Campus Mourns Loss of Paul Alpers

I am deeply saddened to report that Paul Alpers, husband of President Carol Christ and professor-in-residence in the department of English language and literature, died Sunday evening after a battle with cancer. Paul was a distinguished scholar, a faculty colleague, and friend to the Smith community. He served as an unofficial ambassador for Smith, cherishing the friendships he made with many Smith alumnae from around the world.

Paul received the A.B., A.M., and Ph. D. from Harvard University. For 38 years, he was a member of the English department at the University of California, Berkeley; upon retirement, he held the title Class of 1942 Professor of English Emeritus. After coming to Smith, he took and helped to teach classes in Classics and continued to offer guest lectures in his field of Renaissance literature.

He leaves his sons, Benjamin Alpers and Nicholas Alpers; his stepchildren, Elizabeth Sklute and Jonathan Sklute; and his brothers, David Alpers and Edward Alpers.

Information regarding a memorial service will be forthcoming.

Marilyn Schuster
Provost and Dean of the Faculty