Posted by Shonnie Finnegan on April 30, 2001 at 19:59:46 from 24.49.108.247 :
It was with deep sadness that I heard on WBFO of the sudden death of my In my opinion, Ed personified Capen's vision in every respect. As "For we hold that a university is something over and above a group of
long-time friend and colleague, Ed Powell. He was such an integral part of
the UB I loved and served for thirty years that I don't remember precisely
when I met him. I know it was soon after I took the job of University
Archivist in 1967; no doubt it was at a demonstration or teach-in
protesting the Vietnam war. Ed was always there, such a positive advocate
of non-violent civic disobedience under the US constitution. I used to go
to all those happenings to lend support and also to gather up the handouts
that might otherwise have been lost to history. (It turned out that Ed, out
of his respect for historic documentation, had formed an even more complete
collection than the one I assembled for the Archives. And he made it freely
available to anyone wishing to understand those turbulent times--along with
his own insights and hospitality!)
Ed was deeply interested in the history of Buffalo and UB, particularly
in those off-beat individuals who challenged the conventional wisdom and
recorded their views for posterity--for example, Thomas Nichols and George
Washington Johnson (19th century Buffalo diarists); and Samuel P. Capen (UB
president 1922-1950, who was nationally known for his unflagging defense of
academic freedom). Over the years, Ed would often stop in at the Archives
to discuss his current research projects and university issues. He was
never intrusive or in a big hurry. Often he would call ahead and say he'd
be over in "a little while." That could be that same day or a weeks later.
My associate and I used to call it "Ed Powell time." Such a welcome change
from the rigid schedules inflicted by self-important bureaucrats! In our
view, Ed was a class act: a true gentleman.
One day in the late 90s, as I was trying to clean out my office in my
retirement, Ed stopped by and rather shyly handed me a tattered clipping
that he'd taken from the student newspaper years before: a quote from a
speech delivered by Samuel P. Capen at the centennial of UB in 1946. I
then recalled that I had sent it to The Spectrum in 1970, after the
disgraceful arrest of the Faculty 45 for holding a peaceful sit-in
protesting the presence of city police on campus during the height of the
anti-war demonstrations. The Spectrum had published it under the heading,
"Notes from Underground." It turned out that Ed had been carrying this
quote around in his wallet for close to thirty years!
impossible as it is to imagine UB without the sight of Ed biking by with
his dashika flapping in the wind, or catching sight of him in deep
conversation with students in the union, it is inspiring to know what a
legacy he has left in the lives of an untold number of students, friends,
and his beloved family. Here's the quote, from Samuel P. Capen in honor of
Ed Powell:
professional schools. It is an instrument of inquiry. It is a forum of
criticism and interpretation. It is a nursery of free men....To the free
exercise of the mind this university is irrevocably committed. Any student
or teacher here may investigate any subject... and may report anywhere, in
or out of the classroom, the conclusions he has reached. Any student or
teacher may voice his opinions on any question, no matter how unpopular
they may be, or even how foolish. This is what academic freedom means. At
the University of Buffalo, it has never been invaded."