The irascible, rule-breaking Texan academic, who salted his speeches with snippets of Socrates and Shakespeare passed away Sept. 27 at 86. The Boston University community took a moment to celebrate his legacy on Nov. 29.

John R. Silber helped bring Boston University to new levels of academic excellence and financial stability, ran for office, and was a chief architect for student testing standards in the state.

Take a look at some notable moments in the career of the avatar of academic standards and the impact of the former school president.