By Sinead McDonnell

For months, English majors have been getting emails about the book sale on the second floor of Mason Hall. The books are only $1 each and range from Melville to Freud, donated by teachers from the English department. Since it began at the beginning of the 2011 fall semester, the book sale has raised well over $1,300.
The proceeds go directly to the Dana Brand Memorial Scholarship Fund. The scholarship is in memory of Professor Dana Brand, former chair of the English department and an extraordinary professor. When Professor Brand passed away last May, Professor Fichtelberg, chair of the English department, with the help of Assistant Vice President of Development and Alumni Affairs Meredith Celentano, created the scholarship fund in honor of the late professor. They also held sales in the Student Center and were given donations by check and online.
Professor Brand passed away unexpectedly on May 25, 2011. Brand had been the chair of the English department for eight years from 1993 to 2001. He also taught in the English department and the Honors College. Professor Brand wrote "The Spectator and the City in Nineteenth Century American Literature," a book about the urban spectator that is still in print 20 years after its first release. Professor Fichtelberg said that Professor Brand "filled the room with his presence" whenever he gave a lecture.
This past weekend the Hofstra Cultural Center hosted a conference on the 50th anniversary of the New York Mets. The conference was originally organized in 2010 by Professor Brand and Dr. Richard Puerzer, chair of the engineering department.
Professor Brand's love of the Mets began at the early age of seven. After writing about the Mets for the Sunday edition of Newsday, Brand discovered he had found a way to share his love of the team with others. He began a blog about the Mets and went on to publish two books, "Mets Fan" in 2007 and "The Last Day of Shea" in 2009. This year Paula Uruburu, vice dean of university studies, continued organizing the conference. Professor Fichtelberg, chair of the English department, asked the organizers if funds could be raised for the scholarship. Provost Herman Berliner took it a step further and got all of the funds raised by the conference to be donated to the scholarship fund.
While the book sale is over, people can still donate to the scholarship fund either by check or on the Hofstra website in the alumni section. The English department is focused on distributing the last of the books.
Assistant Vice President Celentano, Academic Records and Professor Fichtelberg still have to decide how the scholarship will be awarded.
 

Professor Dana Brand (Photo from Sinead McDonnell)