Jane Lang Scheiber

SCHEIBER – Jane Lang. 1937-2022. Jane Lang Scheiber of Orinda and Berkeley, CA, passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by family, on March 6, 2022 following a courageous battle against cancer. A college administrator, researcher, and author, she was 84 years old. Born in New York City to the late Fannie and Bernard Lang, she graduated from The Brearley School and, in 1958, with honors in American Studies from Cornell University, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa in her junior year and pursued studies in the Cornell history department’s graduate program.

Jane and Harry N. Scheiber, a fellow graduate student in history, met at Cornell and married in 1958. Their close and loving marriage was also a collaboration in historical and legal research and writing.

After teaching in the Columbus (Ohio) School for Girls in 1959-60, Jane started her long academic staff career as director of the Public Affairs Laboratory at Dartmouth College, where her husband was a history professor and where two children were born. Moving to La Jolla in 1971, Jane became Associate Project Director of UCSD’s Courses by Newspaper, a national adult education program. Her career continued in 1983 at UC Berkeley, where Jane served for more than 25 years as Director of Development and then as Assistant Dean of College Relations and Development in UC Berkeley’s College of Chemistry. Douglas S. Clark, Dean of the College, has written, “Jane single-handedly created a coherent and cohesive program of fundraising, alumni relations, and public affairs in the College,” as she oversaw development activities that brought in more than $165 million for buildings, endowed chairs, fellowships, and scholarships.

On retirement in 2010, Jane was awarded Berkeley’s highest honor, the Berkeley Citation, given to “distinguished individuals . . . whose contributions to UC Berkeley go beyond the call of duty and whose achievements exceed the standards of excellence in their fields.” She was also appointed a research associate in UC Berkeley School of Law’s Center for the Study of Law and Society.

Jane authored several scholarly articles and book chapters on civil rights and civil liberties in wartime, culminating with the book (co-authored with Harry Scheiber) Bayonets in Paradise: Martial Law in Hawai’i during World War II (2016), which was named an Outstanding Academic Book of the year by the review journal Choice. Jane edited or coedited ten other books. An advocate of ocean law reform, she collaborated in the research, conference, and publication programs of UC Berkeley’s Law of the Sea Institute. Jane loved nature and animals, especially horses, which she grew up riding in Central Park and on an Arizona working ranch.

Jane’s brilliance, kindness, graciousness, and ability to make everyone who knew her feel special will be missed by scores of colleagues and friends and especially by her surviving family, who loved her beyond measure: beloved husband Harry; daughter Susan Scheiber Edelman (Scott); son Michael Scheiber (Andrea); and granddaughters Emily, Sarah, and Julia Edelman and Francesca, Alexandra, and Simona Scheiber. Also surviving are step-brother Roger Weiss (Caren) and sister-in-law Suzanne Weiss. Jane’s cherished sister Barbara Lang Stern; brotherin-law Ernest Stern; stepbrother Stephen Weiss; and step-father Milton Weiss also predeceased her.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory may be made to the UC Berkeley Foundation, Harry and Jane Scheiber Endowed Lecture Fund, by calling 510-6439789 or by sending a check to the address below. Donors should write “Harry and Jane Scheiber Endowed Lecture Fund” in the memo field or cover letter.

University of California, Berkeley

Gift Services, UDAR 1995 University Avenue, Suite 400

Berkeley, CA 94704-1070