Sheldon Hackney Was Noted Historian and Humanitarian

Thursday, September 12 2013 - 6:50pm

<p>Sheldon Hackney, a noted historian, humanitarian and longtime Vineyard resident, died Thursday, Sept. 12, at home, surrounded by his family. He was 79. The cause was amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.</p> <p>Mr. Hackney was a well-known figure on and off the Vineyard. Born in Alabama, he was a professor of Southern history who became president of Tulane University and later the University of Pennsylvania and served as chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities during the Clinton administration.</p>

Sheldon Hackney, a noted historian, humanitarian and longtime Vineyard resident, died Thursday, Sept. 12, at home, surrounded by his family. He was 79. The cause was amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Mr. Hackney was a well-known figure on and off the Vineyard. Born in Alabama, he was a professor of Southern history who became president of Tulane University and later the University of Pennsylvania and served as chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities during the Clinton administration.

Last month Mr. Hackney was honored with a medal from the Martha’s Vineyard Museum for his many contributions to the Vineyard community.

“He was an extraordinary academician, the gold standard for educational leadership, and he was my friend,” said Vernon Jordan, a lawyer and former adviser to President Bill Clinton.

“I think of him as the quintessential southern gentleman-scholar — a noted historian and a man of letters with a genteel quality that made everyone very comfortable around him,” said Ron Gault, another friend.

He had been coming to the Island since the 1960s and lived in Vineyard Haven with his family in a home overlooking the harbor.

“It’s my favorite place on earth,” he told the Gazette in a 1993 interview.

“We are all so sad this afternoon, losing our close, close friend and neighbor the gallant, brilliant loving Sheldon Hackney,” Rose Styron told the Gazette on Thursday. “Bill and Sheldon and Lucy and I shared four generations of fine family across our lawns for 46 years — books, celebrations, pranks, tributes, joy, sorrow and endless conversations with each other and the myriad Vineyard friends who cherished him.

A graveside service will be held on Sunday, Sept. 15, at 2 p.m. in the West Chop Cemetery on Main street in Vineyard Haven. A memorial service to celebrate Mr. Hackney’s life is being planned for a later date and time to be announced.

A complete obituary will appear in next week’s Gazette.

Comments

Truly a southern gentleman

Betty Vineyard Haven

Truly a southern gentleman that always made you feel welcome and at home.

MJ and I are deeply saddened

Paul and MJ Munafo VH

MJ and I are deeply saddened by the loss of a kind and gentle man. He welcomed all comers into the the wonderful life that he and his dear Lucy created. His star will shine bright over the vineyard sky.

I always felt it was a

V V Harrison Washington, DC

I always felt it was a priviledge and an honor to know Sheldon Hackney,who despite his many accomplishments, was a truly good and giving man, who loved justice, showed mercy and walked humbly with his God. My thoughts are with Lucy, the great love of his life, his children and his many friends. A light has gone out on Owen Little Way, but a star shines brightly over the ocean.

I thank God for the time I

Jillian Oak Bluffs

I thank God for the time I knew Sheldon, though it was brief he has touched my life forever.

There are only a few people

David Vineyard Haven

There are only a few people you meet or come to know in life that inspire you to be a better person, to try to think more about what makes us human and what builds a community. Sheldon did that so naturally and graciously and generously. His contribution was enormous and I miss his counsel and friendship already.

Sheldon Hackney showed the

Charlayne Hunter-Gault Oak Bluffs, Ma

Sheldon Hackney showed the world how to be a great human being, a fine Southern gentleman, and a dear friend who never said no when asked a favor--large or small. He will always be a presence in my soul as one of our greatest teachers of all things good from great and unpedantic scholarship to the love of a double gin martini!

His leadership of Penn was

Bruce Philadelphia

His leadership of Penn was grascious and superb.

A gentleman. And a scholar.

Thomas Dresser oak bluffs

A gentleman. And a scholar.
Sheldon will be sorely missed.

A very nice man who helped me

Lisa Andujar-Ray

A very nice man who helped me get into business school and helped me during my time at the University of Pennsylvania.

