Eli Jaffe
OBITUARY: ELI JAFFEEli Jaffe, 88, died Saturday, September 22 at St. Francis Hospital in Hyde Park. A long-time resident of Hyde Park, he was a writer, public relations director and peace activist.
He was born in Brooklyn, NY, and graduated from Brooklyn College in 1936, where he was president of the Men’s Student Council, VP of the American Student Union, and college correspondent for the New York Times.
From 1938-1941, he was an organizer for the Oklahoma Workers Alliance. This experience became the basis for OKLAHOMA ODYSSEY, an account of these years including his trial and acquittal in the noted Oklahoma Criminal Syndicalism cases. Other writing include TEN BRAVE YEARS (a history of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine), FROM THESE HONORED DEAD (a play), and numerous short stories, plays, novels, and speeches. The Eli Jaffe Collection containing his writing and memorabilia has been established at the Western History Archives at the University of Oklahoma, Norman.
He served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps from 1944-46, where he was News Editor of Maptalk.
He worked as a Director of Public Relations and Development for charitable institutions including Mount Sinai Medical Center and Vassar Brothers Hospital in Poughkeepsie. He was National Director of Public Relations for the Eleanor Roosevelt Foundation, where he worked with Chairman Adlai Stevenson. In his retirement he taught creative writing classes at the Center for Lifetime Studies centered at Marist College.
He was Unitarian and Rotarian, having served as President of the Rotary club of Poughkeepsie from 1985-6. He was a life-long peace activist and Founding President of the Eleanor Roosevelt Chapter of Veterans For Peace. He made many speeches in local groups as well as writing letters to the editor in his quest for world peace. On September 16, 2001, he made a speech to the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Poughkeepsie, about the current situation. His words were, "I have dedicated my life to fighting the war-makers in my own country, to make sure ours could truly be: America the beautiful!"
His is survived by his wife, Wilma of Hyde Park, daughters Alice Unger of Pacific Palisades, California, Bonnie Sita of Oakland, California, son Charles Jaffe of Cold Spring, NY, two grandchildren. He was predeceased by his son, Paul.
There will be no funeral as he left his body to Mt. Sinai School of Medicine. A memorial Service celebrating his life will be held Sunday, November 11, at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Poughkeepsie.