Creative Writing Program Founder Stuart Friebert Dies</h1> <article> <h1>Creative Writing Program Founder Stuart Friebert Dies</h1> <p>hhempste — Wed, 01 Jul 2020 21:39:52 +0000</p> <span>Creative Writing Program Founder Stuart Friebert Dies</span> <span><span>hhempste</span></span> <span><time datetime="2020-07-01T17:39:52-04:00" title="Wednesday, July 1, 2020 - 17:39">Wed, 07/01/2020 - 17:39</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Stuart Friebert, poet, translator, emeritus professor, and founder of the 91ֱ�� College Creative Writing Program, died on June 23, 2020.<br> <br> Friebert began his 91ֱ�� College career in 1961, first teaching German. In 1975, he founded 91ֱ��’s <a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/creative-writing">Creative Writing Program</a>, which he directed until his retirement in 1997. Friebert also co-founded the poetry periodical <a href="https://www2.oberlin.edu/ocpress/field.html"><em>FIELD</em></a>, the FIELD Translation Series, and <a href="https://www2.oberlin.edu/ocpress/default.html" target="_blank">91ֱ�� College Press</a>. During his career, he published 15 books of poems, 16 volumes of translations, and four books of prose. </p> <p>A celebration of life in honor of Friebert will happen Saturday, June 28, 2025, from 1 to 4:30 p.m. at 91ֱ�� Community Services (500 East Lorain Street in 91ֱ��). All are welcome, food will be served, no RSVP is necessary, and guests are encouraged to bring memories to share. Photos may be shared in advance with daughter Sarah Friebert at <a href="mailto:sfriebert@akronchildrens.org?subject=Stuart%20Friebert%20celebration%20of%20life">sfriebert@akronchildrens.org</a>.</p> <p>Read Friebert’s obituary in the <em><a href="https://chroniclet.com/news/217015/stuart-friebert/">Chronicle-Telegram</a></em>. </p> <hr> <p><em>This story was updated April 25, 2025, to included information about the memorial celebration.</em></p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">The prolific poet, translator, and emeritus professor began his 91ֱ�� career teaching German.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2020-07-01T12:00:00Z">Wed, 07/01/2020 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2414">Faculty</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2544">In Memoriam</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25326">Creative Writing</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/creative-writing" hreflang="und">Creative Writing</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">The exterior of Peters Hall.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Matthew Lester</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Former Faculty Member and Coach Fred Shults ’54 Dies</h1> <p>hhempste — Fri, 12 Jun 2020 21:47:21 +0000</p> <span>Former Faculty Member and Coach Fred Shults ’54 Dies</span> <span><span>hhempste</span></span> <span><time datetime="2020-06-12T17:47:21-04:00" title="Friday, June 12, 2020 - 17:47">Fri, 06/12/2020 - 17:47</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Fredrick Davis Shults ’54, 91ֱ�� professor, athletics coach, and alumnus for whom the soccer field is named, died on Monday, June 8, 2020. He was 88 years old.</p> <p>Shults was born February 7, 1932 in Detroit, Michigan. He enrolled at 91ֱ�� College in 1950 and participated in soccer, baseball, and basketball, serving as captain of the soccer and baseball teams as a senior. Shults received All-American recognition in soccer during his senior year. He graduated in 1954 with a double major in physical education and history. </p> <p>In 1960, Shults accepted a full-time position at 91ֱ�� as assistant professor in the Physical Education Department for Men. He obtained tenured status in 1964 and became a full professor in the Physical Education Department in 1981. Shults made the case that the physical education major was a vital part of a liberal arts curriculum. In campus debate over whether the physical education major should continue at 91ֱ��, he strongly urged policies to upgrade the quality of the program.</p> <p>As an athletics coach, Shults led the varsity soccer, junior varsity basketball, and varsity lacrosse programs for the college.</p> <p>His achievements as an 91ֱ�� student athlete and coach were acknowledged by his induction into the <a href="https://goyeo.com/honors/hall-of-fame/fredrick-shults/50">91ֱ�� Heisman Club Hall of Fame</a> in 1992. He retired from 91ֱ�� in 1994.</p> <p>Read Shults’ obituary in the <a href="https://chroniclet.com/news/215066/dr-fredrick-davis-shults/"><em>Chronicle-Telegram</em></a>.