.” This was not false modesty, this was his eternal optimism. “…Seems the good they die young…” Last year, this newspaper tried to start a University Forum feature section. When we asked Dr. Shiff to participate, he said, “I can’t write very well. But I’ll sit down with Charles (Levine) and we’ll try to do what we can to help you.” In the Dec. 6, 1968 issue of Statesman is an article by A.L. Schiff: “… It has been said of exurbia that it is the worst of all possible worlds – ‘we are close enough to get in each other’s way and too far apart to do anything about it.’ This is our dilemma, too. What ails Stony Brook is that it is not yet sufficiently complex to take advantage of the economies of scale. The multiplication of options can, therefore, be achieved only at some sacrifice in efficiency. But cost increases incurred in order to allow additional options at this point will create the structure of the Stony Brook of 1980 a decade in advance.” “…Seems the good they die young…” Dr. Schiff was not a left-wing faculty type. He had very traditional views of the teacher-student relationship that he would not compromise. But while he supported the structures of the University, he would openly condemn any student, faculty member or administrator whose personal conduct was questionable. During the final days of May, Dr. Schiff was sporting a “Dump Toll” button on the lapel of his jacket. Yet he was deeply concerned about Albany imposing a reactionary in Toll’s place. To him, the University was a sacred institution that should not be violated by politicians from within or from wothout. “…Seems the good they die young…” John Jones, when referring to Dr. Schiff in his graduation speech, used the phrase “soul power” to describe the intangible which separates the Ashley Schiffs from the rest. Herein lies the true tragedy of Dr. Schiff. His worth as a man was recognized while he was alive. Death did not create an awareness. Death’s legacy is but a cold vacuum.
“…Seems the good they die young/
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