This quote from Professor Graff originated in an article written by Columbia alumnus Wayne Allen Root for
The Blaze. Root interviewed Graff after attending his 30th Columbia University reunion. “Something about ‘the Obama at Columbia story’ has always bothered me,” wrote Root. “I celebrated with my esteemed classmates. Everyone except Barack Obama. As usual — he wasn’t there. Not a trace. Not a video greeting. Not a letter.
I could not find any classmates who knew him.”
“Meet Professor Henry Graff, perhaps the most legendary and honored professor ever at Columbia University,” Root went on. “He was THE American History and Diplomatic History professor at Columbia for 46 years. And he is more emphatic than yours truly that there are no Obama footprints at Columbia.”
“I did some digging and located Graff’s home phone number,” he added. “I called him yesterday. Now retired, he was delighted to hear from me. He agreed to go on the record about Obama. Unlike Obama, Professor Graff clearly remembered me. He was thrilled to hear from his former student. I was in several of Graff’s classes and he remembered me like it was yesterday. He sounded great — like he hasn’t lost any of his trademark sharpness in 30 years since we last met.”
“I was honored to learn that this legendary historian has been following my political career for many years. But he had no such cheery things to say about the President,” wrote Root. “Graff said, ‘
I taught at Columbia for 46 years. I taught every significant American politician that ever studied at Columbia. I know them all. I’m proud of them all. Between American History and Diplomatic History, one way or another, they all had to come through my classes. Not Obama. I never had a student with that name in any of my classes. I never met him, never saw him, never heard of him.’”