Memorial Service Nov. 4 for Paul Schach

By Manfred Jacobson, Professor, Modern Languages & Literatures

I would like to begin my brief summary and observations on Paul Schach's scholarly career with an anecdote that, I believe, nicely encapsulates the esteem in which he was held by colleagues around the world. Back in the late 1960s, when I was a graduate student at the University of Chicago, I was sitting in a lounge on campus with other students and a group of professors who were wondering where to send their star student, who had just been awarded his Ph.D. in Scandinavian studies, for some additional honing of his skills. Harvard and Nebraska were mentioned as the two most desirable possibilities and I, sadly ignorant of the geography between Chicago and the Pacific coast, asked where Nebraska was. Two of the professors, one British and the other a Swede, answered in unison, "That's were Paul Schach is." Everyone in the room knew that this answer was to be understood as definitive. Later that day I went to the library and located Nebraska on a map. I forgot all about this event until some seven years later when I joined the University of Nebraska faculty and the Paul Schach I knew only in connection with books and articles was connected to a man I increasingly grew to like and respect.

Paul Schach was educated at Albright College and the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned his Ph.D. in Germanic languages and literatures in 1949. From 1942-45 Paul was an assistant professor at Albright College and a translator for the U.S. Navy. He joined the University of Nebraska as an associate professor in 1951 and was promoted to professor in 1955. In 1966 he was awarded the Charles J. Mach Professorship, which he held until his retirement in 1986. Since his retirement he has been the curator of Western Manuscripts at the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha.

Paul Schach's research was supported by a wide variety of prestigious external grants including three from the NEH and two from the American Philosophical Society. His research interests included Medieval German and Icelandic literature, linguistics, dialects, lexicography, translation and the people and languages of the Great Plains. Paul's work on the Icelandic Sagas is his most seminal contribution to scholarship and is likely to be the most enduring. In the area of Saga literature Paul has contributed translations, commentaries. primers, encyclopedia articles, and a steady stream of articles reporting his own original research, much of it indisputably path breaking contributions to the discipline.

Paul was also the recipient of numerous awards and honors and participated tirelessly in the activities of his profession. To mention just a few of these: he was awarded the Ordre de Tristan in Liege in 1966 and won the University of Nebraska Award for Outstanding Research and Creative Activity in 1979; he was the managing editor of Scandinavian Studies (arguably the most prestigious journal for this discipline in the world) from 1968-1972 and he was a member of the Executive Council of the MLA from 1970-1973. Those who are familiar with Paul's work know that scores of additional honors and activities could easily be added to those already mentioned.

All of us who have known Paul Schach at all well have been awed by his intellectual curiosity and seemingly boundless energy as we have been touched by his fundamental decency. We remember his seemingly endless repertoire of stories about Swedes and Norwegians trying to best each other, about members of competing religious sects making an issue of doctrinal differences that only they could discern, as well as stories illustrating the wisdom of American Indian leaders whom he had met or interviewed many years ago. Having spent a great deal of time thinking about Paul since his death, I have come to understand that his work, his stories and even his jokes were all driven by the same force: Paul's delight in human diversity and his joy in celebrating it.

There will be a memorial service for Paul Schach at 4 p.m. Nov. 3 in the Nebraska Union. The room will be listed in the lobby.

NU Entomologists Receive National Recognition

Sharron S. Quisen-berry, professor and head of the entomology department, has been elected president of the Entomological Society of America. This organization serves the professional and scientific needs of entomologists and people in related disciplines. She has served on numerous ESA committees and has been elected to key positions in the Society. Quisenberry is currently completing her term as ESA secretary/treasurer.

Shripat T. Kamble has been elected as a director of the Board Certified Entomologists. The certification program's mission is to set standards and promote recognition of Board Certified Entomologists. The certification board oversees a system for documenting evidence of professional qualification for certification and for validating certification of entomologists who wish to be certified. Kamble is a professor of Entomology and State Liaison for National Pesticide Impact Assessment Program and IR-4 (minor use of pesticides) program at UNL.

Frederick P. Baxendale was named the 1998 recipient of the Entomological Society of America Recognition Award in Urban Entomology. This award recognizes and encourages outstanding extension, research and teaching contributions in urban entomology. Baxendale is a professor and Extension Specialist in the Department of Entomology.

Central Administration Service Awards Program is Nov. 10

President Smith will host Central Administration Service Award recipients at 10 a.m. Nov. 10 in the East Union. The following individuals will be honored for their years of service with the university.

Name, Years of Service, Department

• Lee A. Graham, 35, Computing Services
• Lynn Berner, 35, Computing Services
• Donal J. Burns, 30, Executive Vice President & Provost
• Sharon Franks, 30, Computing Services
• Lloyd E. Goodson, 30, Computing Services
• Neil B. Bickley, 25, Computing Services
• Rick D. Golden, 25, Computing Services
• Margaret E. Klein, 25, Computing Services
• Carol Brown, 20, Computing Services
• Tim R. Einspahr, 20, Computing Services
• Douglas J. Evans, 20, Computing Services
• Jane K. Michel, 20, Executive Vice President & Provost
• Verda M. Schweitzer, 20, Vice President for Business & Finance
• James C. Van Horn, 20, Vice President for Business & Finance (awarded posthumously)
• Richard R. Wood, 20, Vice President & General Counsel
• Donald C. Mihulka, 15, Computing Services
• Merlin J. Green, 10, Computing Services
• Beverly J. Kellison, 10, Executive Vice President & Provost
• Ellen M. Mischnick, 10, Computing Services
• Roberta L. McHargue, 5, Computing Services
• Mark A. Snook, 5, Computing Services

Independent Study High School Grads Named National Merit Scholars

Two students from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Independent Study High School have been named National Merit Scholars.

Jeanette Fiess of Bainbridge Island, Wash., and Heather Stucky of Bridgeport, W.Va., are the sixth and seventh Merit Scholars to graduate from ISHS in the last five years.

"We are very pleased that two of our outstanding students have been honored," said James E. Schiefelbein, ISHS principal. "Our goal is to provide a quality education to our students, and it is gratifying when we can help them achieve success."

Stucky, 15, is attending West Virginia University, where she was awarded a foundation scholarship package valued at more than $40,000. She received her ISHS diploma in June.

Fiess, 17, plans to study biology at Whitman College, Walla Walla, Wash. She received more than $8,000 in scholarships. Fiess received her ISHS diploma in August.

The Independent Study High School is the only fully accredited, university-based, diploma-granting independent study high school program in the nation. Each year, it serves more than 15,000 enrollments in 135 countries and all 50 states. More than half of ISHS students are seeking a diploma. ISHS is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and the Nebraska Department of Education.

Two Earn ARD Research Awards

A biological systems engineer and a nutrition scientist are this year's recipients of the University of Nebraska's Agricultural Research Division's Junior Faculty for Excellence in Research Awards.

Biological Systems Engineer Thomas Franti and Nutrition Scientist Timothy Carr earned the awards recognizing research excellence by junior faculty in NU's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, said Darrell Nelson, ARD dean and director.

Each will receive a certificate, plaque and a $3,000 ARD grant to support their research or professional development.

Don Edwards Named Engineering Society Regional VP

Donald Edwards, dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, has been installed as vice president of the North Central region of the National Society of Professional Engineers.

An active member of the society, Edwards has served the organization at the national, state and local levels. At the national level, he has been vice president for the Professional Engineers in Education Division and has chaired or served on the society's education council, assessment task force, board of directors and the executive committee. He has also held office at the state and local level in both the Nebraska and Michigan Professional Engineers Societies.