# Remembering Sid Verba ## expand\_more ![Sid Verba](/sites/g/files/omnuum8171/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/harvard-iqss/files/sid_verba_0_0.jpg?itok=C0dHokOa) Political science lost one of its most respected—and beloved—colleagues on March 4, 2019. Sidney Verba of Harvard University made lasting contributions to several fields within political science at the same time that, as head of the Harvard’s library system, he pioneered the application of emerging digital technologies to the way information is accessed, stored, and used by libraries. Sid is remembered for his foundational contributions to political science; for his generous good citizenship in each of the many venues in which he operated; and for his warmth, humor, generosity, decency, fairness, and inclusivity to all who had the good fortune to encounter him. **Formal obituaries:** [Harvard Gazette](https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2019/03/political-scientist-sidney-verba-dead-at-86/) / [New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/13/obituaries/sidney-verba-dead.html) / [Boston Globe](https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/obituaries/2019/03/11/sidney-verba-harvard-consummate-university-citizen/0iLVQS7kJoAlh3cNN7mPMI/story.html) / [Harvard Crimson](https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2019/3/11/sidney-verba-obituary) A **memorial video** by Margy Verba [can be seen here](https://youtu.be/mS0lvd3Irkk). By Kay Lehman Schlozman & Henry E. Brady: [Remembering Sidney Verba](/news/remembering-sidney-verba) [### Drew Gilpin Faust ](/remembrance-drew-gilpin-faust) Drew Gilpin Faust Sid was the consummate university citizen. Whenever there was a difficult problem where we needed a faculty member to lead a task force or solve a problem, we would find ourselves saying “we need a Sid Verba.” He became more than a... description [### Gary King ](/gary-king) Gary King Even when Sid wasn't well, he always had a nice nonconflictual way of adding insight to the conversation, and taught me new things every time we interacted. Sid had a deep understanding of politics, both at a scientific level and an intuitive... description [### Nancy Burns ](/remembrance-nancy-burns) Nancy Burns The main thing that stands out in my long list of memories of Sid is the astonishing way he built and managed collaborations over his 60 years of co-authorship. Never once did he do any of the standard things that make trouble for such... description [### Traci Burch ](/remembrance-traci-burch) Traci Burch When I was on the job market, I asked Sid for advice on dealing with tough questions during job talks. He told me that whenever I wanted to end a pointless argument and move on I should say, “Be that as it may...” and then talk about something... description [### Anthony Broh ](/remembrance-anthony-broh) Anthony Broh I have and will always associate Sidney Verba with Passover - hosting my family from the first year of our arrival in Brookline. The annual gathering with the Verba family, their numerous friends, and our colleagues around the Seder table... description [### Kristi Andersen & Goldie Shabad ](/remembrance-kristi-andersen-goldie-shabad) Kristi Andersen & Goldie Shabad In 1976, we defended our University of Chicago dissertations — together in the same room! That was convenient for everyone, and somehow considered legitimate by the U of C (or possibly the facts were concealed from the... description [### John O. Field ](/remembrance-john-o-field) John O. Field Sid Verba’s Advice to a Dissertation Writer When I was a graduate student at Stanford, Sid was my dissertation advisor (even though by the time I had written anything, he had moved to the University of Chicago). With an innocent sense of... description [### Morris Fiorina ](/remembrance-morris-fiorina) Morris Fiorina Shortly after I arrived at Harvard, Sid knocked on my door one day and asked if I wanted to go to the movies. Well, I thought, this is new to me, but maybe taking a study break and going to a movie with a colleague is standard practice at... description [### Dale Flecker ](/remembrance-dale-flecker) Dale Flecker I had the enormous good fortune to work closely with Sid for almost a quarter century when he served as Director of the Harvard University Library. There are so many things about Sid that stay with me from those years, but two stand out. The... description [### David Campbell ](/remembrance-david-campbell) David Campbell As I was finishing grad school and heading off to become a baby professor, Sid told me a story (as he was wont to do). He described attending a recent college reunion, at which of many of his former classmates--most of whom had gone into... description [### Nancy M. Cline ](/remembrance-nancy-m-cline) Nancy M. Cline The world has lost a wonderful teacher, a gifted “statesman,” and a champion for fairness. Sid led Harvard’s libraries through many significant changes. The integration of automation across all the libraries, along with investments in... description [### Louise K. Comfort ](/remembrance-louise-k-comfort) Louise K. Comfort As an advanced graduate student completing his doctoral dissertation for the Department of Politics at Princeton University and lead graduate researcher for Gabriel Almond, Sidney Verba warmly welcomed me to the research team for the... description [### Ingrid Depta ](/remembrance-ingrid-depta) Ingrid Depta I was very fortunate to have known and worked for Sidney Verba as his administrative assistant