March 1, 2019 | By Eve Tolpa

There’s been a big change to the St. John’s Board of Visitors and Governors (BVG).

Steve Feinberg, who has the distinction of being the longest-serving board member in St. John’s history, has stepped down after 43 years of service, which included two terms as chair, from 1991 to 1996.

It was 1976 when he attended his first BVG meeting. At that time, he was aware of the college’s curriculum and values but hadn’t internalized them.

“It took me a little while to really understand St. John’s and appreciate it, since I didn’t get a classics education,” he says, noting that the process of taking seminars and developing relationships with tutors was what made the difference. “To get involved probably took five or six years of being on the board, but once I did it really changed my whole perspective on the college. It became an important part of my life.”

Not surprisingly, a big part of that involvement pertained to books. Feinberg estimates that he has read roughly 50 texts from the Program, not to mention dozens of others discussed in annual Summer Classics seminars, which he has attended regularly since their inception.

“I did them all consecutively,” he says. “I don’t think I missed any.”

It’s telling that the books he remembers as requiring the most intellectual rigor are also his favorites.

“The Brothers Karamazov I found somewhat challenging, because it’s very dense and there is a lot going on,” says Feinberg. He also cites Nicomachean Ethics as “somewhat challenging but very enjoyable,” adding, “I had to go through a lot of it twice or even three times.”

Over the years, Feinberg’s commitment to St. John’s went far beyond an interest in books. According to tutor and longtime friend Cary Stickney, he also took a great deal of personal interest in the community he served.

“Aristotle famously said of Plato that he had been a man whom bad people were not even worthy to praise. I am not, I fear, worthy to estimate how much good Steve has done,” says Stickney.

“He and Susan opened their home countless times through the years to give wonderful dinner parties for faculty and board members and friends of the college. I do not hesitate to say that he knows the college better than many of our graduates. There is no doubt that he has cared for us as very few have.”

Tutor Emeritus and Director of the Science Institute Peter Pesic has a history with Feinberg that spans decades.

“Steve has been at the college even longer than I; he joined the board several years before I joined the faculty,” he says. “Over those years, he’s become a good friend, and we go out for hikes together. But even though we are out in the woods, away from the city, his thoughts always come back to St. John’s. I can’t remember a hike when we didn’t talk about the college. In those conversations, his love for the college, his deep and abiding interest in books, ideas, and how we talk about them always shone through.”

At an event in Levan Hall on Friday, February 22, Feinberg was honored for his service to St. John’s. In attendance were staff, faculty, and BVG members—including board chair Ron Fielding (A70) and capital campaign chair Warren Spector (A81)—and special guests Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber and Pulitzer Prize–winning Kiowa novelist N. Scott Momaday.

Feinberg was made a St. John’s fellow in 1994 and an honorary alumnus in 1996. He knew that at the commemorative event he would be awarded status of trustee emeritus, a relatively infrequent honor, but a couple of surprises were also unveiled: a plaque to grace the entrance to the newly designated Feinberg Seminar Room, in Levan Hall, and a lifetime membership in the Summer Classics program.

Feinberg’s dedication to the college and its mission endures, regardless of his official involvement with the BVG.

“A St. John’s education is permanent,” Feinberg says. “It’s all about learning how to think, how to question, which in turn helps one learn how to live a life with its ups and downs. It’s been a very important part of my life. It’s been very meaningful.”

“Nobody, and I mean nobody, should be on any board for 43 years!” he continues with a laugh. “It was very fortunate for me, but a board needs new people, new ideas.”