“I know that he loved it at Harvard and that he was very involved. He was very engaged and happy in his work,” said Ellen Keniston, Uviller’s sister, who resides in Cambridge.

After graduating from Harvard College in 1951, Uviller went on to receive his law degree from Yale Law School in 1953.

By all accounts, Uviller had a true passion for criminal law and constitutional law.

After graduating from law school, Uviller worked in the Office of Legal Counsel, part of the United States Department of Justice. As this job did not permit him direct contact with persons who needed legal aid, Uviller left the Department for the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, where he worked for 14 years.

At the District Attorney’s Office, Uviller was named chief of the Appeals Bureau. He argued nine cases before the United States Supreme Court, and some of the cases that he argued are still studied in law school courses today.

He was known for balancing his devotion to the protection of civil liberties with a strong respect for the needs of the state.

Uviller was offered a position at Columbia University Law School in 1968, where he taught courses until 2002.

His research resulted in the publication of a number of books, most notably “Tempered Zeal: A Columbia University Professor’s Year on the Streets With the New York City Police.”

“He was really interested in teaching and in sort of mentoring students. He was very much engaged in all aspects of teaching,” said Keniston.

In addition to his sister, Uviller is survived by his wife, the Honorable Rena Katz Uviller; his daughter, Daphne Rachel Uviller; and a granddaughter.

Sheldon White ’51

Professor Sheldon “Shep” White, a developmental psychologist known for his contributions to the field of childhood cognitive development, died of an unexpected heart failure on March 17. He was 76.

White, the Lindsley Professor of Psychology Emeritus, served on the Faculty since 1965. He was the Chair of the Psychology Department for five years and retired from Harvard in 2001.

White was most famous for his research on how children learn.

In the 1960s, he helped develop several government programs for children, including Head Start and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.