Giuseppe M. Ferrero di Roccaferrera Papers
An inventory of his papers at the Syracuse University Archives
Summary |
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| Creator: | Di Roccaferrera, Giuseppe Maria Ferrero. |
| Title: | Giuseppe M. Ferrero di Roccaferrera Papers |
| Dates: | 1943-1994 |
| Size: | 3 boxes (1.25 linear foot) |
| Abstract: | The Giuseppe M. Ferrero di Roccaferrera Papers contain materials related to his time as a professor at Syracuse University and a painter. |
| Language: | English |
| Repository: |
University Archives, Special Collections Research Center Syracuse University Libraries 222 Waverly Ave., Suite 600 Syracuse, NY 13244-2010 https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center/university-archives |
Biography
Giuseppe M. Ferrero di Roccaferrera was a professor in Syracuse University's School of Management (now the Whitman School of Management) from 1965 until 1977.
Di Roccaferrera was born in Turin, Italy on July 20, 1912. He received his undergraduate degree from the Technical Institute of Turin in 1929 and his master’s degree from the Turin Technological and Industrial Institute in 1933. While working towards his Ph.D., di Roccaferrera served as a captain in the Italian artillery. In 1939 he received his honorable discharge and completed his doctorate in economics at the University of Turin, graduating summa cum laude. Di Roccaferrera then began teaching at institutions such as IBM and the University of Turin. In 1943, while teaching, his classroom was raided by German soldiers in search of “volunteers” for their work camps. Di Roccaferrera, along with many other members of the faculty, fought back against the soldiers before fleeing the university. He escaped into the mountains of Italy, where a brief stand-off between the German soldiers and the escaped Italians occurred. Di Roccaferrera then fled to France, where he was briefly a part of the Free French resistance group. In 1958 di Roccaferrera made his way to the United States.
Di Roccaferrera worked as a lecturer and professor at New York University, the University of Florida, and the University of Pennsylvania before joining the faculty at Syracuse University in 1965. In the same year he gave up his Italian nobility status to become an official United States citizen. Over the years he served as a professor of management science, information systems, computer applications, operations research, and quantitative methods in the University’s Quantitative Methods Department in the School of Management (now the Whitman School of Management). Di Roccaferrera was granted tenure in 1967 and promoted to full professor in 1968. He was a member of the Scientific and Management Advisory Committee of the United States Army, the Operations Research Society of America and the Institute of Management Science. Di Roccaferrera published a large number of articles and books in his field during his career, and he was invited to speak on these works by a wide array of countries such as Poland, Puerto Rico, Japan, and Israel. One of his books, Static Models for Managerial Decision Making (1983), was a best seller. He retired professor emeritus in 1977 and, in 1985, he was elected to represent the United States at the International Conference on Management of Research, Development, and Education in Wroclaw, Poland.
Outside of his work at the University, di Roccaferrera was an avid painter and musician. He received an honorary doctorate from the Combs College of Music in Philadelphia, which he counted amongst his most prized possessions. He also played the three-manual organ. Di Roccaferrera was most accomplished in painting; his specialty was 17th-century Dutch style still-life paintings of rare instruments. A number of his paintings were shown at an exhibit housed by the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, New York in 1976 under the title The Strings of 1676: An Exhibition of Original Oil Paintings of Antique and Rare Musical Instruments of the Era. His paintings also found their way to Paris, parts of Italy, and New York City. Di Roccaferrera was president of the International Fellowship of Rotarians artist group and received the Presidential Order of Merit for his involvement with the Rotary Club and beyond. The di Roccaferrera home in Syracuse was also considered a work of art as it housed a large collection of art and artifacts, primarily items that had been in the di Roccaferrera castle in Italy before it was destroyed. It was dubbed the “Renaissance Home” and became part of a city tour organized by the Rotary Club.
Scope and Content Note
The Giuseppe M. Ferrero di Roccaferrera Papers contain materials related to his time as a professor at Syracuse University, and his work as a painter. The di Roccaferrera Papers are divided into two series.
The Personal Life series contains photographs, materials related to his family's history, slides of his artwork, and photographic reproductions of his paintings.
The Professional Life series contains a number of his published reports and articles, essays, and lectures from his time as a professor at the University. Included is an itemized list of what was donated, along with item descriptions and tables of contents, written by di Roccaferrera. Among the materials compiled by di Roccaferrera are newspaper and publication clippings, awards and certificates, and various printed materials.
Restrictions
Access Restrictions
Please note that the collection is housed off-site, and advance notice is required to allow time to have the materials brought to the Reading Room on campus.
Use Restrictions
Written permission must be obtained from the Syracuse University Archives and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.
Related Material
More information on Giuseppe M. Ferrero di Roccaferrera can be found in the portrait and clippings files in the Syracuse University Archives.
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Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Preferred citation for this material is as follows:
Giuseppe M. Ferrero di Roccaferrera Papers,
University Archives,
Special Collections Research Center
Syracuse University Libraries
Acquisition Information
The Giuseppe M. Ferrero di Roccaferrera Papers were donated to the Syracuse University Archives by di Roccaferrera in 1994.
Processing Information
The Giuseppe M. Ferrero di Roccaferrera Papers were rehoused in acid-free folders and boxes.
Finding Aid Information
Created by: Erin Carter
Date: 2014
Revision history: