By Pam J. Hersh
On Thursday, April 18, at a Princeton University reception, I learned the following: the words “mentor” and “mensch” might be etymologically related; no one has the heart or guts to eat cookies in the shape of a Chicago Cubs baseball and in the image of the Cubs’ greatest New Jersey fan; and brilliant scholars who lecture for a living still can have trouble finding the right words.
The cookie-eating and speaking difficulty were due to Princeton University’s renowned mensch/mentor Stan Katz, who is retiring after four decades from his teaching position at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School.
“So many words of praise, so little time to say them,” complained one of the attendees at the reception honoring Professor Katz.
I stood among the attendees and wondered what words best describe Stan, whose presence and impact have been so “omnipresent” on campus, in the words of PU President Christopher Eisgruber.
The first words of his bio are: “Stanley Nider Katz, born April 23, 1934 in Chicago, Illinois (thus the unbreakable bond between Stan and the ”Cubbies”), is an American historian specializing in American legal and constitutional history, and the history of philanthropy.” This sentence is followed by a very long list of honors, including the National Humanities Medal National, bestowed on him by President Barak Obama in 2011.
The official write-ups, however, fail to convey the enormity of Stan’s mentoring influence on students of all shapes, sizes, religions, ethnicities, ages and interests. He particularly treasured his role as an Academic-Athletic Fellow or a faculty member committed to supporting the student-athlete experience and to reinforcing the overall educational mission of Princeton University.
His influence went beyond Princeton U students, because Stan connected with everyone – including Pam Hersh, a non-student, non-faculty/non-staff member and a non-Chicago Cubs fan. Into what category did I fall? How did I merit inclusion in Stan’s circle of the influenced? The answer was just one word – friend.
Stan, more than anything, was a friend and a lasting one. Twenty-five years ago, when I was working at Princeton University, I reached out to Stan for academic advice about the Princeton U Community Auditing Program I was organizing. Before I knew it, I was inducted into the Stan “friends” category. He managed to overlook (but not forgive) my flawed love of the Yankees and, long after I left my job at Princeton University, Stan never said no to a phone call, email or breakfast coffee that featured me angsting over some world or professional crisis.
Even though I would like to think I was special, in fact, Stan had a bevy of individuals who continually sought out his words of wisdom virtually or in reality. I figured there had to be at least 12 clones of Stan, answering emails and phone calls, and showing up for coffee dates. Stan was more than a friend who put forth empathetic nods; he always turned conversations into teaching moments, never pedantic or supercilious, just genuinely instructive.
And that goes to the one word Stan has used over and over again to describe himself – teacher. “It has been 57 years since I got my PhD, and I am so fortunate that I knew right from the beginning of my career that all I ever wanted to do was teach,” said Stan, genuinely sad he only had two more classes left in his teaching career at Princeton University.
“The future of the country is in the hands of our students. I have always felt that it was my responsibility to prepare students to be participating citizens in our society,” he said. Stan often talked about several of his former students, who hold prominent jobs in national, state and local government, and other professions important to the survival of a democratic society.
“Teaching is the gift that keeps giving. I love teaching, always have loved it. I enjoy writing, researching and publishing … but teaching is the best interaction…. I learn as much as the students,” he said.
Teaching agrees with Stan who, at the age of 85, looks the same as he did when I first met him decades ago. Stan reassured me he has no intention of disappearing from the Princeton community, where he has been very active in supporting the health and well being of the ultimate community teaching and learning vehicle, the Princeton Public Library.
He will be researching, writing, blogging (histphil.org), doing special lectures and, perhaps, continue teaching a course (as he has done in past years) for the adult learning program the Evergreen Forum of the Princeton Senior Resource Center.
Teaching may be the gift that keeps on giving to him, but Stan is the gift that keeps on giving to everyone else.
