Ethyle Renee Wolfe (March 4, 1919 – May 6, 2010) was an American

classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

professor who taught at

Brooklyn College Brooklyn College is a public university in Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York. It is part of the City University of New York system and enrolls about 15,000 undergraduate and 2,800 graduate students on a 35-acre campus. Being New York City's first publ ...

. During her many years at the college, she developed the Humanities Institute (now named after her) and was awarded the

Charles Frankel Prize The National Humanities Medal is an American award that annually recognizes several individuals, groups, or institutions for work that has "deepened the nation's understanding of the humanities, broadened our citizens' engagement with the human ...

in 1990.

Biography

Wolfe was born on March 4, 1919, in

Burlington, Vermont Burlington is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the seat of Chittenden County. It is located south of the Canada–United States border and south of Montreal. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 44,743. It ...

. She went to the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is amon ...

(UVM) where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1940 and two years later, with a master's degree. Afterwards, she went to

Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr College ( ; Welsh: ) is a women's liberal arts college in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Founded as a Quaker institution in 1885, Bryn Mawr is one of the Seven Sister colleges, a group of elite, historically women's colleges in the United St ...

where she studied with

T.R.S. Broughton Thomas Robert Shannon Broughton, FBA (; 17 February 1900 – 17 September 1993) was a Canadian classical scholar and leading Latin prosopographer of the twentieth century. He is especially noted for his definitive three-volume work, '' Magistr ...

Lily Ross Taylor Lily Ross Taylor (born August 12, 1886, in Auburn, Alabama - died November 18, 1969, in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania) was an American academic and author, who in 1917 became the first female Fellow of the American Academy in Rome. Biography Born in ...

and

Richmond Lattimore Richmond Alexander Lattimore (May 6, 1906 – February 26, 1984) was an American poet and classicist known for his translations of the Greek classics, especially his versions of the ''Iliad'' and ''Odyssey''. Early life and career Born to David ...

, though she did not earn a degree. Wolfe started working at

as a lecturer in 1947. She earned her Ph.D. from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

(NYU) in 1950. After earning her doctorate, she was promoted to assistant professor at Brooklyn College. In 1967, she was made the chair of the department of Classics and Comparative Literature. From 1965 to 1971, she was the associate editor for ''

Classical World Classical antiquity (also the classical era, classical period or classical age) is the period of cultural history between the 8th century BC and the 5th century AD centred on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ...

''. Wolfe was involved in the creation of the Humanities institute at Brooklyn College in the 1970s. In 1982, she became a provost and vice president of academic affairs at Brooklyn College. When Wolfe retired from Brooklyn College, the humanities institute there was named the Ethyle R. Wolfe Humanities Institute in her honor. In 1990, she was one of the winners of the

given by the

National Endowment for the Humanities The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency of the U.S. government, established by thNational Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965(), dedicated to supporting research, education, preserv ...

. Wolfe died on May 6, 2010.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolfe, Ethyle R. 1919 births 2010 deaths American women academics Brooklyn College faculty National Humanities Medal recipients New York University alumni People from Burlington, Vermont University of Vermont alumni 21st-century American women