ANN ARBOR—Edward Stasheff, a University of Michigan professor emeritus known to students as “Prof,” died Aug. 3 at a hospice here. He was 93. Stasheff taught courses in radio, television and education in 1952-1977. The long-time U-M professor once had a television studio in the Frieze Building and a Department of Communication Studies lecture named after him. Despite retiring in 1977, he still taught part-time at U-M and in the Middle East until 1983. Hazen Schumacher, a former U-M director of broadcasting and colleague of Stasheff, said his friend was “incredibly energetic, incredibly funny and sharp.” Stasheff often joked with his students; many of them affectionately called him “Prof.” “He always used puns with his students,” Schumacher said. “For example, he said ‘Radio is an archaic medium, but we can’t have our cake and eat it too.'” Before coming to Ann Arbor, Stasheff worked in educational and commercial television for the CBS and ABC networks in New York City. He ended his commercial career in 1952 by directing the ABC series, “I Cover Times Square.” During leaves from U-M, Stasheff served as a program associate for the National Educational Television and later traveled to Israel to help the nation establish a television service. Stasheff, born in New York City in 1909, earned his B.A. and M.A. degrees from Columbia University. In 1968, he received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Eastern Michigan University. He wrote or co-authored five books and more than 50 articles. He is survived by his four children, James D. (Ann) Stasheff, Lansdale, Pa; Sonia “Sunny” (Robert) Sutch, Jackson, Mich.; Sheridan “Sherry” (Eric) Warden, Ann Arbor, Mich.; and Christopher B. (Mary) Stasheff, Champaign, Ill. Thirteen grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren also survive him. Memorial contributions may be made to Arbor Hospice, 2366 Oak Valley Dr., Ann Arbor, 48103 or to St. Mary’s Student Parish, 331 Thompson, Ann Arbor, 48104.

 

Columbia University