Gene J. Barberet *52

Gene, of Storrs-Mansfield, Conn., died of complications of COVID-19 Jan. 11, 2021, his 101st birthday.

Born in Oakville, Conn., to parents who had emigrated from Alsace, France, Gene earned a bachelor’s degree in French from Clark University in 1941. His studies were interrupted by World War II, when he served in the U.S. Army Air Corps, working at a support job for the Air Transport Command in Assam, India. After the war he entered Princeton and earned a doctoral degree in modern languages and literature in 1952.

A specialist in 20th-century French literature, Gene joined the Department of Modern and Classical Languages at the University of Connecticut in 1949, retiring in 1990. Twice he directed UConn’s study-abroad program in France, and he served two terms as president of the Connecticut Association of Teachers of French. The French government named him a Chevalier des Palmes Académiques to honor his contributions to that nation’s culture.

An exercise enthusiast, chef of healthy French foods, and avid reader and conversationalist, he was a model of how to pursue an active life in retirement.

Gene is survived by his wife, Audrey; son John; daughter Rosemary; and four grandsons.

Graduate alumni memorials are prepared by the APGA.