NOAH LIFF

It is only fitting that this beautiful landmark facility be named for Noah Liff, an extraordinary figure. The child of immigrants, he was intelligent, driven, and courageous. In 1949, at just 20 years old and newly graduated from the Indiana University School of Business, he joined his father in a small family scrap business. Noah embodied the spirit of America at that time: young, optimistic, energetic, hardworking, and, above all, deeply patriotic. Against the backdrop of peace and the entrepreneurially friendly economy of the 1950s, he fully embraced the opportunities of the rapidly growing recycling industry, quickly rising to become a major force within it. As an internationally recognized expert, he helped pioneer new products and processes that were both ecologically innovative and far ahead of their time.

Most importantly, Noah was a generous, passionate, and grateful man—both personally and philanthropically. He deeply loved his country, his family, his Judaism, his community, art, and the opera. He lived the final chapter of his life with elegance, acceptance, and a humble understanding of forces greater than ourselves. Without hesitation, he chose an evening at the opera as his final outing. That is why we are standing here today.