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2020-06-12T12:00:00Z">Fri, 06/12/2020 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Shults was a professor, coach, and champion of physical education at 91ֱ��.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2544">In Memoriam</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2368">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2771">Athletics</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">The soccer and lacrosse field is named for Fred Shults ’54</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Janine Bentivegna</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Former Staff Member Midge Brittingham ’60 Dies</h1> <p>hhempste — Fri, 10 Jan 2020 22:10:15 +0000</p> <span>Former Staff Member Midge Brittingham ’60 Dies</span> <span><span>hhempste</span></span> <span><time datetime="2020-01-10T17:10:15-05:00" title="Friday, January 10, 2020 - 17:10">Fri, 01/10/2020 - 17:10</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Marjorie “Midge” Brittingham ’60, former executive director of the 91ֱ�� College Alumni Association, died on December 31, 2019. She was 81 years old.<br> <br> Brittingham served as the executive director of the alumni association for 28 years until her retirement in 2004. She remained in 91ֱ�� and continued her involvement on campus through college and alumni events, including the beloved <a href="http://www2.oberlin.edu/alummag/summer2011/features/sunday.html" target="_blank">Sunday dinners</a> she hosted with her husband Smith R. Brittingham III in their home. In 2005, Brittingham was awarded the 91ֱ�� College <a href="/alumni-association/alc/awards" target="_blank">Alumni Medal</a> to recognize outstanding contributions and achievements to the college, the Alumni Association, and society at large.</p> <p>Scott Alberts '95, president of the 91ֱ�� College Alumni Association, recalls how Brittingham influenced Obies across generations and regions. “Not only was Midge a living database of Obie information, but she also could say why each of us were special, and how each of us connected to the school and each other. When she asked how I was, she also asked about my roommates and friends, where they were, and how they were doing.</p> <p>“When moving to a new city, she would give you five Obies to look up, with a connecting fact such as ‘you both would have had professor so-and so in mathematics,’ or ‘you both lived in Talcott.’ Each person would become a new-but-not-new friend in an unfamiliar place. All 91ֱ�� alumni strive to change the world, and Midge changed ours.”</p> <p>If you would like to share a memory or story about Brittingham, please <a href="https://forms.gle/DUZCdSvnpGg2wVWo6" target="_blank">submit them</a> to the Office of Alumni Relations.</p> <p>If you would like to make a gift in remembrance of Brittingham’s life and service, please direct your gift to the Marjorie Wood Brittingham '60 Alumni in Service to 91ֱ�� College (ASOC) Fund, established in 2003 by friends and colleagues to honor her years of service to 91ֱ�� College. Donations can be made online at <a href="http://advance.oberlin.edu/donate" target="_blank">advance.oberlin.edu/donate</a>. Please select “other” and type “Marjorie Wood Brittingham '60 Alumni in Service to 91ֱ�� College (ASOC) Fund.”</p> <p>A memorial for Brittingham will be held in 91ֱ�� on April 25, 2020. A welcome concert memorial will take place at 2 p.m. in Finney Chapel; a celebration of the life of Midge Brittingham, with Holy Eucharist, will be held at 4 p.m. at Christ Episcopal Church, 162 South Main Street. At 6 p.m., there will be a dinner in the Sunday Night Tradition at the Brittingham home.</p> <p>Read Brittingham’s obituary in the <a href="https://chroniclet.com/news/187002/marjorie-midge-brittingham/" target="_blank"><em>Chronicle-Telegram</em></a>. </p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2020-01-10T12:00:00Z">Fri, 01/10/2020 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>A memorial service for Brittingham will be held in 91ֱ�� on April 25, 2020.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2544">In Memoriam</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2368">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2551">Staff</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Brittingham at the Half-Century Club Reception at Commencement/Reunion Weekend 2012.