Joan S Beren

is honored with a Large Bench from Adam and Ellen Beren, Amy and Robert Bressman, Dr. Larry Jefferson and Nancy Beren, and Marc and Julie Platt.

In the Talmud, we learn that Rab Joseph, upon hearing the approaching step of his mother, would say: "I must stand up, for the Shekhinah (the Special Spirit) enters." To us, her children and grandchildren who dedicated this bench in her name, on her birthday, August 16, 1998, she is that special spirit. Dedicating her life to us and to making a difference in the lives of so many, our mother has served as an inspiration and an example of how to live a life with integrity, grace and dignity.

Joan Paula Schiff was born in Columbus, OH in 1929. She was educated at the Columbus School for Girls, and Wellesley College where she received a B. A. in Economics in 1951 and at Wichita State University (WSU) where in 1983 she was awarded a Master's Degree in Liberal Studies.

While raising her four "only" children and being an integral part of their every activity, she also focused energies on taking leadership positions at the Wichita Hebrew Congregation, the League of Women Voters and the Jewish Federation. When her last child left for college, she pursued her Masters degree. She showed us all that curiosity of the mind is always to be nurtured and treasured. To this day, her night table is piled high with books she is reading today and the ones she cannot wait to read tomorrow.

In each position of leadership, Joan has brought the special qualities of creativity, thoroughness, and the great ability to accomplish the task at hand while always maintaining a perspective of the greater goal. She advocates positions she believes in through the political process. She has taken great joy in serving as Vice President of the Community Council of Women's Studies, WSU; being a member of the Board of Governors of the WSU Endowment Association Art Committee; working as a member of the Board of Directors, Friends of Cedar Crest Association; and serving as Hebrew Congregation Sisterhood President. A special pleasure has been teaching in the Wichita Hebrew Congregation Religious School and being an art specialist in the Wichita public school system. Joan is also serving her second term as a member of the Board of Trustees of WSU.

Her myriad of leadership roles has given Joan great satisfaction and she has been recognized with two prestigious awards: the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Mid-Kansas Jewish Federation and the Wichita/Sedgwick County Arts and Humanities Council's Gordon W. Evans Award.

Giving of her time to these and many other important endeavors continually sets an example for us of how to take responsibility for yourself, your family, your community and the Jewish people, thereby giving life a greater meaning.

The example of how to live one's life is not merely reflected in Joan's activities and responsibilities, our mother has shown us how to make the most of each day. She seeks out life's great adventures, whether it be seizing the moment to take her four small children to see the Beatles in St. Louis, traveling to the Olympics, cheering on local and national sports teams, spending summers in Israel, or knowing the latest joke on the Jay Leno Show, she lives life experiencing its richness and fullness. When we speak to her on the telephone, we know we can count on her for guidance, and empathy as well as intense interest in every detail of our lives and that of our children's.

By inscribing the name of Joan Schiff Beren, our mother, we are reminded of the proverb: a good name is more desirable than great riches, a good reputation than silver or gold. With honor, respect and love, we dedicate this bench to our own heroine, our mother and grandmother to our children.

Submitted by Nancy T. Beren and Larry Jefferson, Amy and Robert Bressman, Julie and Marc Platt and Adam and Ellen Beren and with special love from William, Samantha, Theodore, Irene, Elizabeth, Jonah, Ethel, Alexander, Hannah, Benjamin, Sophie and Samuel.

September 16, 1998