HENRY GRAFF

When I got an honorary doctorate at Columbia he called me and said "Trachtenberg this is the big leagues." I cried. As I do now. He was a special friend for more than half a century. A North Star who defined professor for me my entire career. We will not see his like again.

A wonderful, warm presence. Irrepressibly cheerful., always amusing and entertaining. A great friend of Jacques Barzun who delighted in his company. A long membership at The Century where his presence will be sorely missed.

So glad to have met you, read you, heard you. R.I.P.

It's hard to be too lavish in praise of Henry Graff. He was the embodiment of the phrase "a gentleman and a scholar." Hank was both an intellectual and a pragmatist. His vast knowledge was exceeded only by his wisdom and his kindness.
My sincerest condolences to Iris, to Ellen, and to the rest of the family.
Harvey Shore

As a Columbia College undergraduate from 1954 to 1958, it was my honor and privilege to be a student in Professor Graff's class. I was a government and history major who thoroughly enjoyed his class. Professor Graff was always intellectually stimulating, friendly, and personally interested in each of his students. At a time when I was fortunate enough to study with the likes of Mark Van Doren and Lionel Trilling, Professor Graff set me on an intellectual and career path that led me to law...