Fund:

Marshall VanDeusen Memorial Scholarship Fund

Department:

English Dept D01018

Purpose:

Graduate or Undergraduate Student Support

History and Purpose:

Professor Emeritus Leslie Marshall Van Deusen was a well-respected and much beloved professor in the UCR English Department from 1954 until his death in 1994. An inspiring scholar, Dr. Van Deusen published two books, A Metaphor for the History of American Criticism and Joel Spingarn, a discussion of an early 20th century critic and theorist and founding member of the ACLU. Dr. Van Deusen also wrote several thoughtful articles, including one that changed the way Hawthorne's introduction to The Scarlet Letter was viewed. He served as Chair of the English Department at a time of much turmoil, but he saw the department through difficult times with the grace that characterized everything he did. Colleagues described Dr. Van Deusen as a morally responsible person, who "felt a nearly spiritual identification between moral and intellectual life." Dr. Van Deusen challenged colleagues and students alike, but with such a disarming and modest manner that they only later realized the extent to which their thinking and analysis had been pushed. The Marshall Van Deusen Memorial Scholarship provides awards for minority scholarships and grants.

Selection and Guidelines:

This fund will be used to provide support for awards to outstanding English students in memory of Professor Marshall Van Deusen.


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