John C. Pratt *65

John Pratt, professor emeritus of English at Colorado State University, died Jan. 2, 2017. He was 84.

He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1954, and earned a master’s degree from Columbia in 1960. A Ph.D. in English from Princeton followed in 1965. From 1954 to 1974, Pratt served in the Air Force, retiring as a lieutenant colonel.

In the Air Force, he was a jet instructor, command pilot, and professor of English at the Air Force Academy. Pratt served in Vietnam and Laos and was awarded the Air Medal and Bronze Star. His war experiences produced two well-received books, The Laotian Fragments (1974) and Vietnam Voices: Perspectives on the War Years 1941-1982 (1983).

After a Fulbright professorship at the University of Lisbon, Pratt became chair of the English department at Colorado State, retiring in 2002. He wrote or edited more than 18 books and many scholarly articles, poems, and book reviews. He was active in local music and veterans associations, and also was a ski patrolman.

Pratt was predeceased by Doreen, his wife of 34 years. He is survived by four children, two stepdaughters, and seven grandchildren.

Graduate memorials are prepared by the APGA.