From riding thousands of miles on his bike each year to spending hours helping students in his office, Syracuse University professor Fred Easton lived his life dedicated to his passions, those close to him said.

Easton, a professor in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, died in June. He was 68.

Until his cancer diagnosis in May, Easton appeared healthy, maintaining a fitness regimen that included bicycling about 1,500 miles per year, said Jennifer Easton, his daughter. Jennifer said he knew everything about cycling and bicycles. He knew a little bit about everything, she said.

“He was like this Wizard of Oz figure. He was so smart and always had an answer,” she said. “He was such a great life mentor. … Whenever I asked him for his perspective on something he had the best advice.”

Easton biked about 1,500 miles per year, his daughter said. Courtesy of Jennifer Easton

This wisdom is what she and her sister Kathryne said they will miss most about their father. His endless knowledge, his ability to be the smartest in the room and his constant willingness to offer advice are some of the things they, and several of his Whitman colleagues, remembered about him.

“The thing I miss the most about my father Fred is his mind. … He had answers to questions you hadn’t even thought of yet, and he was so patient and ecstatic to explain things to us,” Kathryne said in an email. “He spent a lifetime gathering knowledge about just about everything, and he was so happy to spread that knowledge to others.”

Many remember his 1967 Volkswagen Beetle, which Jennifer said he treated like his “third child.”

Others remember Easton for his outgoing demeanor and positivity. Even in his last month of life, Jennifer said he remained positive.

Jennifer said the family — Easton, his wife Sally Jo and their daughters — would go on family camping trips, an interest Easton learned growing up in California. Though he was born in Ontario, he grew up primarily in Michigan and then later in California. Some Whitman professors said he brought his “West Coast energy” with him when he moved to Syracuse back in 1986.

(From left) Jennifer, Easton, Kathryne and Sally Jo at a triathlon the family competed in annually. Courtesy of Jennifer Easton

Easton spent decades at Whitman teaching supply chain management, advancing research in operations and labor scheduling and acting as the director of the Robert H. Brethen Operations Management Institute at Whitman.

Peter Koveos, a finance professor in Whitman, said Easton was a man who was always joking. Sometimes they would both be in the office on a Saturday or Sunday morning, and he’d make a facetious comment about how they “don’t have lives.” Koveos said that was just Easton’s dedication.

“I don’t think there was anybody in this building or anyplace that didn’t respect Fred,” Koveos said. “He was the consummate teacher, very much involved with his students. He would spend hours working with students individually. The old saying ‘a gentleman and a scholar’ I think applied to him very appropriately.”

One of his colleagues, Michel Benaroch, Whitman’s associate dean for research and Ph.D. programs, said Easton would get his annual budget for the center and spend it down to the penny on useful causes that benefited students and faculty.

Using the donor’s money responsibly was part of Easton’s integrity, Benaroch said. He described Easton as one of the most sensitive people he knew in the 25 years they were colleagues.

“In his heart it’s like he continued to be the same young person,” Benaroch said. “We used to have departmental picnics and we’d play volleyball, and he’d play volleyball like he was one of the gang.”

“Classic Dad,” Jennifer said when she heard the story about her father playing volleyball in his mid-50s.

Many faculty members said Easton always went out of his way to help people. Jennifer said her father sometimes even invited students who couldn’t go home for the holidays to spend Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas at their home. She said she remembers cutting down a Christmas tree with one of his students one year.

Jennifer said that she and Kathryne refer to their father as their “North Star.” They said he remained dedicated to his research throughout his life as “an eternal student.”

“He instilled a wonderful gift in my sister and I,” Kathryne said. “That was to never stop asking questions, to challenge the status quo and to remain open to the infinite possibilities of our own minds.”

Published on August 2, 2018 at 9:38 am

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