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Gene
Bluestein
May 1, 1928 - August 21, 2002
The Fresno Bee
Editorial
Saturday, August 24,
2002
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The Bluestein Family performing
in Changsha, China in 1989. |
Professor's passions and talents
made many lives richer
Gene Bluestein's life was one of
those that defies easy categorization. English professor, musician,
folkorist, husband, father, social activist he was all
of those things, yet all of those neat little boxes put together
cannot contain the whole.
Bluestein's death Wednesday at the age
of 74, is a source of grief for many, but it also serves to remind
us of his life and his contributions.
He was a beloved English professor at Fresno
State, in part because of his inclusion of music in his literature
classes, which went against the grain of stratified academe.
He also brought an innovative artist-in-residence program to
the campus.
The use of music sprang from Bluestein's
conviction, as his son Evo put it, that "music and dance
and art are inseparable from life." They certainly were
for Bluestein and his family. And it's not possible to separate
Gene Bluestein from his family his wife, Ellie, and their
children, sons, Joel, Evo and Jemmy and daughter Frayda. All
of the children became accomplished musicians, and for years
they performed with their father for delighted Fresno audiences
in their annual Bluestein Family concerts.
The Bluestein family became famous as a
sort of headquarters for high-energy involvement with life. The
visiting artists stayed there during their semesters in Fresno,
and there was a constant stream of friends, family and activists
of every stripe, often lending the place an air of chaotic joy.
That was Gene Bluestein's environment, the perfect place for
a kind and gentle man brimming with passion for justice and life.
The
Bluestein Family (l-r:
Joel, Jemmy, Frayda, Evo and Gene with banjo)
in front of Tarpey Train Station, Friant, CA, circa 1964.
Photo: Gail Smalley
The Fresno Bee
Friday, August
23, 2002
Ex-Fresno State professor
Gene Bluestein dead at 74
By Mike Osegueda
To Evo Bluestein and his three siblings,
it seemed as if their father knew everything when they were growing
up.
They would ask him, in that way that kids do, "How do you
know?"
And Gene Bluestein would answer in French. "It is my job."
It was his job. As a teacher and as a scholar. As an activist
and as a man.
Learning, knowing and sharing, those were his jobs. too.
Gene Bluestein, a retired English professor at California State
University, Fresno, and a folk musician, died Wednesday. He was
74. He is survived by his wife, Ellie; his sons Evo, Jemmy and
Joel; his daughter, Frayda; and five grandchildren.
"In the end, every one of his systems broke down but his
mind," said Ellie Bluestein, his wife of 53 years. "He
was communicating with us until he was no longer conscious."
Over the years, Dr. Bluestein had two artificial bypass surgeries
and received two artificial heart valves. In more recent years,
his lungs became congested, making breathing more of a strain
on his heart. He also had a stroke and was diabetic.
"His body was all used up," Evo Bluestein said. "It
was done."
Gene Bluestein marched with Martin Luther
King Jr. and Cesar Chavez. He performed folk music with his family
in Japan in front of a group of dignitaries. He helped found
the Fresno Folklore Society. And he taught classes at Fresno
State in innovative ways.
Evo Bluestein, who is a musician, said, "I run into administrators
and teachers all over the Valley who tell me that he was the
best teacher they ever had in their university experience or
that he affected their lives so strongly. I hear that all the
time."
A memorial gathering is planned for Sept. 7 at Cynthia Merrill's
School of Performing Arts in Fresno. No other services are planned.
Jemmy Bluestein described his father as a "mensch,"
a Yiddish word that literally means "man'" but is used
to describe a person who is sensible, mature, nice and considerate
to other people.
Gene Bluestein, who was born and grew up in New York City, was
described as gentle and loving, but also feisty if he thought
something was unjust.
He fell in love with folk music when he was in college after
seeing musician Pete Seeger perform. He bought a banjo and mastered
it. He recorded four albums for Folkways Records.
"Music and dance and art are inseparable from life,"
Evo Bluestein said. "He believed that everybody should do
these things; they're not just extra things, they're part of
life it's not just for especially talented people."
Dr. Bluestein used this philosophy in the classroom. He came
to Fresno State in 1963 from Michigan State University to teach
American Literature, and he used music in his classes.
When he did, people in the music department protested, saying,
"Why is Bluestein using music? That's our job," as
Evo Bluestein remembers.
His father said, "Sue me," and kept doing it.
Dr. Bluestein taught in countries such as Finland, Japan and
China. He received the Distinguished Lecturer award from Fresno
State in 1974 and was a visiting professor at his alma mater,
Brooklyn College.
"He really was a great teacher," said Ellie Bluestein.
"He loved teaching. His greatest contribution is that all
over the area there are teachers who were influenced by his teaching.
And he was a teacher to his children as well."
And they followed in his footsteps, all playing music at one
time or another. They performed as a family, even made albums
and videos as a group, The Bluestein Family.
Jemmy Bluestein said one of his father's best traits was his
ability to understand people. He said there was a rule that went
along with this, one that his father made up called "Bluestein's
Law."
It said that, "Everybody is insecure and nobody gets enough
love."
"It really explains most of human behavior," Jemmy
Bluestein said. "When you really internalize Bluestein's
Law, you can be more sympathetic, even to people who are nasty
to you."
On Monday night, just as they did when they were younger and
their father would call them, the Bluestein children got together
in their father's hospital room and sang him a song.
It was a Yiddish song, the song that every Bluestein child played
at their weddings, the song that Gene and Ellie Bluestein played
when they were young and in love. It's called "Where Does
Love Come From?"
"He smiled and kissed our hands," Ellie Bluestein said.
"It was really a nice feeling. The kids didn't know if they
could do it because they were pretty emotional. But they did
it."
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