Sheldon Hackney taught me

Luther Munford Jackson, Mississippi

Sheldon Hackney taught me southern history. He and Lucy introduced me both to her father, Cliff Durr, and years later to my wife, Virginia Thompson Munford. Cliff's example influenced my decision to return to Mississippi to practice law, and Ginnie's example has influenced everything else, much for the better.

While his many accomplishments will be and should be remembered, it his devotion to his daughter Virginia that most directly touched my heart, and still offers inspiration.

To a wonderful, caring and

Lisa BenDavid

To a wonderful, caring and strong person. When I first met you through Virginia I knew how amazing she was so I also knew how amazing her family must be. I sure was not disappointed.
Beyond intelligent you we are an amazing husband, father and grandfather.
Much love to a truly inspiring family.

What an extraordinary man.

Paul Zingg Chico, CA

What an extraordinary man. Wise, kind and totally committed to justice and civility. He taught, always, through the force of personal example. He was my friend, colleague and mentor.

Rest in peace Sheldon Hackney

Frances Williams Fairfield,CT

Rest in peace Sheldon Hackney and God bless you. He served as president of my alma mater, University of Pennsylvania. I wish to offer my deepest condolences to his family and friends.

Rest in peace President

Frances E. Williams Fairfield,CT

Rest in peace President Hackney

Sheldon and Lucy made

Lewis L. Gould Monmouth, Illinois

Sheldon and Lucy made graduate work at Yale from 1961 to 1966 a richer experience for all their friends. He had the ability to penetrate the meaning of an historical work and sum it up in a crisp, witty phrase. His superbly-researched book on Alabama politics and his innovative article on Southern violence were major contributions. He and Lucy carried forward in an important way the tradition of liberalism in the South that her parents and his mentor C. Vann Woodward embodied.

Sheldon Hackney was one of

Marvin Lazerson Rottach-Egern, Germany

Sheldon Hackney was one of the finest individuals I have ever met. He inspired me for more than 20 years at the University of Pennsylvania, first as a dean during his presidency and later as a colleague. We joked about how he was forever to be referred to as the former president and I as the former dean, as if we had no identity except as a 'former'. I discovered his intellect the first time we met, when he interviewed me for the job as dean of the graduate school of education at Penn. We spent more than an hour talking about the writing of history, before we turned to the issues facing the school. It was the notable method of recruitment!

I second Ron Gault's

Constance Ellis New York, NY

I second Ron Gault's description of Sheldon as the quintessential southern gentleman-scholar. His intellect and judiciousness made of him a listener as well as a thinker. Innate restraint vis-a-vis his remarkable professional achievements kept him open to ideas and opinions
from any quarter. He was a warm and affectionate friend, ever ready to share ironies and observations. Sheldon, you are ever in my consciousness.

He led Penn during a

Karen New York City

He led Penn during a tumultuous time, protests over Apartheid, the height of the AIDS epidemic, but he stayed strong...he will be missed!

In mid-life, Sheldon Hackney,

Michael Bamberger Philadelphia

In mid-life, Sheldon Hackney, a lanky Vineyard Haven tennis player if ever there was one, took up golf, and played it with his characteristic grace. One day we were playing the gentle nine-holer in Edgartown. He was carrying an extra ball in his back pocket, for easy retrieval in case he lost his game ball. I suggested he might be jinxing himself. He said that history--he was a historian--suggested he was going to need that spare. He promptly lost his ball, reached into his pocket and said, "I'm going to abandon this practice." He was beyond courtly. He was once on a flight that made an emergency landing at the Vineyard Airport, with smoke filling the cabin and masks descending. He walked across the tarmac like he was heading to College Hall 200 for a lecture. He wrote letters by hand, measured his words and had a natural affinity for the disenfranchised. As the president of Penn, he and Lucy lived in West Philadelphia and improved the whole neighborhood. I imagine he did the same in Vineyard Haven. What a life, and what an example. Thank you, Dr. Hackney.