There is an unobtrusive bench tucked neatly into a
corner of Yale's Old Campus. Its purpose is to
honor of A. Bartlett Giamatti, the school’s former
beloved professor of English and master of Ezra
Stiles College, who left as the university's
president in 1986 to assume the same post in the
National League.
The South Hadley, MA native who would eventually
become the Commissioner of Major League Baseball,
knew of the honor, but died unexpectedtly in 1989
of a heart attack while vacationing at his home on
Martha's Vineyard before the completion of the
project. His sudden death occurred a mere 154 days
after assuming the baseball's top job, and just
eight days after banishing Pete Rose from the
national pastime.
This piece of modern art, completed in 1990 was a
collaborative effort between sculptor Jim Sardonis
and architect David Sellers. The semi-circular
structure, the first original piece of sculpture
allowed on campus in over a century, is made from
Virginia Mist granite. Quotes from Giamatti's
remarks about instruction and learning are
inscribed on the work. In an effort to capture the
relationship between students and teachers the
bench consists two pieces.