for fourteen years. When I think of him, I think of a man who cared deeply about his family and friends, his research, colleagues, students, and... description [### Jesse Donahue ](/remembrance-jesse-donahue) Jesse Donahue Working with Sid, Nancy, and Kay on the Citizen Participation Study was one of the most amazing experiences in my life. I learned a huge amount about how these large projects are done, which was tremendously helpful in understanding other... description [### Gerald Gamm ](/remembrance-gerald-gamm) Gerald Gamm Sid was brilliant, of course, but what I will miss most is his gentle and forgiving spirit, his uncompromising integrity, his work ethic, his sense of humor, his way of pushing you to listen and learn. He taught by example. He listened more... description [### Marshall Ganz ](/remembrance-marshall-ganz) Marshall Ganz A poem by Mary Oliver: When death comes like the hungry bear in autumn; when death comes and takes all the bright coins from his purse to buy me, and snaps the purse shut; when death comes like the measle-pox when death comes like an iceberg... description [### Barbara Graham ](/remembrance-barbara-graham) Barbara Graham Sidney’s memory and recall were legendary. He never repeated himself, and his repertoire was boundless. Two instances: After a long day of University Library visiting committee sessions, he was descending the Widener Library front steps... description [### Malcolm Hamilton ](/remembrance-malcolm-hamilton) Malcolm Hamilton I recall that a consultant was engaged to “consult” about some now long-forgotten issue in the University Library. Part of his task was to interview the senior staff and come up with recommendations. Well, I sat with him for a half hour... description [### Jennifer Hochschild ](/remembrance-jennifer-hochschild) Jennifer Hochschild Soon after I arrived at Harvard, I was distressed about what I perceived to be an unfair criticism of me from a political science colleague. I mentioned it to Sid when I saw him in the hallway soon thereafter, and he immediately told... description [### Philip Jones ](/remembrance-philip-jones) Philip Jones I remember sharing a cab ride with Sidney at MPSA in 2006, when I was a new grad student. I was traveling to China for the first time the next morning, and told Sid. He let me talk about all the exciting things I was going to do for fifteen... description [### Jane Junn ](/remembrance-jane-junn) Jane Junn If I were to identify one thing about Sidney that I have tried to emulate it is how he treated others: everyone was deserving of respect and kindness. I experienced this first-hand from him. Indeed, he expressed it in his own hand, writing me... description [### Ira Katznelson ](/remembrance-ira-katznelson) Ira Katznelson Not many people of serious depth, rigorous thought, and normative purpose can light up life with such spirited and incisive humor, keen observations, and unforced warmth. Sid knew what matters. Everything for him, from the personal to the... description [### Robert Keohane ](/remembrance-robert-keohane) Robert Keohane A favorite Sid witticism: “Garbage is garbage but the history of garbage is social science.” description [### Jae-on Kim ](/remembrance-jae-kim) Jae-on Kim For me, Sid represented everything that is good in humanity and merit-based incentive system in the US. When Sid invited me as a co-principal investigator of the Cross-National Project, I was a graduate student at UC-Berkeley, with limited... description [### Casey Klofstad ](/remembrance-casey-klofstad) Casey Klofstad I think my best memory of Sid was when he and I had one of our first project meetings in his office in Littauer. I expressed concern that I didn't have any new ideas for research. His reply: "I don't have enough time to work on all of my... description [### Joseph LaPalombara ](/remembrance-joseph-lapalombara) Joseph LaPalombara Sidney Verba made a difference in my own life for many reasons. He was arguably the strongest member of the SSRC Committee on Comparative Politics, of which I was happy to be a member. To place Sidney at the level says a great deal... description [### Jane Mansbridge ](/remembrance-jane-mansbridge) Jane Mansbridge I asked Sid to read a draft of Beyond Adversary Democracy. I think it was because he had just left the University of Chicago and retained some fondness for it, and I had just arrived. I think I may have spoken with him about the questions... description [### Deanna Marcum ](/remembrance-deanna-marcum) Deanna Marcum As a founding director of the Commission on Preservation and Access, Sid was chosen by his peers to testify before Congress on the importance of saving our intellectual heritage. He had Congressman Sidney Yates, the committee chair, eating... description [### Meselu Mola ](/remembrance-meselu-mola) Meselu Mola When I met Sid for the first time I found him in the kitchen cooking dinner for his wife. As soon as I entered the kitchen to introduce myself he welcomed me with his wonderful smile. Since that day I vowed that I would help him with respect... description [### Eva Moseley ](/remembrance-eva-moseley) Eva Moseley Sidney composed this “Poem in Honor of Carolyn Morrow,” when she left the Harvard Library for marriage and California. What can we say about Carolyn Morrow? She's here today, she'll be gone tomorrow. The fact of her leaving makes us all... description - Previous page chevron\_left - [1](?page=0 "Current page") - [2](?page=1 "Go to page 2") - [ Next page chevron\_right ](?page=1 "Go to next page")