When Evan Weissman heard graduate student Katie Mott was considering dropping out of Syracuse University, he sent her an email. Let’s get coffee or a beer and talk about this, he said.

Mott had experienced a family emergency near the end of her first semester at SU and was close to leaving the university’s food studies graduate program. She had just asked Weissman, an associate professor of nutrition and food studies, to be the adviser for her thesis, which studied the loss of a grocery store in the city of Syracuse.

While Mott and Weissman had met only recently, he reached out to her anyways. They met over winter break and discussed Mott’s research.

“If it weren’t for Evan, I would have not been able to complete my master’s degree,” Mott said. “Evan stepped in, he agreed to be my adviser and he is the sole reason that I have a master’s degree right now. He was my biggest advocate, he was my biggest supporter.”

Weissman, who spent his life researching efforts to address food disparities and poverty in urban areas, died suddenly April 9 at his home with his family. He was 42 years old.

Born and raised in the city of Syracuse, Weissman became a professor in SU’s food studies program after receiving his Ph.D. in geography from the university in 2012. He taught both introductory and upper-division courses in food studies and was part of a team that launched a bachelor of science in food studies in 2014.

“He has been the first point of contact for everyone that’s joined (the program) and for many of our students as well,” said Laura-Anne Minkoff-Zern, an assistant professor in the food studies program. “He’s been at the heart of our program and the loss of him is just so painful for so many people.”

Days after Weissman’s death, almost every student who has participated in the food studies program joined a Zoom call from across the country with faculty who knew Weissman, Minkoff-Zern said. The group spent an hour discussing the inspiration and mentorship Weissman offered all of them, she said.

“For his students, he was someone that they always looked up to as not only as a professor that really carried his passions for thinking about the food system and social justice, but also as someone who was always willing to go out of his way to help students find their way,” Minkoff-Zern said.

Weissman was willing to help anyone and didn’t care what a student’s GPA was, what kind of learner they were or whether they had a background in social science, Mott said. Courtesy of Michele Barrett

Weissman didn’t need a reason to believe in Mott, she said. He just gave her the benefit of the doubt and took a chance. He was willing to help anyone, she said, and didn’t care what a student’s GPA was, what kind of learner they were or whether they had a background in social science.

“His students just adored him and you could tell that he excited them,” Mott said. “He sparked that passion in students and he could get through to students in a way that other professors can’t.”

Many of Weissman’s colleagues and students said his work extended largely beyond the classroom.

As a Syracuse native, he was proud of where he grew up and wanted to make the city a better place for everyone, said Collin Townsend, a graduate student in the food studies department.

“It’s really a tough loss for a place that needed more people like him,” Townsend said.

Weissman was a founding board member of Syracuse Grows, an organization that advocates for food justice in Syracuse by providing resources and education about urban farming and food production.

He also worked to launch the Syracuse-Onondaga food systems alliance, a program that works to bring a more sustainable food system to the central New York region, and was involved in several other food and social justice initiatives throughout the city.

“A number of the community gardens and urban farms in Syracuse benefitted from his knowledge and expertise,” said Sarah Brown, chairwoman of Syracuse Grows. “He was as comfortable at a garden building raised beds as he was at thinking about how we could have a more just food system in the city of Syracuse.”

Jessi Lyons, the coordinator of Brady Farm, a community garden in Syracuse, started working with Weissman in 2007 when they founded Syracuse Grows. The pair had been collaborating since then to support food justice in the Syracuse community.

Lyons can’t think of a single food justice policy or planning initiative that Weissman wasn’t involved in, either directly or indirectly. He brought all the different community resources together to help create a resilient food system in the area, she said.

“He was a doer, he was the type of person who didn’t have patience for barriers, didn’t have patience for why things are a problem,” Lyons said. “Saying, ‘this is just hard,’ that was never an answer for him.”

Weissman was dedicated to ensuring his students were able to have real-life experiences in addition to theoretical and academic ones, Lyons said. He connected several students to farms, gardens and nonprofits throughout the city and added value back to the community as a result, she said.

Weissman encouraged students to work with the community that the university is a part of, not separate from. Courtesy of Michele Barrett

He showed his students that school is about more than just what happens in the classroom, said Elissa Johnson, the internship placement coordinator for SU’s food studies program. He encouraged students to work with the community that the university is a part of, not separate from, she said.

