* Edward H. Schafer; Professor Who Rejected Loyalty Oath

Edward H. Schafer, 77, professor emeritus of Oriental languages at UC Berkeley, and one of only two remaining professors of the 18 faculty members fired in the 1950s for refusing to sign a loyalty oath. He was reinstated after a year. Schafer, who was known internationally for his studies of medieval China, retired in 1984 but continued to write and lecture. From the works of Chinese scholars during the T’ang Dynasty, from the 8th to the 10th Century, he reconstructed how they lived and wrote a series of books, including “The Golden Peaches of Samarkand,” “The Vermilion Bird” and “Shore of Pearls.” He also worked successfully in the 1970s to bring academic women to full professor status. On Saturday of liver cancer in Berkeley.