HWS News
10 July 2026 From the Office of the President: Remembering Professor Emerita of English Claudette Kemper Columbus
Dear Members of the Hobart and William Smith Community,
It is with great sadness that I share the news that Professor Emerita of English Claudette Kemper Columbus passed away peacefully earlier this week at the age of 93. Her daughter, Megan, shared the news with us.
I arrived during the last years of Claudette's teaching but was fortunate to get to know her as a colleague and friend. Claudette embodied the very best of a liberal arts education. Her intellectual curiosity inspired everyone around her, but what I remember most was her warmth and generosity. She challenged students and colleagues to think expansively, make unexpected connections and approach the world with rigor and compassion. Even after retirement, she remained deeply connected to Hobart and William Smith, and I always valued our conversations. Her influence will be felt for generations.
Claudette's contributions to Hobart and William Smith were extraordinary. A member of the English faculty for 34 years, she taught courses on the literature of the Romantic and Victorian periods while expanding her scholarship far beyond disciplinary boundaries. Her work took her to the Andes through Fulbright grants and HWS-supported research, resulting in influential scholarship on Latin American culture and mythology. Even in retirement, her scholarly curiosity never waned. At age 80, she presented research at the centenary celebration of a major Peruvian author, continuing a lifetime devoted to discovery.
Claudette was instrumental in establishing the Women's Studies and Latin American Studies programs and helped institute HWS’ ombuds program. She led study abroad programs in London and Ecuador that broadened students' understanding of literature, culture and place. Her teaching, scholarship and service were recognized with faculty prizes in each area, and in 2014 she received the Distinguished Faculty Award from the Hobart Alumni Association and William Smith Alumnae Association. To mark her retirement, the English Department established the Claudette Kemper Columbus Prize, awarded annually to students who demonstrate exceptional imagination in their critical and creative work. Faculty continue the tradition by donating or purchasing the books presented as prizes.
Professor Emeritus of Economics Scott McKinney P’13 remembers Claudette as "a brilliant and visionary scholar, a dedicated teacher and mentor to countless students...and a fierce friend" whose collaborative work transformed colleagues and helped create interdisciplinary programs that continue to enrich the curriculum.
Professor Emeritus of Sociology Jack Harris P’02, P’06 reflects on the many courses and study abroad programs they taught together, describing Claudette as "an extraordinary teacher, scholar and colleague" whose remarkable breadth of knowledge – from Victorian literature to geology, from classical languages to Quechua – gave students a uniquely multidisciplinary perspective. "She was,” he says, “simply, irreplaceable."
Professor of English and Creative Writing Anna Creadick remembers Claudette as "a sharply intelligent, witty and deeply generous colleague" whose wisdom and kindness left a lasting impression on generations of faculty and students alike. She recalls Claudette's welcoming home on Jay Street, where every chair sat beside a teetering stack of books, reflecting a life immersed in ideas.
Professor of Gender, Sexuality, and Intersectional Justice Betty Bayer celebrates Claudette, who "lived large her unconventionality." As a new faculty member, Betty recalls being welcomed into the feminist faculty works-in-progress group Claudette organized across ranks, dubbed The Not Piss Poor Academy. The two later co-chaired Women's Studies and its program review. Betty still uses the pedagogical practice Claudette championed — "having students read aloud throughout a course"— and remembers how, after her retirement, the faculty missed Claudette's "pertinent voice ... and sharp wit."
Professor Emeritus of Sociology Jim Spates recalls Claudette as "the quintessence of the great liberal arts professor" and "one of our giants." A dear friend and respected colleague, she introduced him to the life and work of John Ruskin, inspiring the scholarship that shaped the rest of his career. Together, they developed the interdisciplinary course “London in the 19th Century.” He remembers Claudette as "astonishingly well read" and among the smartest colleagues he had the privilege to teach alongside. "We were lucky to have her."
The influence of Claudette's teaching is perhaps best measured in the reflections of her former students. During her 2006 Convocation address, Dorothy H. Wickenden '76, L.H.D.’14, now retired as executive editor of The New Yorker, recalled how Claudette's wit, curiosity, insight and encouragement shaped both her intellectual confidence and her love of literature. Recently retired Visiting Associate Professor of Africana Studies James McCorkle '76, P’20, who presented Claudette with the Distinguished Faculty Award in 2014, says Claudette “taught what was undoubtedly the most important course of my undergraduate years – a seminar on the visionary poetry of William Blake, Rainer Maria Rilke and Wallace Stevens – and those writers have stayed with me ever since. Her classes weren't about finding the 'right' answer but about discovering how ideas connect and evolve."
Those memories speak to the enduring legacy of Claudette Columbus. She challenged students to embrace complexity, encouraged colleagues to pursue bold ideas and helped shape the interdisciplinary character that remains a hallmark of Hobart and William Smith. Her scholarship, teaching and humanity enriched this institution immeasurably.
On behalf of the entire Hobart and William Smith community, we extend our deepest condolences to Megan and the entire Columbus family, as well as to Claudette's many friends, former students and colleagues. We are grateful for her lifetime of scholarship, teaching and service.
Sincerely,
Mark D. Gearan
President
This statement, and others from the Office of the President, can be found here.