“His teaching legacy will be found in every student who goes on to see the importance of thinking of justice in every system (and) seeks out a major that is not only important to themselves but also to the community,” Johnson said.

Weissman enjoyed connecting everyone in his life to one another by encouraging them to discuss broader issues of social justice, said Joshua Arce, a friend of Weissman’s and member of his extended family.

Arce recalled sitting in Weissman’s kitchen one evening while he and his family were visiting for Thanksgiving. Arce, an advocate for workforce development who lives in San Francisco, said Weissman was always introducing him to his colleagues and friends in Syracuse.

That night, Weissman invited over his neighbor, Dominic Robinson. When Robinson arrived, Weissman introduced him to Arce.

After connecting over their work on economic inclusion, Arce and Robinson developed a plan for a workforce development program they called Syracuse Build. With help from Arce, Robinson later set up the program with Mayor Ben Walsh and has been working to implement it in the city.

Syracuse Build will always remain a testament to Weissman’s ability to bring people together and develop things from his kitchen, Arce said.

“A casual conversation was just not a conversation you had with Evan,” he said. “It was always a conversation about the bigger picture of how there’s always an opportunity to enjoy each other’s company and to help others who are disadvantaged in the process.”

The care Weissman had for his students, colleagues and community transferred even more to the love he had for his family, said Casey Weissman-Vermeulen, Weissman’s younger brother.

Weissman was a leader for his family, Weissman-Vermuelen said. His presence made one feel like they were taken care of, even if Weissman wasn’t actively taking care of them, he said.

Weissman-Vermulen recalled when his wife went into labor with their first-born child two months early. It was the night before the couple was set to move into a new house.

“The next morning, Evan was there,” Weissman-Vermulen said. “He just walked into the hospital room and let us know that he was going to take care of everything for us. That was the type of thing, you didn’t have to ask him, he just took care of you because that was who he was.”

Meghan Murphy, Weissman’s sister-in-law, knew Weissman since she was 14 years old. Weissman was like a big brother to Meghan, and offered advice on everything she did.

“He was just such a huge source of knowledge and he had this amazing ability to know how to do everything,” Meghan said.

Weissman was incredibly devoted to his wife of 13 years, Erin Murphy, and their three young children, Meghan said.

Family was a huge part of who Weissman was, Meghan said. He was the baseball and soccer coach, and he scheduled all the social activities for his kids. He was an integral part of their lives, she said.

“He was an amazing dad but also respected his children,” Meghan said. “He prioritized them as people and had a real sense of respect and love for (making them) really strong and caring and empathetic people.”

Erin said she and Weissman were best friends since they were 17 years old. She recalled his love for the water and the vacation checklist the pair always added onto.

“We were very much part of the same person as we went to school and started a family,” Erin said.

Weissman always wrapped Erin up in a big hug, she said. He just wanted to comfort and share a physical connection with everyone — his love was endless, she said.

“The thing that is kind of part of the essence of Evan is that family and friends are incredibly important and blood has no relevance in building those types of relationships,” Erin said. “Even though Evan’s life was much too short, it was really incredibly happy and fulfilling.”

Several of Weissman’s family members, colleagues, students and friends said he always had a positive outlook on life and an unforgettable smile. They recalled times when Weissman brought them together.

Weissman had a positive outlook on life and an unforgettable smile, family and friends said. Courtesy of Michele Barrett

“His personality was one that was based in community and based on friendship,” said Minkoff-Zern. “He had these deep friendships because he was always there for people in so many ways. He was just a really joyful person.”

Those who were close to him said he will live on in how he helped his community and the people in his life. The work he did will continue because it wasn’t about him, Minkoff-Zern said. It was about the people he connected with and helped, and the ways he made society stronger.

“That man worked so much harder than any other person I know,” Lyons said. “He gave so much to everybody. To his family, to his students, to his friends, he was so much. We could each do half as much as Evan. The best way to honor his legacy is to just take action.”

Published on April 27, 2020 at 12:18 am

Contact Maggie: mehicks@syr.edu | @maggie_hickss