IN MEMORIAM
The Society for French Historical Studies honors the memory of dear colleagues who made important contributions to the life of the Society and to the discipline of French history broadly.
If you would like to an essay in remembrance of one of our colleges who has recently passed away, please contact Tabetha Ewing, Executive Director
You can read more information about our colleagues by clicking on their names.
Dale Van Kley (1941-2023)
Dale Van Kley was a professor at Ohio State University who was a scholar of religion and politics in eighteenth-century France.
Laurie Wood (1985-2023)
Wood was a professor at Florida State University and scholar of early modern global history.
Tyler Stovall (1954-2022)
Stovall was dean of graduate studies at Fordham University after a long career as professor and dean in the University of California system. He was also president of the American Historical Association.
Robert Forster (1926-2020)
Forster, professor emeritus of Johns Hopkins University, was a prominent historian of eighteenth-century France and a beloved mentor.
Frank Arthur Kafker (1931-2020)
Kafker figured among the luminaries of eighteenth-century studies, specializing in the French Enlightenment, the Revolution, and the relationship between the two.
Sabine Jessner Sehlinger (1924-2019)
Sabine Luise Marianne Jessner Sehlinger was a professor of French history, the first woman president of the Indiana Academy of the Social Sciences, president of the Swiss-American Historical Society, several times president of the Indianapolis Wellesley Club, and the author of articles in historical journals and a biography of Edouard Herriot.
Roger L. Williams (1923-2017)
Roger L. Williams, a leading authority on Napoleon III and the Second Empire, and a founding member of the Society for French Historical Studies, died on 4 July 2017 at age 94 after a brief illness. A graduate of Greeley High School (Colorado), he began college at Colorado College, interrupting his studies to volunteer in the U.S. Army. He served in the European theater as a supply sergeant during World War II and the subsequent occupation (1943-46).
Raymond Birn (1935-2017)
On June 12, we lost a dear former colleague, Raymond Birn, who taught University of Oregon from 1962 until his retirement in 2000. Ray was a remarkable scholar and teacher of revolutionary France, an engaged and active citizen, a generous and supportive friend, a loving and wise father and grandfather, and a devoted partner and husband. All who knew him will feel the absence of his wit and wisdom, his kindness and humanity, and the twinkle so often in his eyes.
Rachel Fuchs (1939-2016)
Rachel Ginnis Fuchs served as editor of French Historical Studies and president of the Society for French Historical Studies. Having taught for thirty-two years at Arizona State University, she is remembered for her passion for research, devotion to her students, and her overwhelming kindness.