In Memoriam

With great sadness the Department announces the recent loss of our dear colleague, prolific scholar and admired teacher, Professor Emerita Elizabeth S. Belfiore. Betty died peacefully in hospice on Nov. 7, attended by her husband Peter and son Michael. She was 79. The cause of death was a fast-developing cancer.

Published October 23, 2023 by Penelope Laurans, YaleNews:

Joseph Solodow, a linguistic polymath whose erudition yielded several unique scholarly contributions and who taught in Yale’s Department of Classics from 1985 through last year, died unexpectedly on Oct. 4 . He was 76.

Published October 10, 2023 by Ben Raab, Yale Daily News:

Before taking Joseph Solodow’s “Roman Dining” seminar, Anya AitSahlia ’25 had no intention of becoming a Classics major. Within weeks, she changed her mind.

“It only took a few class sessions for me to realize I wanted nothing more than to study Classics here,” AitSahlia wrote to the News. “And, more, to study Classics with him.”

Solodow, a Latin professor in Yale’s department of Classics, died of cancer on Wednesday, Oct. 4. He was 76.

Published September 27, 2023 by Princeton Classics:

We announce with great sadness the death of Janet Martin on August 30th. An expert in medieval Latin, early leader in the Women’s Classical Caucus, and the first woman to receive tenure in the department’s history, Janet taught at Princeton Classics for thirty-seven years before transferring to emeritus status in 2010.

Published August 28, 2023 by Haverford College:

Joseph Russo, who taught classics at Haverford for more than 30 years, died August 16 at his home in upstate New York of complications from a motor neuron disease. He was 86.

Published July 18, 2023 in AIA News:

It is with profound sorrow that we announce the passing of Diane Harris Cline, a longtime member and friend to the AIA. Diane passed away on July 8th, 2023, after a lengthy battle with cancer. She is survived by her loving parents, Robert and Sandra Robbins Harris, sisters Elaine and Janet Harris, husband, Eric H. Cline, and children, Hannah and Joshua Harris Cline.

Submitted by Deborah Boedeker, with contributions by Adam Blistein and Helen Cullyer

An internationally renowned classical archaeologist and art historian, Gloria Ferrari was born in Bologna and received her Laurea in Lettere Classiche at Università degli Studi di Roma and her Ph.D. in 1976 from the University of Cincinnati. She taught at Wilson College, Bryn Mawr College (where she was the Doreen Canaday Spitzer Professor of Classical Studies), the University of Chicago, and Harvard University, from which she retired in 2003.

Published Sep 26, 2023 in UT News:

Paul Woodruff, renowned classicist and philosopher and inaugural dean of undergraduate studies at The University of Texas at Austin, died this past weekend at the age of 80. He was the author, editor or translator of more than 20 books, an innovator in undergraduate education, and an award-winning teacher. He leaves behind his wife of 49 years, Lucia Woodruff, their daughters Rachel and Katherine, and six grandchildren.