J. Richard Steffy

Remembering Dick Steffy

steffy — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 19:54:07 +0000

Several friends asked me to transmit here their respect, love, friendship, and admiration for Dick Steffy: Eric Rieth, Patrice Pomey, Adolfo Silveira Martins, Francisco Contente Domingues, and Furio Ciciliot.

Filipe Castro

Shelley Wachsmann

steffy — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 19:47:32 +0000

Dick was that rare blend of a gentleman, a scholar and a warm human being. When the Israel Department of Antiquities made the decision to excavate the Kinneret Boat I had only one condition. Dick, or at the very least one of his students (Steffy Clones), had to be brought in to study the hull.

Although it was at the beginning of a semester at Texas A&M, and just before David’s wedding, thankfully Dick found a way to come out and spend some time with us. I cannot begin to tell you what a treasure he was to the excavation in general and to me in particular. There were many difficult decisions to make during that excavation and I never made one without first seeking Dick’s advice. To this day, when I find myself in a complicated situation, my first thought is this: how would Dick handle it? In a sense, Dick has not died, as I believe that he lives on in a very real way in each of us who had the pleasure, and the honor, to know him.

Dick’s muted sense of humor was a valuable ingredient in keeping our hopes afloat during what was truly a hellish excavation. After days of being asked repeatedly by visitors to the site if Jesus and the Twelve Apostles could have sailed in the boat, Dick came to one of our evening meetings looking very serious.

“I have calculated,” he said, “the exact number of people who could get into the boat.”

Silence fell over our little group. Dick was quiet for a while, seemingly lost in thought.

“Dick… how many?” I finally asked.

He looked up from his notepad and said, “Well, I figure twelve could have gotten in the boat, the thirteenth would have had to walk alongside.”

I remember the twinkle in Dick’s eye sparkling like a green flash.

Peggy Leshikar-Denton

steffy — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 13:44:51 +0000

Dear Family, Friends and Colleagues of Mr. Steffy,

I am happy for Dick Steffy, for he lived the best kind of life, his own! He realized and followed his true passion and delighted in discoveries big and small. His eyes twinkled when he told us details like, “the ancient shipwright was left handed” and why. He smiled and listened even when I said I was studying Mexica Aztec canoes and had come to his class to learn about builders and tools. He turned no serious student away. He was so perfect with Lucille, and loved his family. He was humble, kind, generous, gentle, wise, gifted, rare…and he is still with us, for he lives on in his life’s work, but most of all in his humanity. Clear skies & fair winds Mr. Steffy! Thank you!

steffy — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 15:02:25 +0000

Dear Fred Bey,

I am so sorry about Dick Steffy…he was one of the greatest man of INA family…please except my condolence…

As ever,

Nergis [Gunsenin]

steffy — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 13:48:32 +0000

Dicky Steffy will remain a major influence in my life. He kindly appeared on the site of the Defence in Castine, Maine, and taught us all (together with Dave and Dave), all about the construction of Revolutionary War ships, a far cry from the ancient Greek models. We enjoyed digging mussels and clams, and shared in clam-eating contests. He always remembered his students, even after absences of decades, and generously shared his voluminous archive of knowledge and references. His spirit and impact are immeasurable.

Nancy Pinto-Orton

steffy — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 20:36:40 +0000

Genius is a word that has been used many times over the last few days in describing Dick Steffy, and rightly so, Yet there are two other words, both mentioned several times during his memorial service, that must be taken into consideration if we are to comprehend fully the nature of his genius: respect and integrity. During the mid 1960s, I devoted over 3 years to making a reconstruction on paper of a 7^th century Yassi Ada Byzantine ship whose very fragmentary remains had been uncovered by our excavation at Yassi Ada. When I finally finished, my mother-in-law remarked that my reconstruction looked more like a canoe than a ship, and Peter Throckmorton gently assured me that my ship would not have made it out of port on her maiden voyage. These were the kindest comments made. Even so, Dick treated my work with the utmost respect when he then tested its validity through a series of models made over more than a decade (on one of these models a plank sprang with a loud explosive sound in the middle of the night, as Laina Swiny described during the memorial service). During all that time, he never departed from my basic empirical data until finally convinced he had no other choice but to alter slightly the shape of just one of the surviving frame fragments. I then went back to the original field drawing of the offending frame and discovered that I had made an error when transcribing it to a reconstruction drawing. My reconstruction of the ship also benefited greatly from the integrity he typically brought to his research. I remember vividly how, during the 4 months we worked together at the same drafting table in Kyrenia in 1974, he systematically went through the complete sequence of installing the hull planking asking why the shipwright had dimensioned and tapered each successive strake the way he did. Only when these questions had been fully answered to his satisfaction was he ready to undertake his final model, which would of course be a final test of his conclusions.

It was this experience that first led me to conclude that his respect for the work of others and the integrity in his own work were the foundation blocks on which Dick’s genius rested, and continued to rest throughout his life.

Fred van Doorninck

Los Angeles Times 12.9.07

steffy — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 13:37:40 +0000

From the LA Times: “Professor of nautical archaeology was a world authority; The self-taught ‘Sherlock Holmes of ancient ship reconstructors’ was a pioneer of the art.”

steffy — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 16:17:49 +0000

I was just a brand new first-year graduate student in the nautical program in the fall of 2004, with no background in history OR archaeology, and fretting enormously about how to shape an idea for my first term paper. I remember talking with Wayne about it, who tossed off the suggestion that I consult with Mr. Steffy, whom I had not yet met. I made a mental note of it and got on with work in the conservation research lab. About an hour later, Mr. Steffy walked into the lab and said, “did someone here want to see me?” I couldn’t believe it! After a phone call from Wayne, he’d made his way over just to lend and ear and some feedback on my term paper idea. It is a rare kind of college professor and a wonderful kind of soul who is so engaged and overly generous with his time and patience. I feel blessed to have crossed his path.

Kirsten Jerch

steffy — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 17:01:51 +0000

So much can be said about Dick Steffy. I just want to add a short note about the measure of this man and his impact on me and some of the students he interacted with. Dick found his way up to the Archaeological Preservation Research Lab on many occasions. His aim was always to catch up on conservation issues and to just pay a social visit. I loved his visits so much because instead of paying empty platitudes to conservation, he was genuinely interested. Also, he knew that the pursuit of conducting scientific research is often a lonely and isolating. He was an excellent sounding board for me and always, he was a gentleman.

On more than one occasion, I asked him to come and speak to my Anthropology 216/316 Introduction to Nautical Archaeology classes. It was a treat for so many students to hear about the discipline of ship reconstruction and experimental research associated with Kyrenia. He loved coming to those classes – and students knew they were privileged to hear about his work first-hand. When could no longer come to campus, he met with me and small groups of students at his home. Even when I knew that he was not feeling well, this is something that he felt important to do.

Once, I called Dick and asked him visit with one particular student during his ‘next visit to campus.’ That student needed scholarly advice and some insights into picking an old-world thesis topic. He came to campus within an hour of our conversation and he helped that student immensely. This is the true measure of the man. He was always an approachable person, a true scholar, and a gentle man.

As much as I am saddened by his passing, he has left me with a gift that keeps on giving, and I forever thankful for that.

C. Wayne Smith

Associate Professor

Center for Maritime Archaeology & Conservation

Texas
A&M
University

steffy — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 17:01:50 +0000

As much as I am saddened by his passing, he has left me with a gift that keeps on giving, and I forever thankful for that.

C. Wayne Smith

Associate Professor

Center for Maritime Archaeology & Conservation

Texas
A&M
University