Professor, writer, activist and citizen are just a few of the words that Blank Slate Media columnist Michael D’Innocenzo used to describe himself. Father, brother, husband, friend, columnist and coach are some that others will use in keeping his memory alive after his death on Thursday at 86.

D’Innocenzo’s long list of accomplishments started with a tenure at Hofstra University that began in 1960 and ended with him being the school’s longest-serving faculty member and professor emeritus of history. Before making his own history, D’Innocenzo earned a bachelor’s degree at Union College and his master’s degree at Columbia University, where he was a Danforth Scholar.