Students, colleagues remember E. Digby Baltzell

The memorial was held last Thursday, which would have been the Sociology legend's 81st birthday. On what would have been the 81st birthday of former Sociology Professor E. Digby Baltzell, friends and family gathered to honor him with sentimental words and warm memories. Baltzell died on August 17. Soft jazz purred from the piano in the majestically domed Harrison Auditorium of the University Museum, for last Thursday's memorial service. The lights were low and seemingly empathetic, much like the guests. Fellow professors, colleagues and former students spoke about their relationships with Baltzell and expressed a common admiration for his scholarship and love for teaching. "Even when I thought I was teaching him, he was teaching me much more -- he always did," said History Professor Michael Zuckerman. Baltzell's students said they loved attending his classes as much as he loved teaching them. Martin Muoto, a 1993 graduate of the College and Wharton, recalled that the courses Baltzell taught were frequently "sold out." Muoto then shared dozens of Baltzell's quotes that he still remembered years after his graduation from Penn. Beyond his renown at the University, sociologists around the world regarded Baltzell as an authority in the field. An expert in the social patterns and habits of the upper class, he coined the term "WASP" to stand for "white Anglo-Saxon Protestant" in his 1964 book, The Protestant Establishment. He also wrote many other award-winning papers and books on the subject. 1978 College graduate Howard Schneiderman, a student of Baltzell's edited and co-authored much of his mentor's work. He fondly recalled the professor's relentless pursuit to teach students to think and write well. Schneiderman spoke of Baltzell's many critiques of his works as a student and a colleague, remarking that Baltzell was never satisfied with a first draft. "Digby demanded infinitely more of his students than they demanded of themselves," he said. Other University luminaries added their voices to the chorus of praise for Baltzell. "Digby Baltzell was a teacher of us all and he remains as our conscience," said University President Emeritus Martin Meyerson, a longtime friend. Baltzell's profound love for football had a tremendous impact on Harry Gamble, a former Penn football coach. For his turn at the podium, he recalled the days when Baltzell hosted dinners at the Faculty Club for juniors on the team. He spoke to them about life, leadership and values. "He brought credibility to the program," Gamble said. "Digby knew the satisfaction that comes from making others feel special." Sociology Professor Harold Bershady commented on the powerful effect Baltzell had on everyone who knew him. And Sociology Department Chairperson Douglas Massey described Baltzell as "a real character who derived tremendous fulfillment from Penn." Baltzell graduated from Wharton in 1939. With the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, he left his job to volunteer for the Navy. He earned his wings and served in the South Pacific as Air Combat Intelligence Officer and pilot. After the war, he enrolled in the Ph.D program at Columbia University. After receiving his doctorate in sociology, Baltzell returned to Penn, where he taught until 1986, and continued to teach a few classes as a professor emeritus until the last months of his life. In his time in the academic community, Baltzell was awarded Danforth and Guggenheim fellowships. "In his almost 50 years at Penn, Digby taught over 20,000 undergraduates and hundreds of graduate students," Bershady said. "He was an enormously popular and beloved teacher and won every teaching award that Penn offers." Closing his speech, Schneiderman offered a eulogy that seemed to sum up what everyone else had said: "Here's to Digby? A wiser man I never knew, nor a better one."

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