Dr. Gerald “Skip” Koff
Walsh Faculty 1988 to 2012
Dr. Gerald Skip Koff came to Walsh College in 1988 and retired from Walsh in 2012 after 22 years as Professor of Psychology. He passed away on December 2, 2014. According to his obituary, “His dress was preppie thrift-store chic, collar turned up, but his mind was always focused on more important matters. He taught psychology, mostly to non-majors, so he knew he had to make it appealing. He did this with sign-in sheets students embellished with graphics, news stories that illustrated theories and principles, and an ongoing search for techniques that would animate students. His teaching emphasized critical analysis based on facts which the media often overlooked.” He was well-known for his unusual form of transportation, the 'Peacemobile,' a car painted with psychedelic colors, bright graphics, peace slogans and quotes. Dr. Koff was the recipient of Walsh's Outstanding Educator Award in 1994 and named Adjunct Professor Emeritus in 2010.
I always wanted a Ferrari.
I guess that's what started my hobby of working with cars. I had absolutely no mechanical training when I decided to take apart my Dodge Charger in 1985 and rebuild it into what I call a "Sciacallo" - the Italian word for a jackal. It was shiny red and I still have it. When I came to Walsh in 1988, Dan Suvak helped take some photos of the car and I had my 15 minutes of fame when it was featured in the August 1990 issue of "Kit Car Illustrated."
In 1991, the Gulf War broke out. Everyone was protesting, and feeling frustrated to have my voice heard, I joined the marches for peace. As an activist, I wanted to share my message with the world but in my own unique way. I loved playing around with that Sciacallo so much that I decided to tackle another car project as my way of message delivery.
Tom Ling had an old green, 4-door Plymouth that I bought from him for $300. It was President's Weekend and there wasn't much going on campus, so I asked if we could use the maintenance garage for the weekend. Three or four students joined me and we decided to paint that old Plymouth with messages of Peace. We painted the American Flag on one door and a Bald Eagle on the side. It was all painted with model paints you'd buy at Pat Catan’s. We didn't really plan. We just painted. Most of it was a psychedelic tie dyed motif, but we also put phrases on there like "Love Yer Neighbor."
And then I drove it around town - my own personal way to deliver a peaceful message. That was the first ever Peacemobile. There have been four since then. When the Plymouth died in 1993, I decided to make a sequel because by then I was hooked! And I loved the attention I got from driving it around town. So I bought a 1985 Mercury station wagon because it was an even bigger canvas to work with. The most recent addition was created in 2008, though I keep adding to it. If I make a mistake, I just spray paint over it and start again. Members of the Behavioral Science Club came out and autographed the car while they added their own art work to it last spring. I guess it's become something of an icon on campus.
I'm not sure if I'll keep up the Peacemobiles now that I'm retired, but as long as I get some joy out of driving it around, I think I will. I guess most people that see me driving the car around town would probably be surprised to know that I graduated from Yale or that I have a Ph.D. in social science from the Medical College of Pennsylvania. But as long as they get the peace message I'm trying to deliver- and smile a little bit - I'll keep driving the Peacemobile.