About Wade
Sponsored
by:
Jan and Ed Neiterman and
MIT Information Services and Technology
About Wade
Steven Neiterman, better known as '"Wade" or '"Coach", was a beloved Information Systems employee and a vital member of the MIT Community who passed away too young in 1998. During his eleven years at MIT, he touched and helped many people. His parents, family, friends, and colleagues want to keep his memory alive by recognizing one or two individuals every year who exemplify his special spirit and zeal for life.
To personalize these characteristics, please read some first hand observations from friends and colleagues. For these particular thoughts, we thank our Controller's Accounting Office colleagues, Janet Daly, Patricia Brady, Claire Paulding, Tim McGovern, Mary Weisse, and Scott Thorne. However, they speak for many more people.
Observations about Wade
One MIT department observed that Wade was an Ambassador for IS. The way he went about his business, promoted projects and initiatives, sought input or assistance, put colleagues in contact with each other, stayed in touch, and occasionally had a football or other toy with him on his travels for some impromptu 'play'; everything he did made IS more connected with other departments and more accessible to all levels of clients and colleagues.
"Wade believed that teams put ideas and solutions together, and recognized the variety of contributions each member made. It was the collaborative, cooperative, consensus-based solution that was important to Wade: the team's shared success, rather than the opportunity for individual acclaim."
"Other qualities I admired in Steve was that he was so forthright and honest. He had an earnest desire to do what was right for his clients. He enjoyed sharing information and demonstrating new development work and technology. It was always done with energy and enthusiasm."
"Thinking out loud together, suggesting different paradigms, debating points quietly with colleagues were Steve's modus operandi. He was gracefully tenacious, often serving up his arguments with 'let me toss that one back to you,' a favorite phrase that was emblematic of who he was and how he worked. MIT was his professional playground, influencing change was his game plan, good will and intelligence affected his strategy, and helping MIT run like a well-oiled machine was his goal."
"With a wink, a wry smile, a tilt of his head, or just leaning against the door jamb to the office, Wade would greet us on many mornings with a simple "Want to see something?" Everyone in the group soon caught on that we always wanted to see it!"
"Steve had an uncanny ability to coach "non-techies" and experts alike about how to think and act more logically. He exhibited a rare combination of keen intellect, self-confidence, and down-to-earthness that enabled his effectiveness. This set of competencies was particularly valuable on multi-disciplinary teams. He could simultaneously teach the unknowledgeable and challenge the know-it-alls without offending either because the discussions were never about him; rather, they were about the process of working smarter, respectfully and sincerely."
"Overnight (it would seem), Steve could go and build something that proved that something that we were designing was doable, that a particularly tricky problem solvable, or that a new wrinkle was a great idea and would make our customers' lives better. Sometimes, Steve would create whole new services in much the same way. He did all of this with little fanfare, expecting no more than a pat on the back, a hearty "well done," and an opportunity to come back tomorrow and do it again for MIT."
"I worked with Steve from the time he started at MIT in 1984. He was consistent, caring, and always fully committed to MIT."
Memorial
Originally published in the November/December 1998 issue of the i/s Newsletter.
On November 5, 1998, Steven Wade Neiterman died at his home in Newton. He was 39.
Steve, or Wade as he preferred to be called, came to Information Systems in May 1984. He was a Senior Analyst and worked on many highly visible projects, including TechInfo, MIT's predecessor to the Web; MITDIR, the online campus directory; and CaseTracker, the online database used by the Computing Help Desk. Wade also was very active in project management roles and acted as a consultant to various projects around campus.
More than a programmer and more than a project manager, Wade was also an evangelist for his projects. He would seek people out and explain how he had a solution to problems they might not even have known they had. His travels about the Institute marketing TechInfo and later CaseTracker brought him into many offices across campus and made him a familiar and welcome face to many.
His death leaves a large gap in our midst. We will miss him as a colleague and friend who leaned in our doorways with lanky ease, a wry smile playing on his face.
Wade is survived by his parents, Edward and Janice Neiterman. He was the grandson of the late Morris and Anne Neiterman, and Harry and Minna Komins.
If you were a friend of Wade's and would like to honor his memory, his parents request that you send contributions to the Steven Wade Neiterman Memorial Fund. These funds will be used by Information Systems to support or recognize efforts consistent with Wade's legacy of quiet wisdom and sound mentoring.
Checks should be made payable to MIT with a note in the memo section or on an attached note indicating that they are for the Steven Wade Neiterman Memorial Fund. They should be mailed to: Bonny Kellermann, Recording Secretary, MIT Office of the Treasurer, 238 Main Street, Suite 200, Cambridge, MA 02142-1012.