Commager died nine years ago, after a life full of teaching and writing articles, essays and books on a variety of subjects, concerning American history, education and politics.
Born in Pittsburgh, Penn., in 1902, Commager received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 1924. He enjoyed a distinguished academic career, first at Columbia University, then at Amherst from 1956 to 1992.
Commager's papers were donated to the College by Mary Powlesland Commager, a Latin American historian and Commager's widow. Donors provided the resources to support the preservation of the papers and to fund a project archivist, Anne Ostendarp. Thanks to these efforts, Commager's papers are now available for student use through the Amherst College Library Archives and Special Collections.
Librarian of the College Sherre Harrington began the program by welcoming and thanking all who had helped, and then praising Commager. She introduced Mary Powlesland Commager, who spoke of how during the process of filing her late husband's papers she came to know a Henry Commager she had not previously known and experienced a new sense of loss.
Commager introduced William Alford '70, Stimson Professor of Law at Harvard University. Alford reminisced of his days with Henry Commager at the College, providing a basic view of Commager's life and anecdotes illuminating his personality.
One of these anecdotes, or "legends," as Alford called them, occurred about 35 years ago, when Commager went to the bank, wrote out a withdrawal slip for $8,000 and handed it to the teller. The teller took it and asked for an ID because she did not know who Commager was. He looked at her and said, "Well then find someone who does know!"
Then Professor of History, Emeritus at UMass, Amherst Milton Cantor spoke of Commager's time as a professor at Columbia. Cantor spoke of Commager as a teacher and friend. He described a man who never compromised his beliefs, a trait to which all who knew the great intellectual could attest.
Anson D. Morse Professor of History and American Studies, Emeritus Hugh Hawkins recalled Commager as a colleague.
Hawkins told one story of a department gathering at which a visiting professor asked Commager how one of his friends kept producing books very quickly. Commager responded by saying, "By not wasting his time like this!" and promptly exited the room.
Hawkins also told the story of how Commager received his nickname Felix. One day, his first wife Evan said she did not like the name Henry and stated she would call him Felix and call the cat Henry.
Next, Richard Hawkins '71, a partner in the law firm Hunter and Williams in Washington, D.C. and one of Commager's former students, spoke of how he came to know Commager in late August 1970, saying that the late professor was "full of intellectual and physical vigor." He called Commager a man of amazing intelligence in many subjects and spoke of his generosity.
Members of the audience were invited to tell stories of the amazing wit, eloquence and confidence that they witnessed in Commager. Many of Commager's former students and colleagues spoke, sharing their memories of a man who forgot names and had very poor eyesight, who strongly and courageously spoke his beliefs and who touched many lives around the world.