January 25, 2017 The Signal page 3
Loss / Professor’s passing leaves impression
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could tell how devoted he was to them. “It was so nice to get to know Dr. Winston outside of the academic sphere,” Palacio said. “Not only was he a great scholar, teacher and humanitarian, but he was a loving husband and father.” Palacio was a student in Winston’s ethics class and recalls how passionate her professor was about the subject. “He made me realize that the issues we are fighting in this world are put on by us, and we need to work together to sort out the troubles of this world in order to make a better tomorrow,” Palacio said. Rabbi Akiva Greenbaum, an adjunct professor in philosophy, religion and classical studies and Chabad rabbi at the College, developed a great relationship with Winston and was upset to hear of his passing. Winston was both a neighbor and a close friend who was often invited to the Rabbi’s house for dinner and conversation. “Mort Winston or ‘Mordechai’ as he referred to himself when he came to Chabad events, was a TCNJ legend, my personal mentor and a proud Jew,” Greenbaum said. “He has joined Chabad for Shabbat meals and services, holiday programs and even came to the recent bris of my son.” Greenbaum described how proud Winston was of his Jewish heritage, particularly the religion’s focus on ethics and morality. “We grew very close and would often have deep theological, philosophical conversations,” Greenbaum said. “We are thinking about and praying for his wife Sally, his children and friends at this difficult time.” Greenbaum added that he would like to plan something in Winston’s honor in order to keep his memory alive. Emyr Dakin, an adjunct professor in philosophy, religion and classical studies, had not been at the College long when he developed a close bond with Winston. “It wasn’t too long ago that I popped my head around Professor Winston’s office door to introduce myself,” Dakin said. “I immediately felt that he was someone that
I could get on with.” Winston had invited him into his office to chat. The picture on Winston’s wall called “The Mask of Agamemnon,” an ancient artifact from the Mycenaean Age, sparked a conversation between the two scholars that Dakin still remembers fondly today. “This is the man I briefly knew,” Dakin said. “Deeply intelligent, yet very warm and sharing. A great loss to students, colleagues and friends.” Winston was both a friend and a scholar. According to Muha’s email, his scholarship included his membership of the editorial boards of two leading human rights journals, Human Rights Quarterly and the Journal of Human Rights. He is the author of many published works — his work has been cited 988 times to date — and he edited a renowned textbook on the philosophy of human rights in 1989. Winston was also an avid human rights activist. Winston led the South Africa Country Group for Amnesty International USA, an organization that exposes and prevents human rights abuses, in the late 1980s, according to Muha’s email. He also founded their Business and Human Rights program, which works on holding different companies across multiple nations accountable for human rights. In a statement by Amnesty International, Board Chair Ann Burroughs said the organization is deeply indebted to him for his contributions to the movement. The organization described him as a passionate advocate of human rights, unable to stay silent in the face of injustice. In 1999, according to the email released, Winston also served as part of Social Accountability International, which ensured the rights of people in the workplace. He was in the midst of his third year as chair of the Board of Directors for Social Accountability Accreditation Services. In 2007, he chaired the Danish Institute of Human Rights in Copenhagen and received a scholarship for his successes there as well as in South Africa in 1992 and Thailand in 1999. Consuelo Preti, a professor of philosophy, religion and classical studies at the
College, appreciated Winston’s dedication to justice and good will. “Winston was always very real. He wasn’t afraid to speak his mind or stand up for what he believed in, and he was passionate about social justice,” Preti said. She recalled her first and favorite memory of him, when he was interviewing her for her job here at the College. “The question he asked me was the best one that I’ve ever gotten in an interview: ‘What was the worst experience you have had in the classroom teaching philosophy? Why, and what did you do about it?’ I had to stop and think about it,” she said. “It made the interview process so much more real and interesting.” Amidst all of his accomplishments, Preti said she would miss the little things about him. “His office was right next to mine, and the thing I think I will miss the most is the sound of his laugh whenever we talked about something funny,” Preti said.
Melinda Roberts, a philosophy professor, shared a fond memory of her colleague. Winston offered her suggestions of ways to improve an informal presentation she had given. His suggestion really made Roberts think critically about not just her presentation, but the philosophy behind it. During her presentation on WWII, Roberts made a statement saying that had the war never taken place, neither she nor Winston would have existed. Winston corrected her statement by suggesting she say that had the war not taken place, “then very probably Mort and I would never have existed,” she said. That correction set her thinking deeply about the probability of her and Winston’s existence. “Mort’s insistence on precision — and perhaps his own deep understanding of the problem I was trying to analyze — led him to ask me the right question at the right time,” Roberts said. “ And he often did that, far more often than almost anyone else I know.”
Photo courtesy of Richard Glazer
Greenbaum (second from left) remembers Winston fondly.
College club president earns prestigious honor By Vanessa Rutigliano Correspondent
Joseph Salamone, a junior self-designed major focusing on innovation and entrepreneurship, received the Degree of Chevalier by the Order of DeMolay International on Jan. 14. Salamone is the co-founder and president of the Entrepreneurship Club at the College and has been involved with DeMolay, a youth leadership organization, since the eighth grade. The Degree of Chevalier, which is the highest honor that can be given to active members of DeMolay, is awarded for outstanding activity and work for DeMolay. “I honestly did not expect to receive this honor, and I am humbled that I did,” Salamone said. “Since I joined DeMolay, I have gone through life trying my best to represent who a DeMolay is and what we stand for.” The degree cannot be applied for and nominations are made by a unanimous vote of DeMolay’s International Supreme Court. Salamone has been involved in entrepreneurial endeavors since middle school with projects ranging from painting garage floors to selling hologram bracelets meant to improve athletic ability called Power Balance Bracelets and Flip Up shirts, which spell out phrases when folded the right way. Finding no entrepreneurial outlets at the College, he decided to get more involved on campus by co-founding and later becoming president of the Entrepreneurship Club. As president, Salamone takes his responsibilities for the club seriously and makes it his goal to get to know each member. “In addition to running and planning our club and executive board (eboard) meetings, I push the (club’s) eboard to do what they want and think is best for the club,” Salamone said. As Salamone said in his acceptance speech after receiving
the Degree of Chevalier, he has been able to use the skills and experiences gained through his involvement in DeMolay to better serve as president of the Entrepreneurship Club. “These skills gained from DeMolay have impacted me as a leader by giving me the confidence and knowledge to be my own person and do what I set my mind to,” Salamone said. “It gave me the skills needed to co-found and
grow the club. I believe younger DeMolays look up to me for this.” Alongside supporting Salamone in receiving his award were two of the executive board members from the Entrepreneurship Club, Greg Vaks, a networker and a junior finance and computer science double major, and D.J. Kleinbard, a marketer and a junior marketing major.
Photo courtesy of Dean Hoffman
Vaks (left), Salamone (center) and Kleinbard (right) are members of the Entrepreneurship Club.