By Julia Hess '15
Professor emeritus Stanley "Stacy" L. Jedynak, Ph.D., died on July 13th, 2015. He was 93 years old.
Jedynak taught English at Siena for 39 years where he shared his passion for literature with hundreds of students. He was a specialist in the works of James Joyce, and Modern British Literature, Russian Literature, and Historical and Descriptive Linguistics. He was Chair of the English Department on two occasions during his time at Siena, edited the College's literary journal and served on numerous college committees.
Christiane Faran Ph.D. and Mary Fitzgerald-Hoyt Ph.D., both Siena graduates and current professors of English were students of Jedynak's. Faran said that he was the "magnetic center of the class" during an Existential European literature course that covered difficult material from Albert Camus, Franz Kafka to Friedrick Nietzche.
"Dr. Jedynak would wear a black turtleneck sweater to class and his teaching person was a balance of demanding intellectual intensity and abrupt bursts of good humor," said Farnan, "He rewarded dogged hard work more than short-lived flashes of brillance and when we had all managed to complete Camus' The Stranger and to competently discuss it in class, he rewarded us: he rolled up the sleeves of his sweater and showed us his tattoos."
Fitzgerald-Hoyt counts Jedynak as one of the most important influences in her life as a student, professor and writer. One memory in particular has stayed with her. While walking with a group of College trustees, he stopped the group to get her autograph on the newest edition of the student literary magazine, of which she was the editor. He continued to support her on her journey through higher education.
"He showed unwavering faith in me when I was studying for grueling doctoral exams and wrestling with the years of dissertation writing," said Fitzgerald-Hoyt. "When I applied for a teaching position in Siena's English Department, he showed me the great respect of not assuming that he knew everything about me: as Department Chair at the time, he asked me serious, probing questions about my work. When I became his colleauge, he treated me as an equal, always."
Jedynak attended the University of Buffalo and received his doctorate from Syracuse University. He was a veteran of World War II, receiving the Purple Heart, the Presidential Unit Citation, the Asiatic-Pacific Theater ribbon with three combat stars and the North China Service Medal.
