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Milton R. Stern

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Milton R. Stern
BornAugust 22, 1928
DiedJuly 26, 2011(2011-07-26) (aged 82)
Needham, Massachusetts
EducationDoctor of Philosophy
Alma materMichigan State University, 1955
Occupations
  • Educator
  • Author

Milton R. Stern (August 22, 1928 – July 26, 2011) was an American professor of English and American literature, who specialized in studies of the works of Herman Melville and F. Scott Fitzgerald,[1][2][3][4] best known for his "landmark books" on Melville, Fitzgerald, and Hawthorne,[4] particularly The Fine Hammered Steel of Herman Melville, and also for editing the "pioneering" four-volume American Literature Survey for the Viking Portable Library.[4]

Background

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Milton R. Stern was born on August 22, 1928, in Roxbury, Massachusetts. His parents David and Elizabeth Stern came from Eastern Europe. In 1949, he graduated with a BA from Northeastern University. In 1951, he received an MA from the University of Connecticut (UConn) and in 1955 a doctorate from Michigan State University, both in American liteture.[1][2]

Career

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A member of New York University School of Professional Studies's administrative staff beginning in 1946, Stern served as an assistant dean at the adult education center in 1964.[5]

In 1955, Stern began teaching at the University of Illinois. In 1958, he joined the English Department at UConn in 1958. He served as founding chairman of the Connecticut Humanities Council, dedicated to spreading literacy and culture to the state. He also championed adult education. Stern taught until retirement in 1991.[1][2]

Stern was guest professor at the University of Wyoming, Smith College, and Harvard University.[1][2]

Personal life and death

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In 1949, Stern married Harriet Marks; they had two children.[1]

Stern was a long-time member of the Melville Society.[4]

Stern died age 82 on July 26, 2011, in Needham, Massachusetts.[1][2] of complications due to stroke.[4]

Awards

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  • 1960: American Council of Learned Societies
  • 1964-1965: Fulbright professor at University of Warsaw
  • 1969: Outstanding Teacher Award at University of Connecticut
  • 1971: Guggenheim Fellowship in American Literary[6]
  • 1976: First Alumni Association Distinguished Professor award at University of Connecticut
  • 1977: Fellow at the National Humanities Institute at Yale University
  • 1979: Fellow at the Modern Media Institute Center in St. Petersburg, Florida
  • 1981: Outstanding Alumnus in Arts and the Humanities from Northeastern University
  • 1983: First Wilbur Cross Award winner conferred by the Connecticut Humanities Council
  • 1985: Celebrated Teacher by the Associated Departments of English Program of the Modern Language Association
  • 1996: Honorary Life Member of the F. Scott Fitzgerald Society[1][2]

Works

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Stern was an expert on Herman Melville, the American transcendentalists, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. He wrote books of literary criticism, numerous articles, reviews, and co-edited an anthology of American literature.[1][2] He wrote "landmark books" on Melville, Fitzgerald, and Hawthorne.[4] He also edited the "pioneering" four-volume American Literature Survey for the Viking Portable Library.[4]

The following list comes from the catalog of the Library of Congress:

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Milton Stern, Emeritus Professor of English, Dies". UConn Today. 11 August 2011. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Whyte, Talia (5 August 2011). "Milton Stern; UConn professor who brought literature to life". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  3. ^ Wenke, John (11 June 2012). "Towards Milton R. Stern (1928-2011)". Leviathan. 14 (2): 69–72. doi:10.1111/j.1750-1849.2012.01584.x. S2CID 143146461. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Wenke, John (11 June 2012). "Towards Milton R. Stern (1928-2011)". Leviathan. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  5. ^ "Stern Seeks Key To Aid U.S. In Liverpool 1839-40 Study". The Standard-Star. Vol. 42, no. 42. 1964-08-19. p. 15. Retrieved 2024-09-02 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Milton R. Stern". John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. 1971. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  7. ^ Stern, Milton R.; Gross, Seymour Lee (1962). American Literature Survey: Nation and Regions, 1860-1900. Viking Press. ISBN 9780670018901. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  8. ^ Stern, Milton R.; Gross, Seymour Lee (1968). American Literature Survey: Nation and Regions, 1860-1900. Viking Press. ISBN 9780670018895. Retrieved 16 April 2020.