From left: C. Ronald Huff, Valerie Jenness and Daniel Stokols, all former deans of the School of Social Ecology.
Life of C. Ronald Huff Celebrated
By Mimi Ko Cruz
More than 100 family members and friends of C. Ronald Huff gathered on campus on June 8 to celebrate the life of the dean emeritus of the School of Social Ecology and professor emeritus of criminology, law and society. He died March 31 after battling pancreatic cancer. He was 73.
Authentic in his compassion and empathy for others was the resounding theme of speakers' descriptions of Huff at the UCI memorial.
After reciting a lengthy list of his scholarly and administrative accomplishments, Valerie Jenness, professor of criminology, law and society and former dean of the School of Social Ecology, said:
“What I think Ron would be most proud of is less tangible and more important: he strengthened a ‘culture of civility’ in our school, wherein faculty, staff, and students interact daily in an atmosphere of mutual respect and shared commitments. Ron fully understood that our daily doings and how we do them — with each other — ensured we could rise together. He made sure we understood that, too!
“We are indebted to Ron as a result of all he did on behalf of so many and on behalf of this institution. There’s probably not a person in the school who has not benefited in one way or another from Ron's administrative work.”
Huff was a mentor to Jenness, she said. When she was a department chair and he was the dean, Jenness said, “you could agree, disagree, engage in conflict and also collaborate to conspire — and it was all okay with Ron. … He was masterful at facilitating shared commitments and a sense of purpose to get the work done and advance the school and the campus. … Those of us who worked most closely with Ron knew that he knew it was not about him. It was about ‘us’ and the people we serve. One of the most important things I’ve learned from Ron as my administrative predecessor and mentor is simple and oh so important: make administrative decisions by seriously considering how each and every decision will impact people you serve. And, don’t forget that you are, indeed, serving others, not yourself.”
Aside from their professional relationship, Jenness and Huff shared the joy of laugher. They enjoyed going to late-night stand-up comedy shows, where they “laughed hard.” They watched one of their favorite comedians — Paula Poundstone — perform in Long Beach earlier this year. It was their last comedy outing together.
“In my last conversation with Ron, just days before he left us, I sensed I was going to lose my friend. And I did lose him; we all did,” she said. “His dying was not gentle, but then it wouldn’t be — not with all that humanity at stake. I miss him, and I was lucky to have known him, to have called him a friend, to have been witness to his way of being in the world, to be better off because of his way of being in the world. He enriched my life, as he did many lives. For that I am so very thankful.”
Huff’s friend and colleague Michael R. Gottfredson, Chancellor’s professor of criminology, law and society, shared that in their 40-year friendship, he was amazed at Huff’s ability to remember jokes and make people smile.
Gottfredson told about the time he and Huff were in Poland some 20 years ago. They wanted to see the cathedral in Krakow but couldn’t go in because a movie about Pope John II was being filmed. While they were outside, the actor playing the Pope, John Voigt, walked out.
“Ron stepped forward, introduced himself and said, ‘John, I’ve always enjoyed your acting,’ at which point, the pope turned to Ron and said, ‘bless you, my son,’ ” Gottfredson chuckled. “Ron turned to me and said, ‘well, at least I’ve got that going for me.’ ”
More than anything, Huff “always worked to enhance the quality of life for other people,” Gottfredson added. “He taught us a lot about collaboration and optimism. He played a lot of team sports and I’m sure that Ron would say, having lost one of our key players, ‘don’t worry. We’re a team with a very, very deep bench at this university, in friendship and in family. And, what a teammate does is expects that the next person will step up. The next person will move us forward. Ron would expect us to step up and fill the gap and play the role we should play.”
Huff, who earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Capital University in 1968, his Master of Social Work degree from the University of Michigan in 1970 and his Ph.D. in sociology from Ohio State University in 1974, was respected as a scholar and as an administrator. Internationally known for his work on gangs and miscarriages of justice, he wrote more than a dozen books and more than 100 journal articles on the subjects.
