Faculty Donations Support Programs in Music and the Humanities

President Peggy R. Williams has announced the receipt of generous donations from two former faculty members. A $720,000 bequest from Robert Ryan --- who was a professor emeritus of history when he passed away in March 2000 --- will be used to establish the Robert Ryan Professorship in the Humanities and scholarships for history students. Professor emerita of mathematics Shirley O. Hockett has made a significant pledge to the College, which will be used to endow the Shirley and Chas Hockett Chamber Music Concert Series. In recognition of their generous past support of the School of Music and Shirley’s new commitment, the recital hall in the James J. Whalen Center for Music will be named the Hockett Family Recital Hall.

"These considerable contributions will have a lasting influence on future generations of Ithaca College students," says Williams. "We are extremely grateful for the generosity of Bob and Shirley, who had already given so much to the institution through their lengthy teaching careers."

Shirley Hockett (left, with husband Chas Hockett) taught mathematics at the College from 1966 to 1991. She won several teaching awards and wrote six textbooks on mathematics. Instrumental in establishing a campus chapter of the Phi Kappa Phi honor society, she served as its first president. The chamber series was inaugurated last year in the name of Shirley and her late husband, Chas, to honor their longtime support of the School of Music. With this latest donation by Shirley, the series will now have a permanent endowment to bring a major chamber ensemble to campus each year for a free public performance. The Shirley and Chas Hockett Library of Ensemble Music in the Whalen Center was named in their honor in 1999.

Music has long played an integral part in the lives of the Hockett family. Chas, who was the Goldwin Smith Professor Emeritus of Anthropology and Linguistics at Cornell University at the time of his death last November, was both a performer and composer. Each of the Hocketts’ five children studied music while growing up, and two of them, as well as a son-in-law, David Weiss, are now professional musicians. Shirley did not herself play an instrument until the age of 57, when she started studying the clarinet. Within a year she was performing publicly as a member of the Ithaca Concert Band, alongside Chas, who played the bass clarinet. She served as president of the board of directors of the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra from 1979 to 1984.

"Shirley has certainly shown through the years that she is a valued member of the greater family of music supporters at the College and in the community," says Art Ostrander, dean of the School of Music. "We are truly privileged to be able to show our appreciation by naming the recital hall for the Hockett family."

Robert Ryan’s 42-year career was the longest of any faculty member in the history of Ithaca College. He came to the College in 1956 and was instrumental in creating both the history major and history honors program. He was department chair from 1969 to 1979 and in 1985–86. His teaching included courses on ancient history as well as modern Germany and the Holocaust, an area in which he developed a major interest during the 1980s. He worked hard to develop library resources for his new area of specialty.

Despite his retirement in 1998, he continued teaching classes. His emeritus status was granted by the board of trustees and awarded by President Williams in a special ceremony held shortly before his death at the age of 69.

"Bob consistently brought out the best in both his students and colleagues, so it is eminently appropriate that his bequest will be used on behalf of both," says Howard Erlich, dean of the School of Humanities and Sciences. "The scholarships will help provide financial assistance for qualified incoming and continuing history students, while the professorship will grant a stipend as well as a reduced teaching load to a current faculty member teaching in the humanities."

Erlich says the professorship will be project based and will be awarded for a three-year term on a competitive basis from among applicants in the Departments of Art History, English, History, Modern Languages and Literatures, Philosophy and Religion, and Writing, as well as from among those teaching humanities-based courses in the Department of Speech Communication. The stipend and reduced teaching time are intended to support a specific scholarly, pedagogical, or curricular project.