Passings Announcement
Passings: Derek Cohen
Derek Cohen, a professor emeritus of the English Department in York University’s Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, passed away peacefully on Oct. 11. Cohen, a beloved member of the English Department, came to York University in 1968 and taught Shakespeare and Renaissance drama until his retirement in 2008. He was revered by his […]
Passings: Professor Ila Goody
The Department of English mourns the passing of a long-time contract faculty member, Ila Goody. Prof. Goody earned her doctorate degree in English literature from the University of Toronto in the mid-seventies. She began teaching at York as a contract faculty member in 1984 and, over the years, taught an impressive variety of courses in […]
Passings: Judith A. Stuart
Professor Judith Anderson Stuart passed away on May 1 at the age of 70. Stuart was a long-serving contract faculty member in the Department of English and the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies. Stuart earned her Honours BA and MA in English Literature at the University of Toronto and later her PhD at […]
Passings: Professor Elizabeth Sabiston
Elizabeth “Betty” Sabiston – professor emerita in the Department of English in York’s Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, former acting master of Stong College and an accomplished author – passed away at 85 on April 29. Sabiston’s career at York began in 1973. Having started as a contract faculty member, she was eventually promoted […]
The Department of English mourns the passing of Prof. Marie-Christine Leps
At York, in addition to her focus on literary theory, discourse analysis, and modernism/postmodernism, she contributed to the graduate programs in English, Humanities, and Social and Political Thought. From 2011-14, and again in 2015-16, she served as the director of the Graduate Program in English and worked vigorously on behalf of the Faculty of Graduate […]
Passings: George Comninel, Professor Emeritus (December 9, 1951 to August 18, 2022)
Departmental Statement on the Passing of Professor Emeritus, George Comninel We are devastated by the passing of Professor Emeritus George Comninel and send our deepest and heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues near and far. George was a pillar of our academic community, who will be forever and dearly missed. His work in […]
Passings: Professor Marilou McKenna
Dr. Marilou McKenna earned her BA from University of Guelph and completed her PhD in Victorian Literature at York University. As a CUPE faculty member from the 1980s, she had experience teaching in a wide range of areas, including American and British Literature, gothic literature, and poetry. She was an active member of the William […]
Passings: Leo Panitch, Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus
We are devastated by the passing of Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus Leo Panitch and send our most heartfelt condolences to his family. Leo was the quintessential public intellectual. Informed by Marxist thought, he was a stalwart of social justice who helped us grasp the causes of oppression while offering a socialist vision of a different […]
Passings: Professor Douglas Freake
Prof. Freake’s long career at York began in 1976 when he joined the University as a contract faculty member. He became a full-time faculty member in 1991 and received tenure in 1996. He taught for most of his career in the Division, now Department, of Humanities and the Department of English. He served twice as […]