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Dale Preston '83</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Emeritus Professor Bill Skinner Dies</h1> <p>hhempste — Tue, 03 Dec 2019 16:39:00 +0000</p> <span>Emeritus Professor Bill Skinner Dies</span> <span><span>hhempste</span></span> <span><time datetime="2019-12-03T11:39:00-05:00" title="Tuesday, December 3, 2019 - 11:39">Tue, 12/03/2019 - 11:39</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>William R. Skinner, emeritus professor of geology, died November 23, 2019. He was 89 years old.</p> <p>Skinner began his career at 91ֱ�� College in 1966, where he taught for more than 35 years. During his tenure, he served as chair of the geology department for 14 years. Skinner’s academic areas of interest included both igneous and metamorphic petrology and meteorites and the origin of the solar system. </p> <p>A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 7, 2020, at 91ֱ�� Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 355 East Lorain St, 91ֱ��.</p> <p>Read Skinner’s obituary in the <a href="https://chroniclet.com/news/181568/william-r-skinner/"><em>Chronicle-Telegram</em></a>. To send condolences or sign the online guestbook, <a href="https://www.dickenfuneralhome.com/obituary/william-skinner">visit Dicken Funeral</a>. </p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2019-12-03T12:00:00Z">Tue, 12/03/2019 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2544">In Memoriam</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25366">Geosciences</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/geosciences" hreflang="und">Geosciences</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yingran Zhang '16</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Former Staff Member Carol Ganzel Dies</h1> <p>hhempste — Wed, 30 Oct 2019 18:54:32 +0000</p> <span>Former Staff Member Carol Ganzel Dies</span> <span><span>hhempste</span></span> <span><time datetime="2019-10-30T14:54:32-04:00" title="Wednesday, October 30, 2019 - 14:54">Wed, 10/30/2019 - 14:54</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Carol Henderson Ganzel, a former staff member in the 91ֱ�� College Office of Communications, died Sunday, October 27, 2019. She was 88 years old.</p> <p>In 1980, Ganzel became the editor of 91ֱ�� College’s weekly faculty and staff newspaper, the <em>Observer</em>, and she held the position until her retirement in 1995. Ganzel was married to 91ֱ�� College Professor of English Dewey Ganzel, who died in 2011.</p> <p>At the time of her retirement, she shared this reflection on her work as editor of the college publication: “In June I retire from what I sometimes think is the most interesting staff job in the college. At other times I think it is the hardest; and sometimes it seems to be both, simultaneously.”</p> <p>A service of remembrance will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, November 2, 2019 at Kendal at 91ֱ��.<br> <br> Read Ganzel’s obituary in the <a href="https://chroniclet.com/news/176733/carol-henderson-ganzel/"><em>Chronicle-Telegram.</em></a></p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2019-10-30T12:00:00Z">Wed, 10/30/2019 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>A service of remembrance will be held at 2 p.m., Saturday, November 2, 2019 at Kendal at 91ֱ��. </p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2544">In Memoriam</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2551">Staff</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Elizabeth Petrone</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison Dies</h1> <p>hhempste — Tue, 06 Aug 2019 18:38:25 +0000</p> <span>Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison Dies</span> <span><span>hhempste</span></span> <span><time datetime="2019-08-06T14:38:25-04:00" title="Tuesday, August 6, 2019 - 14:38">Tue, 08/06/2019 - 14:38</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Author, Nobel Laureate, and Lorain, Ohio, native Toni Morrison died on Monday, August 5 at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx. She was 88.</p> <p>With her hometown just eight miles from 91ֱ��, Morrison had numerous ties to the college. She was awarded an honorary degree in 1980, and she presented Convocation speeches in both 2009 and 2012.</p> <p>In conjunction with her 2009 Convocation speech, Morrison dedicated a bench at the corner of North Main and Lorain Streets in 91ֱ�� as part of the <a href="https://www.tonimorrisonsociety.org/bench.html">Bench by the Road</a> <span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-external-link"></span> project created by the Toni Morrison Society to help remember the lives of Africans who were enslaved. The 91ֱ�� location is one of 20 in this global project.