Dear Colleagues,

We received sad news from our retired colleague and former chair Charles Molesworth yesterday, letting us know that Professor Emerita of English, Maureen Waters, had died. Maureen taught a wide range of courses for us, from English 110 to master’s seminars; she was an expert on Irish literature, she created our course on Comedy and Satire (English 390), and she served for a long period of time on the Department’s Personnel and Budget Committee and as our Associate Chair. Maureen is survived by her husband, David Kleinbard, also an emeritus faculty member of the English Department.

The following obituary appeared in the New York Times on December 2, 2016:

WATERS–Maureen A.

August 9, 1935 – November 25, 2016. With much love we remember Maureen Waters, dear wife, mother, and grandmother. She was a woman of great visible and inner beauty. We miss her and grieve that we have lost her. Professor Emerita of English at Queens College CUNY, Maureen was the author of four books–“In Black Bear Country” (a collection of poems), “Crossing Highbridge: A Memoir of Irish America,” “Lady Gregory: Selected Writings” (edited with an introduction by Maureen and Lucy McDiarmid), and “The Comic Irishman” (a critical study of modern Irish fiction and drama), and many published essays. She earned her doctorate at Columbia University and was a popular, much respected and admired professor at Queens. She is survived by David Kleinbard, her husband, Lee Oser, her son, his wife, Kate, and her granddaughters, Eleanor Marie and Briana Steen Oser. Her son, Brian, died tragically in 1993. Her sister, Agnes, died in 2014. Brian’s partner, Nancy Wise, and Jeremiah, her son, also survive Maureen. A memorial service will be announced. Donations may be made in memory of Maureen to The Fund for Queens College, the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation, Rocking the Boat, and the Catskill Center. Services are under the direction of Copeland Funeral Home, Inc., 162 South Putt Corners Road, New Paltz, NY 12561. Condolences may be made to the family at www.copelandfhnp.com

Sincerely,

Glenn Burger, Chairperson