He was a Fellow of the American Society of Criminology and served as a consultant on gangs, youth violence and public policy to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, the F.B.I. National Academy, the U.S. Department of Justice and numerous other agencies and organizations.
Huff was dean of the School of Social Ecology from 1999 to 2009. During his tenure, 12 research centers were created, the number of undergraduate degrees more than doubled and the number of graduate degrees conferred tripled. In addition, the first online degree program approved by the University of California (the master of advanced study in criminology, law and society) was launched. Other programs also were approved, including the MPP (master of public policy) degree in partnership with the School of Social Sciences, and the B.A. and B.S. degrees in public health with health sciences, respectively. He was at the helm when the school received its first $1 million endowment, a gift from Martha and Jim Newkirk to support the Newkirk Center for Science and Society, a campus center based in our school. And, the school acquired space in two new buildings to accommodate its growth, complete with a state-of-the-art instructional computing lab.
During his deanship, Huff became known for asking three questions:
- What’s good for the school?
- What’s good for the university?
- What’s good for the public?
The questions guided his exceptional leadership, his colleagues said. And, they agreed, he also became known for his fundamental decency and his daily acts of kindness.
“When I think about Ron, my first thoughts are of how truly kind he was and how he loved to make people laugh,” said Susan Egan, retired assistant dean for the School of Social Ecology. “Okay, so, not all of his jokes got the laughs he anticipated, but his hope was to at least see you smile.
“I was lucky enough to be hired by Ron in 2001. I didn't realize at the time how blessed I was to be working for one of the finest human beings I've ever known,” she said. “As dean, Ron led the School with enormous integrity, enthusiasm, wisdom, and empathy. In my 30 years in different staff positions at UCI, Ron stands out as one of the greatest advocates for staff that I ever worked with. He not only listened to what staff had to say, he cared about what they said. He recognized their contributions to UCI and he valued the work they performed. Ron was certainly one of my strongest advocates. His encouragement and confidence in me not only impacted my career, but influenced me and my life in many wonderful ways. I will always be grateful to him for that.”
Friends said there was no mistaking which college football team was Huff’s favorite — Ohio State’s Buckeyes. He loved talking about his Buckeyes, but he loved talking about his family even more, Egan said.
“He would, with such joy, talk about his family every single day at work,” she said. “Seriously, every single day, except maybe on Mondays during football season when it was all about the Buckeyes. But, certainly on every other day that I was so blessed to work with this incredibly wonderful man. His family should take comfort in knowing that they were his everything.”
The magic of Huff, his son-in-law Michael Connor said, was that he saw the best in everyone and he warmly welcomed him to the family.
While they lived 1,000 miles away, Huff always made a facetime call every Sunday morning at 9 a.m. and spent hours talking to his grandchildren.
Huff’s daughter Tamara Connor said her father always put other people’s needs before his own, “always choosing what was right over what was popular.”
She called him a truly beautiful and generous soul and she shared stories about his youth and told how highly he valued higher education.
“Dad was born into a blue collar family in Kentucky. He was the star football player of his high school team. He played his heart out and landed a college scholarship. He was the first person in his family to go to college,” she said. “He didn’t want to live paycheck-to-paycheck like his family and so many around him. He was willing to work hard to accomplish his goals. Dad knew he had to show up, do the hard work and never give up. These are the traits I’ve taken to heart in my own life, living by his example every day, always giving 100 percent like my father.”
Huff is survived by his wife of 51 years Patricia Huff, daughters Tamara Connor and Tiffany Huff and granddaughters Skylar and Hazel.
The Huff Family has designated the National Registry of Exonerations for memorial contributions. You can give online or donate by check or money order (please do not send cash). Print a gift form and mail to UC Irvine along with your check or money order. Under comments, designate the National Registry of Exonerations Fund for Excellence and In Memory of Ron Huff.
Mail to:
UC Irvine Gift Administration
University Advancement
100 Theory, Suite 250
Irvine, CA 92617
Please share a memory of Ron or message to his family.