</p> <p>91ֱ�� College is also home to the Toni Morrison Society, which opened an office in the Mary Church Terrell Main Library in 2012.</p> <p>Most recently, cinema studies faculty <a href="/rian-brown-orso">Rian Brown-Orso</a> and <a href="/geoff-pingree">Geoff Pingree</a> directed a documentary about Toni Morrison’s artistic and intellectual vision, titled <a href="https://www.theforeignershome.com/"><em>The Foreigner's Home</em></a> <span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-external-link"></span>. The feature-length film premiered in 2018, and explores the issues Morrison raised when she guest-curated an exhibition in 2006 at the Louvre.</p> <p><a class="view-more" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/06/books/toni-morrison-dead.html">Read Morrison’s full obituary</a></p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2019-08-06T12:00:00Z">Tue, 08/06/2019 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2544">In Memoriam</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2384">Libraries</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/geoff-pingree" hreflang="und">Geoff Pingree</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/rian-brown-orso" hreflang="und">Rian Brown-Orso</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Toni Morrison giving a talk at 91ֱ�� College.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">William Rieter</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>In Memoriam: Professor of Comparative Literature and English Jed Deppman</h1> <p>hhempste — Fri, 28 Jun 2019 17:25:12 +0000</p> <span>In Memoriam: Professor of Comparative Literature and English Jed Deppman</span> <span><span>hhempste</span></span> <span><time datetime="2019-06-28T13:25:12-04:00" title="Friday, June 28, 2019 - 13:25">Fri, 06/28/2019 - 13:25</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>John “Jed” Erickson Deppman, Irvin E. Houck Professor of Comparative Literature and English at 91ֱ�� College, died peacefully on June 22, 2019, with his family at his side. </p> <p>Born June 13, 1967, in Washington, D.C., Jed grew up in Middlebury, Vermont. In 1985, he confirmed his love of languages and discovered the value of mental tenacity during a year as an AFS exchange student in northern France, where he completed the demanding <em>baccalauréat</em> with <em>mention bien</em>, placing second in his class. After returning to the United States, he enrolled at Amherst College. In 1990, he graduated both summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, with a senior thesis on mental heroism in European folklore. </p> <p>With the support of two graduate scholarships, including the prestigious Henry P. Field award, he went on to the University of Wisconsin, Madison to earn an MA (1992) and PhD (1998) in comparative literature, with a dissertation on “Community and the Sublime in Dickinson, Valéry, and Joyce.” While in graduate school, he earned a Diplôme d'Études Approfondies in Philosophy and Epistemology at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris, where he studied with Jacques Derrida and Vincent Descombes. In 2003, after brief stints at Eastern Kentucky University and Trinity University, San Antonio, he and his wife, Hsiu-Chuang Deppman, professor of Chinese and cinema studies, joined the 91ֱ�� College faculty. </p> <p>A leading expert on Emily Dickinson and James Joyce, Deppman published his monograph <em>Trying to Think with Emily Dickinson</em> with UMass Press in 2008. He coedited <em>Emily Dickinson and Contemporary Poetics</em> (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008) and <em>Emily Dickinson and Philosophy</em> (Cambridge University Press, 2013). He also translated and coedited <em>Genetic Criticism: Texts and Avant-Textes</em> (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2004), a seminal volume that opened up an entire field to the English-speaking academy. Among his many awards are an NEH fellowship, a Fulbright scholarship, and Amherst’s Lindberg-Seyersted Scholarship. His many published essays deal with topics as diverse as Borges, Walt Whitman, Jean-Luc Nancy, Sophocles, and 19th-century lexicography. He recently completed a novel, <em>Taking Chemo with Nietzsche</em>. </p> <p>At 91ֱ��, Deppman directed the Comparative Literature Program almost without interruption, and with great success, for 15 years. Under