ntinued with Ph.D. level work at the University of Iowa which he completed with the exception of writing a dissertation. He had a great love for older forms of English, French, and Welsh, and translated many poems from these languages. In 1982, Bill began teaching English at Iowa Wesleyan University where he was promoted to Associate Professor of English. He was a kind man, a devoted teacher, and an engaged, intellectually curious colleague. He is remembered fondly by many students. He taught the freshman course Foundations of English, as well as film studies, and older English literature such as Beowulf and Chaucer. He served as the faculty advisor for the English honor society, Sigma Tau Delta, and contributed numerous photographs and poems he had translated that were published in the university's literary magazine, Design. When he retired in 2013, the university granted him Emeritus status for his thirty-one years of distinguished service. Bill had a robust interest in film and film history. He amassed a large collection of films in reel-to-reel format, as well as VHS tapes, and more recently DVDs. He also collected vintage film projectors and slide projectors. From time to time, he presented programs in the community about film. He is preceded in death by his parents.
Ralph J Wittich-Riley-Freers Funeral Home
Muscatine, IA 52761
More obituaries