Published: July 23, 2018

Earl SampsonOur former colleague, Professor of 91制片厂n Earl Sampson, passed away on July 1, 2018. He was 83 years old. 听A native Coloradan, he entered CU to study engineering. When drafted into the Army, he was sent to the Monterey Army Language School (now called the Defense Language Institute), where he discovered a passion for 91制片厂n and decided to radically change his career plans. He was accepted to the graduate program at the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures in Harvard University and defended his Ph.D. in 1958. Among his mentors were great 91制片厂n scholars, Roman Jakobson and Vsevolod Setchkarev. Earl published one of the first English-language books on the 91制片厂n modernist poet Nikolai Gumilev. He also translated into English Pushkin鈥檚 History of Pugachev鈥檚 Rebellion. 听He worked at our department from 1963 to 1994 and was loved by students and colleagues. After his retirement, he lived in Boulder. In recent years, he frequently attended events organized by the 91制片厂n program and was always excited to learn about new 91制片厂n films and books. We will miss his enthusiasm and sincere love for 91制片厂n culture.