Fletcher Professor of English Emeritus JesperRosenmeier passed away suddenly Thursday morning while on his way to class.
Although he retired in 2004, Rosenmeier continued to be involved with the Tufts community and was teaching an undergraduate course this semester through the Department of English.
"Those who were fortunate enough to know him and to work with him admired and respected him for his great enthusiasm and energy, for his passionate commitments as a teacher and a scholar of Puritanism and Early American Literature," Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences Joanne Berger-Sweeney told the Tufts community in an email. "His regular presence on campus makes his loss that much more painful, but his continuing evolution as a scholar and teacher - just before his death, he was planning a new course on environmental studies - makes his example that much more inspiring."
Colin Halvey, a sophomore student in Rosenmeier's "American Literature From 1620 to 1815" course, described him as a "great man" with an incredible "depth of character."
"He was a spiritual man whose love for others was boundless and whose tolerance and patience should serve as an example to us all," Halvey told the Daily in an email. "While it is natural for us to commemorate the passing of a man like this with tears and mourning, and we do him service in doing so, I know Jesper faced death with his usual twinkling smile and did not fear whatever was to come. He is a man to mourn, but he is, more importantly, a man whose life we should celebrate."
Rosenmeier graduated with a bachelor's degree in English from Princeton in 1957 and received a doctorate degree in History of American Civilization from Harvard, according to Berger-Sweeney. His tenure at Tufts began in 1962 as an English instructor and he served students for more than 40 years as an assistant professor, professor and program administrator.
"He was a valued member of the department as a teacher of both undergraduates and graduate students," Chair of the Department of English Joseph Litvak said. "He was instrumental in starting the American Studies Program at Tufts and a pioneer in that field."
The founder of the American Studies Program, Rosenmeier served as its program director several times between 1980 and 1992, according to Berger-Sweeney.
Elizabeth Ammons, a fellow professor of English, explained that Rosenmeier educated her about the American studies field and recruited her to teach courses in the program.
"He was passionate about [American Studies]," Ammons said. "It came from his sense of the importance of interdisciplinary work, in my opinion, long before most people had an appreciation for how important it is to be able to work across disciplines."
Ammons and Litvak added that Rosenmeier was also ahead of the times with regards to his passion for the environment.
"He taught a course called 'Roots and Growth,' and it brought together understanding about life on the planet in terms of things growing and our own human place in that system of growth," Ammons said. "It was before we had an environmental studies program."
Rosenmeier was the recipient of numerous fellowships and awards, according to Berger-Sweeney.
"He was widely published and participated and presented at workshops throughout his long career," she said. "At Tufts, he served on numerous departmental, program and university committees and subcommittees, including the Experimental College Board in 1970-1972, which produced the proposal for the Freshman Explorations Program."
Rosenmeier's compassion and dedication to his students was obvious, Halvey said.
"Jesper lived to split hearts of stone, to break into the hearts of his students and everyone around him, and we should consider this moment his final lesson to us," Halvey wrote. "We should cry for this man, but we should let our tears fall down onto a smile for the life that he lived and the man that he was, and appreciate the rarity of a man of this depth in this age of emotional extremism."
Litvak assured current students that the Department of English is working to find a professor to take Rosenmeier's place for the rest of the semester and that students will be able to receive credit for their course.
"It won't be the same as if Professor Rosenmeier were teaching the course, but we will do everything we can to provide the students with an academic experience so there should be no worrying about their being able to complete the semester," he said.
Litvak added that various departments will work together to prepare an appropriate memorial service. Additional information about these plans will be forthcoming.
