A 160-page volume has just been published by the New York Chapter of the international Iberian-American Academy of Poetry, entitled (in Spanish) A Tribute to Professor Mordecai Rubin: Thirty Years as an Educator at Teachers College.

The book recalls a ceremony at Teachers College in 1995, in which eight separate tributes were delivered by professional colleagues from around the United States and abroad honoring Professor Rubin as "educator, scholar, linguist, poet, translator, literary critic, and musician, in short a true Renaissance intellectual and artist who not only has published and performed before the world in several fields but has enjoyed distinguished success in every area of his indefatigable efforts."

The published volume includes poems and essays (historical linguistics, criticism, pedagogy, etc.) by Rubin, a lengthy review by Professor Gerardo Piña, who edited the book, as well as 50 photographs, bringing the life moments from childhood through concerts around the world and Rubin's "love affair with horses."

The book is filled with humor, with pictures and anecdotes and "stolen" letters supplied by Rubin's wife, Barbara.

One story reveals Professor Rubin's skills at improvisation in the face of minor disasters. One of these anecdotes follows Rubin as he directs his ensemble on a concert stage in Colombia and, just before his first note, all the lights went out in an electrical storm.

Another story illustrates his "professional wizardry." Apparently, Professor Rubin was studying Serbo-Croatian while traveling to Yugoslavia for a concert tour--and by the time he arrived in Belgrade, he had an adequate enough command of the language to speak it on national television.

We asked Professor Rubin about his reaction to the publication. He said that "over the years, Spain, Latin America and New York have been very generous with honors and press notices, but this beats everything. It's amazing that people would want to do this--but I guess it's nice to have it happen while one is alive!"

Published Wednesday, Apr. 10, 2002