Legacy for Dr.Selig Adler
This portrait is a compilation of my personal memories integrated with tributes by Dr. Milton Plesur and Morris Rombro in the 1980’s.
My father was born in Baltimore Maryland in 1909 to a German immigrant, Joseph Gabriel Adler and Buffalo native Della Rubenstein Adler. He had one sibling, Louis W. Adler born in 1910. The family lived in Baltimore until Joseph’s untimely death in 1925. Della then returned to Buffalo with her sons, where she resided until her death in 1975. My father attended the University at Buffalo where he majored in history, graduating with the highest honors in 1931. He received a fellowship for graduate study at the University of Illinois, where he completed all requirements for a Masters and Doctorate in History in less than three years.
After returning to Buffalo during the Great Depression, he taught primarily at the high school level until a permanent position became available at the University after World War. He married Janet Sukernek in 1936. My older sister Ellen was born in 1939, followed by my birth in 1944.
Dad’s closest associate in the History Department, Dr. Milton Plesur, noted that my father was particularly proud of his large college classes because he regarded himself primarily as a teacher rather than as an author. His students often recalled “His unfolding of history with great humor, his unrivaled description of character and personality . . . . without forgetting the essential facts.” My father’s accomplishments as both a teacher and published scholar in his field of American history were rewarded with steady promotions. In 1975 he was selected as a Distinguished Service Professor, one of several receiving this new distinction from the State University.
Many local residents are most familiar with one of his books, From Ararat to Suburbia: The History of the Jewish Community of Buffalo. He also authored several other publications including the well -received Isolationist Impulse. In addition to his writing and teaching, he lectured widely at synagogues, professional conferences and civic groups.
In the late 1940’s, our family moved from an older neighborhood to the thriving Jewish community in the North Park area of North Buffalo. Both of our parents were Jewish educators and wanted us to have a modern Jewish education, which brought us to Temple Emanu-El. In addition to a large Hebrew school there was a Junior Congregation which met weekly, as well as several active youth groups.
My father soon became active in the weekly religious activities of the Congregation. For many years, he served as a Gabbai during the Shabbat morning Torah reading. In addition, he was a fluent Torah reader and always read on the High Holidays and at other times as needed. In 1953, my father was partially instrumental in bringing Rabbi Isaac Klein and his family to Buffalo.
The Klein and Adler families enjoyed many years of friendship and shared a traditional outlook on Conservative Judaism.
In closing, many family members, former students and friends fondly recall his warmth, sense of humor and acts of kindness. He was proud of his five grandchildren and delighted in entertaining them with age-appropriate stories.
Joseph Gary Adler, Ph.D