Gerald Koff

Gerald L. 'Skip' Koff
of New Franklin died Tuesday evening in St. Luke Lutheran Community of Portage Lakes. Skip Koff was born as Gerald Koff Jan. 4, 1939 to Herbert and Janet Koff in Philadelphia.
He is survived by a sister, Carol (Marvin) Freed; and his cat, Zonker.
Skip came from a business-oriented family. His father was a fishmonger, and later perfected the frozen waffle. Yale had no business major when Skip attended, so he majored in economics, later acquiring a Ph.D. from the Medical College of Pennsylvania.
His early career included a stint in a high-end Philadelphia audio shop, where Skip developed a theory of the ideal listening room: a large, angular space with few hard surfaces to free the sound and minimize reverberation. He also worked for a major pharmaceutical firm, but tried his hand at teaching and realized he belonged in a college classroom.
He came to Walsh College in 1988 and set up housekeeping in an A-Frame on Meyers Lake. His dress was preppie thrift-store chic, collar turned up, but his mind was always focused on more important matters. He taught psychology, mostly to non-majors, so he knew he had to make it appealing. He did this with sign-in sheets students embellished with graphics, news stories that illustrated theories and principles, and an ongoing search for techniques that would animate students.
His teaching emphasized critical analysis based on facts which the media often overlooked. His most important achievement was 'the relationship I developed with my students.' He did not limit his office hours, often spending most of his weekend available for drop-ins. Students often found their way to him. Some say he was the reason they made it to graduation. He was awarded 'Outstanding Educator' by a vote of graduating seniors in 1994. Cars, tennis and stereos filled his leisure hours. He spent years reshaping a Dodge Charger into his red Sciacalla, an Italian sports car look-alike. His usual ride was the 'Peacemobile,' a land yacht painted with psychedelic colors, bright graphics, peace slogans and quotes from Mr. Natural. His stereo? In a typical raised ranch on two acres in New Franklin, he took a sledge hammer to the interior walls to create his ideal listening room, then carefully assembled a system with speakers from Greece and French vacuum tube amplifiers. His preference in sound was analog, not digital. It was purer and truer—like himself.
A celebration of life will occur at a later date. Memorials may be made to Walsh University for student scholarships or the Nation Institute of New York. The Wackerly Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Personal condolences are invited on line at:
www.wackerlyfuneralhome.com
(Wackerly 330 455-5235)