Professor Jim Cebula led a very interesting life. At least, that’s what visitors could gather from the slideshow of pictures running on loop at the memorial service in his honor held in the Flory Center on Monday, October 26t. The guest count had to be more than 60, including some of Professor Cebula’s family.Among those who spoke at the service were Professor John McNay, RWC Dean Don O’Meara, and two members of the community of Kennedy Heights, where Professor Cebula had lived. They spoke of his drive to live in an integrated neighborhood and stay there when other people were hesitant to reside there. They also shared stories of their families bonding together.
The service started at 1 p.m., and although I was not able to stay for the entire service, I learned quite a bit in the time that I was there. Professor McNay’s speech brought several smiles to my face as he recounted his first meeting with the man who was Professor Jim Cebula.
The Dean also read excerpts from several student-written letters about Professor Cebula, kindly gathered by Professor Andrea Kornbluh, Head of the RWC Department of History, Art History and Philosophy. One of those letters contained a quote that seems to perfectly sum up everything about a quarter with Professor Cebula: “He’s aggravating, fascinating, challenging, intimidating, demanding..He is just great! He makes you think in new ways.