Thanks to Richard Jensen at H-NET Central for passing along the appended
news item:
Merle Curti died last Saturday 3/9/96 in Madison, Wisonsin at age
98. He was among the most proflific and influential historians
of the century.
Born in rural Nebraska in 1897, Curti worked with Frederick
Jackson Turner at Harvard and took a PhD in 1927. After teaching
at Smith College (1925-1937) and Teachers College (Columbia U)
(1937-47), he went to Wisconsin (1947-68). He directed
innumerable dissertations, and has been emeritus for 28 years.
Curti served as president of the American Historical Association
(1953-54). He wrote widely on intellectual history and the
history of education, and was a pioneer in the new social
history. The "Curti-Todd" textbook was standard for generations
of high school students. His memory is honored by two prizes
awarded by the OAH.