his leadership, it has become a flagship humanities program, consistently attracting some of 91ֱ��’s best students, while breaking through silos to build lasting connections among the College of Arts and Sciences, Allen Memorial Art Museum, and the Conservatory of Music. He also conceived and organized 91ֱ��’s legendary annual Translation Symposium. </p> <p>Deppman believed in the transformative power of literature, art, music, and thought. He was deeply committed to rigorous humanistic scholarship as a means of deepening our understanding of life and the world. A dynamic and innovative teacher and sought-after advisor, he was ferociously demanding and unconditionally supportive of his students. In 2014, he was awarded 91ֱ��’s Excellence in Teaching Award and, in 2015, the Professor Props “Instructor of the Year.” </p> <p>In his life and work, Professor Deppman embodied the border-crossing, eclectic ethos of Comparative Literature in an exemplary way. In addition to his work on Dickinson, Joyce, Valéry, Derrida, and Whitman, he was a specialist in postmodern and poststructuralist French thought, genetic criticism, translation theory, and philosophies of death. He had a near-native command of French and spoke Spanish, Portuguese, and Mandarin, as well. In high school and college, he excelled in math and science. At different points of his life, he was a high-school student in Dunkirk, France; an academic translator; an Ultimate athlete; a novelist; and a line-cook in Paris. He also was a fiercely competitive table tennis player.</p> <p>At 91ֱ��, Professor Deppman taught many popular cross-listed courses, including Introduction to Comparative Literature, European Modernism and the World, Itineraries of Postmodernism, French Joyce, Introduction to Literary Translation, and an advanced translation workshop. From his very first semester at 91ֱ��, he was also known for his first-year seminar Ars Moriendi: Death and the Art of Dying, in which students not only read, thought, and talked about death but also paired up with residents of Kendal at 91ֱ�� to connect with people for whom the end of life was an imminent reality. It quickly became one of the most transformative courses in the First-Year Seminar Program. He’d teach it almost every year.</p> <p>The Ars Moriendi seminar gained an unexpectedly personal dimension in fall 2008 when Professor Deppman was diagnosed with stage IV cancer. Nonetheless, for the next 11 years, and with the tireless support of his wife, Hsiu-Chuang, he taught full time, traveled the world, lived abroad, and continued to produce scholarship of the highest caliber. </p> <p>Professor Deppman will be remembered for his deep love of his family and friends, dedication to his students, fierce intelligence, sharp sense of humor, extraordinary mental tenacity, and thirst for adventure. In his final essay “Coda: Living and Dying with Emily Dickinson,” forthcoming in the<em> Oxford Handbook of Emily Dickinson</em> (eds. Cristanne Miller and Karen J. Sanchez-Eppler), he concluded: “We can identify impressive moments we have witnessed or imagined, work them into dynamic images, and use them to organize our attitude toward life and death. Similarly, we can always rethink the limits of who and where we are. We have always been connected to so much—our loved ones, people who have died already, our childhood, our past and future selves, our past and future places—that we can always think about new ways to belong to them.’’</p> <p>In addition to Hsiu-Chuang and their two daughters, Formosa and Ginger, Professor Deppman is survived by his mother, Elizabeth A. McLain and her husband, John H. Fitzhugh, of West Berlin, Vermont; father John C. Deppman, and his wife Clara Yu, of Fort Myers, Florida; sister Ann A. Deppman (Vance DeBouter) of 91ֱ��, Ohio; brother Benjamin H. Deppman (Lesley Deppman), of Cornwall, Vermont; aunt Lynn McLain of Chestertown, Maryland; cousin Joseph Cook, of Baltimore, Maryland; and seven nieces and nephews: Victor, Kent, Alden, John, Jack, Lydia, and Calvin.</p> <p>In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Comparative Literature Program at 91ֱ�� College in Jed Deppman’s memory or to the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, 1025 Vermont Ave NW, Suite 1066, Washington, D.C. 20005. </p> <p>Gifts to the Comparative Literature Program can be made online at <a href="https://oberlin.edu/donate" target="_blank">oberlin.edu/donate</a>—when asked for a designation choose “other” and then enter “Comparative Literature” in the text box, and include Professor Deppman's name in the memorial section. Checks can be sent to 91ֱ�� College, 50 W. Lorain St., 91ֱ��, OH 44074 and should include “Jed Deppman” in the reference field. Please contact Ann at <a href="mailto:adeppman@oberlin.edu">adeppman@oberlin.edu</a> with any questions.