Charles Bonjean, emeritus professor of sociology, died Feb. 20 at the age of 72. The former executive director of the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health taught at the university for 40 years. Bonjean served as chair of the sociology department from 1972 to 1974 when he was appointed Hogg Professor of Sociology, a position he held until he retired in 2002. His research interests included formal organizations, evaluation research and mental health.
John W. F. Dulles, professor of American and Latin American studies, died June 23 at the age of 95. The son of former Secretary of State John Foster Dulles taught at the university for 45 years. Dulles was a noted scholar of the history of Brazil and an affiliate of the Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies. He authored 12 books on the political history of Brazil during the 20th century, including “Resisting Brazil’s Military Regime,” “Brazilian Communism,” “Castello Branco, The Making of a Brazilian President,” “Anarchists and Communists in Brazil” and “Unrest in Brazil.”
Tony Hilfer, the Iris Howard Regents Professor of English Literature, died April 11 in a car accident at the age of 71. He taught at the university for 45 years. Hilfer was a renowned scholar of popular genres. His book, “The Crime Novel: A Deviant Genre,” was one of the first to define the characteristics of crime fiction and provide a critical treatment of the genre. His recent book, “The New Hegemony in Literary Studies: Contradictions in Theory,” won the admiration of playwright David Mamet. Hilfer also was the long-time editor of the journal, Texas Studies in Language and Literature.
Gardner Lindzey, professor emeritus of psychology, died Feb. 4. Lindzey served as chair of the Department of Psychology from 1964 to 1969. He was instrumental in transforming the department from a relatively small group to a large and internationally recognized faculty. He edited the “Handbook of Social Psychology,” a seminal work that has been a professional resource for a generation.
Elspeth Rostow, professor emeritus of government, died Dec. 9, 2007. An internationally recognized expert on national politics and U.S foreign policy, Rostow served as dean of the LBJ School of Public Affairs from 1977 to 1983. She also taught at Barnard, Sarah Lawrence, MIT, Georgetown, American University and the University of Cambridge.
John Slatin, rofessor of Rhetoric and Writing and English, died March 24 at the age of 55. He taught at the university for 29 years. Slatin, who was visually impaired, was founding director of the university’s Accessibility Institute, which monitored the university’s compliance with national accessibility standards and promoted Web accessibility for all users. He authored numerous articles about technology and learning, and the book “Maximum Accessibility: Making Your Web Site More Usable for Everyone.” His work on accessibility issues with the World Wide Web Consortium earned international acclaim.