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Constantine "Costas" Yeracaris, former chair of sociology
Constantine A. Yeracaris, professor emeritus and former chair of the Department of Sociology, died Aug. 7 in his home in Jamaica Plain, Mass. He was 85.
A UB faculty member for more than 30 years, Yeracaris retired in 1988. He served as department chair from 1976-85.
Yeracaris was born in a small mountain village in Greece. He began playing violin when he was 12 and at 18 was a first violinist with the National Greek Orchestra.
He was a leader of the Greek resistance during World War II. After being discovered by the Nazis, he was put in a concentration camp, where he was held for a year and a half. He was allowed to bring his violin and, according to his wife, he later attributed his release to the music he played.
"He was playing 'Ave Maria' on his violin one night in the bunks, and an Austrian guard came in and told everyone to gather their things and leave," Bernice "Niki" Yeracaris told the Boston Globe in an obituary published on Friday. "But when Costas started packing away his violin, the guard said, `No, you stay.' Once everyone had left, the guard asked him to play the song again."
The Austrian guard, in tears, explained that he hadn't seen his family for two years and was lonely, according to the story Yeracaris told his wife. The following day, the guard came to Yeracaris and told him he would be released in late September, giving few details but telling Yeracaris to get on the truck when his name was called.
In September, Yeracaris was released. Shortly afterwards, he went into hiding at a friend's house upon hearing that German guards were searching for him.
"Costas believed that it was because of that song that he was released from the camp," his wife said. "It has been a family symbol ever since, at our wedding, at our children's weddings. We had a violinist make a recording of the song to play at his memorial service."
Yeracaris received a law degree from the University of Athens and later earned a doctorate in sociology from the University of Chicago, moving to UB in the 1950s to take a position on the sociology faculty.
While at UB, Yeracaris also served as concertmaster of the Amherst Symphony Orchestra from 1960-72.
After retiring, he and his wife moved to the Boston area to be closer to their children. He became active in the community and the Greek Orthodox Church, and also enjoyed cooking and bridge.