</p> <p><em>[Editor’s note: Many thanks to Sebastiaan Faber for his contributions to this article.]</em></p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2019-06-28T12:00:00Z">Fri, 06/28/2019 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2544">In Memoriam</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25316">Comparative Literature</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25346">English</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/comparative-literature" hreflang="und">Comparative Literature</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/english" hreflang="und">English</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Professor Jed Deppman</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Formosa Deppman</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Emeritus Professor Albert J. McQueen Dies</h1> <p>hhempste — Thu, 30 May 2019 13:00:40 +0000</p> <span>Emeritus Professor Albert J. McQueen Dies</span> <span><span>hhempste</span></span> <span><time datetime="2019-05-30T09:00:40-04:00" title="Thursday, May 30, 2019 - 09:00">Thu, 05/30/2019 - 09:00</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Albert J. McQueen ’52, emeritus professor of sociology, passed away on May 22, 2019. He was 91 years old.</p> <p>McQueen was born in Bennettsville, South Carolina, on August 22, 1927. He first attended Virginia State University, leaving in his sophomore year to join the United States Army which sent him to post-war Belgium. Through the GI Bill, he elected to complete his Bachelor of Arts at 91ֱ�� based on its long history of openness to African Americans.</p> <p>As a veteran studying at 91ֱ�� from 1949 to 1952, McQueen was involved in founding the 91ֱ�� student co-ops. He also participated in early student actions to integrate the 91ֱ�� barber shops and restaurants, and he was active in the local chapter of the NAACP.</p> <p>After graduating with a degree in psychology, McQueen attended the University of Michigan to earn a PhD in sociology. He joined its Institute for Social Research as a study director, producing a Flint, Michigan-based study of African American families who had moved north to work in manufacturing during the war years.</p> <p>McQueen’s social research led him to apply for grants for similar explorations in Africa during the time those nations were seeking independence from their colonial rulers. With grants from the Ford Foundation, he spent most of his time at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, studying Ibadan’s “school leavers.’’ Other grant-funded research took him to Kenya, Tanzania, and Ethiopia at a time when Africanists were first turning their attention to that continent.</p> <p>McQueen returned to the United States and held brief teaching assignments at Howard University and Brooklyn College, before Professor of Sociology and Anthropology George Simpson invited him to join the sociology department at 91ֱ�� in 1966. As the second tenured African American faculty member at the college, McQueen was founder and chair of the African American Studies Department and was instrumental in establishing Afrikan Heritage House. McQueen also was an active participant and mediator in faculty councils and committees.</p> <p>During his career, McQueen received appeals to join major institutions of higher education in the states. He remained at 91ֱ��, however. ‘‘This is my family,” he would say.</p> <p>A string of heart attacks plagued McQueen’s later years and, after an extended medical leave, he retired in 1995. In retirement, McQueen retained ties to the African American community locally and regionally, and he served on various boards such as the 91ֱ�� Early Childhood Center. He continued to give talks in 91ֱ�� and elsewhere about the early days of the cooperative movement in the city of 91ֱ�� and at 91ֱ�� College.</p> <p>McQueen always considered himself an explorer. Whether in the national forests of Kenya or the streets of Ohio City, he was attracted to new vistas and new ways of looking at the world. He was also a builder of bridges, connecting blacks and whites in years when it could be inflammatory, and connecting professional colleagues with teaching opportunities in many institutions of higher education.