John W. Velz

John W. Velz was born 5 August, 1930 in Englewood, N.J., and grew up in Westchester County, N.Y. His B. A. (With High Distinction and Honors in English, Phi Beta Kappa) and M.A. were from the University of Michigan; his Ph.D was from the University of Minnesota (1963), where he also taught. He was also a faculty member at the College of St. Thomas (St. Paul) and Rice University before coming to the University of Texas in 1969. Upon his retirement in 1996, he was appointed Professor Emeritus. His reference book, Shakespeare and the Classical Tradition: A Critical Guide to Commentary, 1660¬-1960 (1968) won citations from the American Library Association and The Association of College and Research Libraries. John lived in the world of medieval and Elizabethan theater, mostly Shakespeare. His career and delight rested on his reputation and skill as a Shakespeare scholar, teacher and theater person. He distilled his life and career into a delightful small book, Exit Pursued by a Bear: Encounters with Shakespeare and Shakespeareans, which he had offered as a legacy of his adventures as a Shakespeare scholar. His work in the field of Shakespeare and classical studies was extensive: 6 edited collections, 60 articles, and 100 conference presentations. He was granted fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Folger Shakespeare Library, the Fulbright Foundation, a Kosiuszko Foundation Fellowship for a lecture tour in Eastern and Central Europe in 1993. He is survived by 2 sisters: Joanne Hart, Mary Catherine (Rusty) Jarvis; 5 daughters: Sue (Van) Davis, Wendy (Paul) Jennings, Jennifer (William) Campbell, Jody (Curtis) Chang, and Emily (Topish) Palit. He is also survived by 7 grandchildren, 5 great-grandchildren, and a host of nieces and nephews. John loved the Episcopal Eucharistic service, and when able, attended the Sunday 5:30 service at All Saints. Austin. He enjoyed chopping wood, telling stories, visiting with his dear friends, and the company of his beloved dog, Rosie. Funeral Services will be held Tuesday, November 25, 2008 at 1:00 PM, All Saints Episcopal Church, 209 W. 27th St., Austin TX. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic, Texas Unit; All Saints Episcopal Church; St Gregory's Abbey, OSB , in Three Rivers MI 49008; or Shakespeare at Windale c/o the University of TX English Dept.