IN MEMORIAM: Henry Grosshans, Retired WSU Honors College Faculty Member

PULLMAN, Wash.—WSU Honors College history professor Henry Paul Grosshans, 89, passed away Oct. 21, 2010, in Shoreline, Wash.  He taught world civilizations classes for the what was then Honors Program for several years.  He retired in 1982 after 30 years as a WSU faculty member.

“Those (Honors) classes were not only his passion but also inspired portions of his book, ‘The Search for Modern Europe,’” writes his son Geoffrey to Honors Dean Libby Walker.  Geoffrey served as an assistant director of the Honors Program when Dr. V.N. “Vic” Bhatia was its director.

“When I talk to alumni who were students in Honors during the early years of the program, Henry Grosshans’ name is often the one mentioned as the faculty member they remember as having the largest impact on their Honors experience,” says Dean Walker.  “He was definitely a legend in Honors.”

Henry Grosshans, a Rhodes Scholar, also served as editor of the WSU Press, raisings its profile as a scholarly publisher by attracting notable journals in the sciences and humanities and authoring articles of his own.  His obituary contains additional information about his numerous lifetime accomplishments, and a link where remembrances can be posted.

He is survived by Geoffrey and his family, Nonglack and Kleigh Grosshans, and daughter Annie Grosshans and her family, Robert and Sam Henry Flanigan.  Donna Ruth Grosshans, his partner for over 60 years, passed away in 2008.

---

CONTACT: Beverly Makhani, Communications Director, WSU Honors College, 509-335-6679, makhani@wsu.edu