</p> <p>One of McQueen’s great life passions was photography. He became a photographer during his military service in the late 1940s; some of his works appeared in a show at the Smithsonian Institution featuring military photographers. During his early years at Kendal at 91ֱ��, he had several exhibits and presented photography slide shows.</p> <p>Like 91ֱ�� College, Kendal at 91ֱ�� gave McQueen a sense of community—a substitute family. He enjoyed introducing newcomers to the 91ֱ�� and Cleveland area through driving tours, and he served on the Kendal at 91ֱ�� Residents Association and in the master planning committee. He attended most events at Kendal, musical and otherwise. When asked whether he liked Kendal and was glad he had moved, he would always reply, “I don’t like it. I love it.” </p> <p>[<em>Editor’s note: Many thanks to Thelma Morris ‘54, for her many contributions to this article.</em>]</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2019-05-30T12:00:00Z">Thu, 05/30/2019 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 5, 2019 in the Kendal at 91ֱ�� auditorium. A reception will follow.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2544">In Memoriam</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2414">Faculty</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2368">Alumni</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25431">Sociology</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/sociology" hreflang="und">Sociology</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Emeritus Professor of Sociology Albert J. McQueen ’52 at Commencement/Reunion Weekend 2012. </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Dale Preston ’83</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Former Board of Trustees Chair Thomas J. Klutznick '61 Dies</h1> <p>hhempste — Thu, 10 Jan 2019 19:56:35 +0000</p> <span>Former Board of Trustees Chair Thomas J. Klutznick '61 Dies</span> <span><span>hhempste</span></span> <span><time datetime="2019-01-10T14:56:35-05:00" title="Thursday, January 10, 2019 - 14:56">Thu, 01/10/2019 - 14:56</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Thomas J. Klutznick '61, former board of trustees chair and real estate magnate, died on January 4, 2019. He was 79. Klutznick served on the board from 1975-2010.</p> <p>Read his full obituary in the <a href="https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/chicagotribune/obituary.aspx?pid=191187722"><em>Chicago Tribune</em> </a>and <a href="https://www.chicagobusiness.com/commercial-real-estate/chicago-real-estates-thomas-klutznick-dies-79?utm_source=today-s-crain-s&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20190107&utm_content=article12-headline"><em>Crain’s Chicago</em></a>.</p> <p> </p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2019-01-10T12:00:00Z">Thu, 01/10/2019 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2544">In Memoriam</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2554">Board of Trustees</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Nadya Primak '13</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Alumnus William Goldman '52 Dies</h1> <p>hhempste — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 17:17:48 +0000</p> <span>Alumnus William Goldman '52 Dies</span> <span><span>hhempste</span></span> <span><time datetime="2018-11-20T12:17:48-05:00" title="Tuesday, November 20, 2018 - 12:17">Tue, 11/20/2018 - 12:17</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Acclaimed screenwriter and novelist William Goldman '52 died on Friday, November 16, 2018, in New York City. He was 87.</p> <p>At 91ֱ��, Goldman was the fiction editor of a literary magazine and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English. He went on to graduate school at Columbia University and eventually pursued a career as a writer. He received Academy Awards for his screenplays of <em>Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid</em> and <em>All the President’s Men</em>.</p> <p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/16/obituaries/william-goldman-dead.html">Read his obituary in the <em>New York Times</em></a>.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2018-11-20T12:00:00Z">Tue, 11/20/2018 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2544">In Memoriam</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2368">Alumni</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Provided by 91ֱ�� College Archives.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> </main></body></html>