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From: Presidents Office <presidents-office@cca.edu>
Date: Fri, 19 Nov 2021 10:52:01 -0800
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Subject: [All Faculty] Remembering Steve Ajay, CCA professor emeritus
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Dear Faculty and Staff,

I write with sadness to share news of the passing of Professor Emeritus
Stephen Ajay, founding chair of CCA=E2=80=99s Writing and Literature progra=
m, and a
beloved teacher and mentor to generations of CCAC and CCA students. He was
78.

Steve joined the CCAC faculty in 1967 and taught here until 2014=E2=80=94bu=
ilding a
47-year legacy of mentorship, friendship, and inspiration that touched
students, faculty colleagues, and staff alike. He was one of the first
people who welcomed me to CCAC 24 years ago, and his warmth and compassion
were qualities I could always rely on whenever I had an opportunity to meet
with him. He brought these same qualities to the classroom, where he
relished his role as a writer among artists, often teaching with faculty
beyond Humanities and Sciences, in painting or sculpture. He was a guiding
spirit to artists and writers alike.

In a note to Steve=E2=80=99s friends and colleagues following his passing,
professor Emeritus John Laskey, the founding chair of CCA=E2=80=99s MFA Wri=
ting
program and Steve=E2=80=99s close friend, wrote, =E2=80=9CIn a lifetime of =
poems Steve
wrote of the meanings and emotions that visit each of us daily but that we
fail to recognize or are unable to express. To read one of his poems is not
to forget it.=E2=80=9D He included Steve=E2=80=99s final poem, written a fe=
w days before he
died. I=E2=80=99m honored to share it here with you.

In the Mirror

Our

vanity

in the face

of infinity

is the

something

to behold

To have known Steve is not to forget him, and those of us who knew him are
fortunate indeed. My thoughts and condolences are with all those in our
community who knew him as a friend, colleague, and mentor, and especially
with his family=E2=80=94his wife Anne; daughter Sybil; daughter Lael, an al=
um of
CCA=E2=80=99s Textiles program; and grandson Lucas.

Sincerely,

Steve

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<div dir=3D"ltr"><span id=3D"gmail-docs-internal-guid-9ea480ce-7fff-6afc-7d=
5e-85eff9ef1e6e"><font face=3D"arial, sans-serif" color=3D"#000000"><p dir=
=3D"ltr" style=3D"line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span =
style=3D"background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-vari=
ant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Dear Fa=
culty and Staff,</span></p><br><p dir=3D"ltr" style=3D"line-height:1.38;mar=
gin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style=3D"background-color:transparent;=
font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:b=
aseline;white-space:pre-wrap">I write with sadness to share news of the pas=
sing of Professor Emeritus Stephen Ajay, founding chair of CCA=E2=80=99s Wr=
iting and Literature program, and a beloved teacher and mentor to generatio=
ns of CCAC and CCA students. He was 78.</span></p><br><p dir=3D"ltr" style=
=3D"line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style=3D"backg=
round-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian=
:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Steve joined the CCAC=
 faculty in 1967 and taught here until 2014=E2=80=94building a 47-year lega=
cy of mentorship, friendship, and inspiration that touched students, facult=
y colleagues, and staff alike. He was one of the first people who welcomed =
me to CCAC 24 years ago, and his warmth and compassion were qualities I cou=
ld always rely on whenever I had an opportunity to meet with him. He brough=
t these same qualities to the classroom, where he relished his role as a wr=
iter among artists, often teaching with faculty beyond Humanities and Scien=
ces, in painting or sculpture. He was a guiding spirit to artists and write=
rs alike.=C2=A0</span></p><br><p dir=3D"ltr" style=3D"line-height:1.38;marg=
in-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style=3D"background-color:transparent;f=
ont-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:ba=
seline;white-space:pre-wrap">In a note to Steve=E2=80=99s friends and colle=
agues following his passing, professor Emeritus John Laskey, the founding c=
hair of CCA=E2=80=99s MFA Writing program and Steve=E2=80=99s close friend,=
 wrote, =E2=80=9CIn a lifetime of poems Steve wrote of the meanings and emo=
tions that visit each of us daily but that we fail to recognize or are unab=
le to express. To read one of his poems is not to forget it.=E2=80=9D He in=
cluded Steve=E2=80=99s final poem, written a few days before he died. I=E2=
=80=99m honored to share it here with you.</span></p><br><p dir=3D"ltr" sty=
le=3D"line-height:1.38;margin-left:36pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><=
span style=3D"background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font=
-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">In=
 the Mirror</span></p><br><p dir=3D"ltr" style=3D"line-height:1.38;margin-l=
eft:36pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style=3D"background-color:=
transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vert=
ical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Our</span></p><p dir=3D"ltr" styl=
e=3D"line-height:1.38;margin-left:36pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><s=
pan style=3D"background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-=
variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">van=
ity</span></p><p dir=3D"ltr" style=3D"line-height:1.38;margin-left:36pt;mar=
gin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style=3D"background-color:transparent;=
font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:b=
aseline;white-space:pre-wrap">in the face</span></p><p dir=3D"ltr" style=3D=
"line-height:1.38;margin-left:36pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span =
style=3D"background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-vari=
ant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">of infi=
nity</span></p><br><p dir=3D"ltr" style=3D"line-height:1.38;margin-left:36p=
t;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style=3D"background-color:transpa=
rent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-al=
ign:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">is the</span></p><p dir=3D"ltr" style=3D=
"line-height:1.38;margin-left:36pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span =
style=3D"background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-vari=
ant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">somethi=
ng</span></p><p dir=3D"ltr" style=3D"line-height:1.38;margin-left:36pt;marg=
in-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style=3D"background-color:transparent;f=
ont-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:ba=
seline;white-space:pre-wrap">to behold</span></p><br><p dir=3D"ltr" style=
=3D"line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style=3D"backg=
round-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian=
:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">To have known Steve i=
s not to forget him, and those of us who knew him are fortunate indeed. My =
thoughts and condolences are with all those in our community who knew him a=
s a friend, colleague, and mentor, and especially with his family=E2=80=94h=
is wife Anne; daughter Sybil; daughter Lael, an alum of CCA=E2=80=99s Texti=
les program; and grandson Lucas.</span></p><br><p dir=3D"ltr" style=3D"line=
-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style=3D"background-co=
lor:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;=
vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Sincerely,</span></p><br><p d=
ir=3D"ltr" style=3D"line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><spa=
n style=3D"background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-va=
riant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Steve=
</span></p></font></span></div>

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