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Longtime professor remembered as a ‘warm, kind, and caring person’
A service in remembrance and celebration of the life of Howard Marblestone, Charles Elliott Professor of Foreign Languages and Literatures, will be held at 4 p.m. Friday, March 7, in Colton Chapel. A reception for the family and members of the Lafayette community will be held prior to the service, from 3–3:45 p.m. in the Faculty Dining Room in Marquis Hall.
Marblestone died Jan. 29 after a very brief illness.
Margarete Lamb-Faffelberger, professor and head of foreign languages & literatures, described Marblestone as a warm, kind, and caring person. “His students loved him. He always had a positive attitude and was very thoughtful.”
During his 34 years at Lafayette, Marblestone taught Greek and Latin language and literatures, biblical Hebrew language and literature, classical literature in translation, classical mythology, and the ancient history of Greece, Rome, and Israel.
He had announced his retirement at the end of this academic year in an article in the latest department newsletter. In that article, Marblestone said he has enjoyed sharing his love of classical literature and history with a young, eager audience.
“Our society has established an artificial barrier between ancient and modern that we really shouldn’t have,” Marblestone says. “Once students really get involved in the classics, they’re fascinated. There’s so much that comes to them directly from the ancient sources.”
Marblestone has also taught the First-Year Seminar “Of Males and Men: Myths of Masculinity” and numerous interim-session abroad courses in countries such as Egypt, Israel, Greece, and Italy. In 2001, he received the Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award and served as the Jones Faculty Lecturer in 1978.
His research focused primarily on Greek and Hebrew literature and the influence of the Classics upon the cultural formation of modern Israel. He has published in dozens of scholarly journals in various languages.
He has also served as a mentor for students performing their own research. His most recent student was classical civilization graduate Julia Kumpan ’07. She completed an honors thesis that explored the significance of the number three in ancient religions leading up to the establishment of Christianity’s Holy Trinity.
Marblestone joined the faculty as an assistant professor in 1974, and was promoted to associate professor in 1978 before being named full professor and granted the endowed chair of Elliott Professor in 2004. He served as department head from 1985-87 and from 1994-1998. He also served as the coordinator of the Classical Civilization minor. He received his M.A. and Ph.D. in Mediterranean studies from Brandeis University and an A.B. in Greek and Latin from Cornell University.
Marblestone is survived by his wife, Reba, daughters Rachel and Sharon, and five grandchildren.