A. Donald Sellstrom *56

Donald Sellstrom, professor emeritus of French at the University of Texas (UT), died peacefully Oct. 14, 2018, at the age of 92.

Sellstrom served in the Navy’s V-12 officer training program from 1944 to 1946, and then earned a bachelor’s degree in English in 1948 at UT, followed by a master’s degree in French, also from UT, in 1949. He then spent a year in France as a Fulbright fellow, after which he earned a Ph.D. in modern languages and literature from Princeton in 1956.

He returned to UT, where he was a professor of French from 1958 until he retired in 1991. From 1972 to 1978 he was chair of the department of French and Italian. In 1975 the French government awarded him the Ordre des Palmes Académiques for his contributions to French language education.

While teaching at Princeton Sellstrom met Eleanor Wood McCleary, a secretary in the department of French and Italian. They were married in 1958 and lived happily for “60 years together, talking, traveling, and raising a family.” He contributed to the Graduate School’s Annual Giving campaign for 50 years.

Sellstrom is survived by his wife, Eleanor; four children; seven grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

Graduate memorials are prepared by the APGA.