Dean Emerita Cathryn Newtons memorial tribute to John and Mary Prucha presented to the A&S faculty Nov 7, 2012 "My unforgettable first conversation with John Prucha was at a now-extinct restaurant, Poseidon, named for the Greek god of the oceans. As Vice Chancellor, he was hosting an intimate dinner to attract four faculty candidates to Syracuse as part of his academic plan for moving to the “next tier of excellence”. Prucha inspired trust. He spoke forcefully and emphatically about strengthening SU’s scholarly position relative to its peers. My immediate reaction was: this man could more than hold his own against Poseidon—or for that matter, Zeus, Hera, and the others. In the thirty years since then, John’s long legacy of an intense commitment to scholarly and teaching excellence has become even more visible. Before arriving in 1963, he already had considerable accomplishments: baccalaureate and masters degrees from the superb geology department at Wisconsin-Madison; a doctorate from Princeton under the direction of eminent geoscientists Harry H. Hess and A.F. Buddington; an array of important research papers as senior geologist at the New York Geological Survey; and scholarly advances in Rocky Mountain structural geology as a research geologist at Shell Development Company, then considered the world’s top corporate research group in geology. Yet Syracuse was where his academic leadership abilities fully emerged. Among his titles here were Professor of Geology, Jessie Page Heroy Professor, Departmental Chair, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. Other titles that meant much to John were: mentor, field scientist and teacher, philanthropist. He led Geology from 1963-1970, during a time of immense intellectual change in the profession as plate tectonics radically transformed our field. This scientific transformation was importantly catalyzed by Prucha’s doctoral mentor Harry Hess, whose brilliant concept of sea-floor spreading formed a fundamental part of the new tectonics. John began building a geology faculty and facility that would match the excitement of these times. He was instrumental in working with William B. Heroy to create the Heroy Geology Laboratory and to establish the Heroy chaired professorship that has played such a vital role in the history of the department. John accepted the deanship in a turbulent spring: 1970. Students were on strike, protesters blocked the entrance to campus, and the Chancellor’s office in Tolley Administration Building was occupied by a sit-in. As Prucha moved into the dean’s office, “STRIKE”, “SHUT IT DOWN”, and peace signs were graffitied boldly on the limestone-block exterior and windows of Hall of Languages. Nonetheless, his years as dean were ones of rapid academic strides—in departments, in the Honors program, and in the identity of the College itself. Upon becoming dean, Prucha proposed a crucial name change—from the College of Liberal Arts to the College of Arts and Sciences. On John’s watch, Biology, formerly two departments, was unified under the leadership of esteemed microbiologist Don Lundgren as a visible symbol of a path toward a stronger scholarly profile. Prucha was especially impassioned about the Humanities and actively supported the hiring of numerous prominent scholar-teachers during his deanship. Indeed, John’s very closest colleagues on campus included humanists such as the exceptional and prolific literary scholar of the Argentine novel, Myron Lichtblau. He much admired the public scholarly presentations of English’s Mary Marshall. And Prucha and his wife Mary traveled in Spain with Willy Melczer of Medieval and Renaissance Studies. As Vice Chancellor, John moved decisively and swiftly to position the university more competitively among its peers. He worked with deans to develop academic plans for supporting current faculty and recruiting new faculty. He prioritized projects on academic and other facilities to help achieve this goal, changing the footprint of Syracuse University. The Carrier Dome was also one of his projects. He was directly responsible for the growth and staffing of the University art collections and donated part of his exquisite personal collection of Southwestern American art. With joy, John rejoined the full-time faculty in 1985, becoming one of its most valued teachers. He again chaired Geology in 1988-89. Proud of the trajectory of the Earth Sciences program he had built here, he continued to contribute actively as a geologist and mentor. After retiring, John was an active philanthropist, establishing the John James Prucha Field Research Fund to support graduate research. In 1993, he returned to his Midwestern roots with a book on the history of 20th century western Wisconsin, Kinnickinnic Years. Field research and the mentoring of others were exceptional lifelong commitments. Early in his career, he chose field geology as his principal focus despite having a significant physical disability, and he demonstrated this commitment to fieldwork even in remote, high-elevation areas. Generations of alumni and colleagues credit his field courses and mentoring as the critical ingredient in their success. Few will ever forget the image of John charging forward in the field while they struggled to keep up. Joining John in all this was a partner fully his match: his wife Mary Helfrich Prucha, herself someone of rare intelligence, energy, and grace. She has also made substantial and sustained contributions to the College of Arts and Sciences and University. In their 64 years together, they supported and mentored many students and many of us. Nine of their ten children are Syracuse graduates, a number of them with degrees from Arts and Sciences. Mary passed away yesterday (Tuesday Nov 6, 2012), only days after we said farewell to John. Please stand and join in a moment of silent respect and gratitude for John and Mary Prucha—and what they have meant to the College of Arts and Sciences and University."