'U' prof. honored by Legislature

By Paul Berg
Daily Staff Reporter

History Prof. Sidney Fine, who has taught University students for a half-century, was honored by the Michigan state Legislature on Friday for his contribution to higher education in the state.

State Sen. John Schwarz (R-Battle Creek) presented a proclamation to Fine during his History 466 lecture, in Angell Hall Auditorium A, praising his 50 years of teaching at the University. It was signed by Gov. John Engler and members of the state Legislature.

"He is a superb teacher and a gentleman," Schwarz said yesterday.

University President Lee Bollinger also spoke briefly at the ceremony, after which Fine started his lecture.

Schwarz, a University graduate with a degree in history, first encountered Fine when the senator was a student in the 1950s. He said he recommended Fine's class to his daughter, also a history major, who is taking Fine's class this semester.

"I've had perhaps two dozen students whose parents were also in my classroom," Fine said.

University Regent Laurence Deitch (D-Bloomfield Hills) and his daughters are another example of Fine's long-standing influence.

"I attended his class last Friday, and he had just as much excitement as he did 30 years ago," said Deitch, who took two classes taught by Fine in the 1960s.

"One of my daughters is majoring in history and is in his class now. My older daughter has gone on to law school, but she also took a class with Sidney - both on my recommendation," Deitch said.

Deitch said Fine has a way of relating history to current events, putting them in a significant context for students.

"On Friday, he spoke about the muckraker journalists of the 1930s, and made analogies with the present Clinton situation," Deitch said. "He has a way of using the past to help understand the present."

"Sidney is the best lecturer I've had the pleasure of listening to," said LSA junior Matt Wattenbarger, who has taken two of Fine's classes and attended the ceremony Friday. "The extent to which he has studied his lecture topics is phenomenal. You can tell he has a real emotional connection to the events, because he has lived them."

Fine began his career here in 1948, right after receiving a Ph.D. in history from the University.

After teaching history for 50 years, he said it is not hard to maintain a love for the subject.

"History is a constantly changing field, because the literature has become much better," he said. "We now have extensive literature on minorities, for example, that we didn't have before."

Public Act 11, an amendment to the Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights Act of 1991, has come to be known as the "Sidney Fine Law," and was sponsored by Schwarz.

The bill abolished mandatory retirement for public and private college faculty in the state of Michigan, putting a stop to the University's policy of forced retirement before the age of 70.

Fine plans to retire in three years, when he turns 80.

"I could have left earlier to focus on research, but I love teaching," he said. "I've had opportunities to leave, but I like it here. I love the University, the students, the faculty and the amazing research facilities. My family has been happy here."

Fine's 11th book goes to press this week.

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