R.I.P. John Silber

[RRoller123]

He came to Boston University in 1971 at just about the same time that I started studying Engineering there. What a tremendously positive effect he had on the school! Unabashedly taking no pc shit and improving the quality of faculty, students, the endowment and the campus. He waged war on the various inspid, mediocre leftists that dominated some of the schools and academia in general. It took decades to get them out, but he ultimately succeeded. BU is one of the few top notch schools around that is not currently dominated by leftist ideological nonsense. A solid believer in elitism and ethical excellence, he will be much missed. Well done, Dr. Silber, rest in peace, and thank you for a great education.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/2 ... 19399.html

[dmwhiteoak]

It's no wonder he was a great man. He was a Texan.

[RRoller123]

Took absolutely no shit from anyone. I never met him directly, although I have had conversations with his successor, Bob Brown, who came across the river from MIT. Silber was the most entertaining fellow that any organization could ever have. He spoke truth to nonsense and was unflappable. They (some of the leftist loon faculty) hated him so much that one Halloween they talked his kid (little at the time) into dressing as Captain Hook. (Dr. Silber was born with 1 arm). He would respond to various campus ruckus by writing letters to the editor of the daily campus paper, in which he would set out his clear philisophical position on whatever the issue was, and then flay the loons alive. It was really fun to watch. Those years were heady times in academe, and he stood his ground. I have great respect for the man. And it didn't hurt that he came from Texas! (I spent a summer in Richardson working with the HP factory after we purchased their manufacturing assets. Great folk down there. Love the steaks.)