This is a tough loss especially for folks who were close to Sy. I spoke to his
dear and loyal friend Joe Giunta today and he is taking this very hard.
Coincidentally, I had spoken to Joe on the 7th, as I was curious to know if Sy
had seen the other SNCBC (Southern Nassau Christmas Bird Count) Spotted Towhee
record which was in 1956. Joe did follow up for me with a phone call to Sy but
sadly never heard back from him.
If I am right, I think Sy was a member of the Jones Beach Boys. While I did not
roll with them, I was always impressed with the camaraderie and closeness of
the group consisting of Sy, Joe Giunta, Sam Janazzo and Pat Jones (forgive me
if I am missing any others). I had the privilege of doing one of my early
Adirondack trips as a birding rookie with the group and it was a trip filled
with lots of laughter and good birds, many of them lifers. If Sam Janazzo reads
this he will likely chuckle at the memories.
My heartfelt condolences to Sy’s family and friends. I will be thinking of him
this evening and remembering his gentleman behavior. The man known to many as
“the Dean” will be sincerely missed for his soft mannerism and his ability to
wax philosophically about practically anything.
As I have said before on this list serve. We are in some tough times and
contact is important for a lot of people. Reach out and check in on people that
you know.
Cheers,
--------
“Tenderness and Kindness are not signs of weakness and despair but
manifestations of strength and resolution” ~ Khalil Gibran
"I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of
others, rather than to be false, and to incur my own abhorrence." ~ Frederick
Douglass
風 Swift as the wind
林 Quiet as the forest
火 Conquer like the fire
山 Steady as the mountain
Sun Tzu The Art of War
> (\__/)
> (= '.'=)
> (") _ (")
> Sent from somewhere in the field using my mobile device!
Andrew Baksh
www.birdingdude.blogspot.com
> On Jan 18, 2021, at 1:47 PM, rc...@nyc.rr.com wrote:
> Thanks, Shai, very sorry to hear. Rick
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: bounce-125314520-3714...@list.cornell.edu
> <bounce-125314520-3714...@list.cornell.edu> On Behalf Of Shaibal Mitra
> Sent: Monday, January 18, 2021 1:43 PM
> To: NYSBIRDS (NYSBIRDS-L@cornell.edu) <NYSBIRDS-L@cornell.edu>
> Subject: [nysbirds-l] Sad News for the NY Birding Community
>
> Seymour (Sy) Schiff passed away on Thursday, January 14, at the age of 93. I
> learned this from his dear friend Joe Giunta, who had been in touch with Sy
> regularly and made inquiries when he couldn't be reached. I understand that
> a service has already been held, but I will discuss with Joe how we birders
> might join in honoring him.
>
> From his years writing the Kingbird seasonal reports for New York City and
> Long Island, to his gentlemanly and erudite omnipresence around Jones Beach,
> to his more wide-ranging birding adventures later in life in Joe's company,
> Sy touched New York's birding community deeply. He will be missed deeply by
> many, many people.
>
> I know that Sy saw at least 402 species of birds in New York State, and just
> this morning I was thinking of encouraging and helping him to try for the
> Spotted Towhee, very near his home in Baldwin. That will never happen, but I
> will spend some time tonight with my memories of many birds I saw with Sy.
>
> Shai Mitra
> Bay Shore
> --
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