John D. Gerhart *75

John Gerhart, international expert on African agriculture and land use, died at age 59 July 15, 2003, in NYC of cancer of the appendix.

At the Woodrow Wilson School Gerhart first examined the green revolution in Africa for his PhD. He spent 29 years with the Ford Foundation, ultimately as director for Africa and the Middle East, and then became president of the American U. in Cairo, where he continued to balance the fundamentalism of Islam with Western-style academic freedom. A prominent birdwatcher, Gerhart also promoted traditional African arts.

He is survived by his wife, Gail; by his daughter, Leslie; and his son, Nathaniel.

The Graduate Alumni