J. Lyndon Shanley ’32 *37

The class lost another eminent professor when Lyn Shanley died Oct. 22, 1996, at the Wagner Health Center in Evanston, Ill., after a long illness.

Having received both his bachelor's degree and PhD in English from Princeton, Lyn joined the faculty of Northwestern U. in 1936 and remained there until he retired in 1978. During that time, he was first assistant, and then associate, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. From 1952-67, he was also chairman for the Region IX selection committee for the Woodrow Wilson Natl. Fellowship Foundation.

Lyn was widely known for his scholarship in connection with the work of Henry David Thoreau. His book The Making of Walden revealed that this classic had been written in eight different drafts over a period of almost a decade, and showed that Walden was one of the most crafted works in American literature. A building on the Evanston campus was named for Lyn in the 1940s, an unusual honor for a relatively young professor.

Lyn's wife, Barbara, predeceased him. He is survived by a son, F. Sheppard, a daughter, Mary Lyndon, and two grandchildren. The class offers them its sincere condolences.

The Class of 1932