Robert Max ter Horst ’52

Bob died Nov. 2, 2025, in Mobile, Ala.

He came to us from Paterson, N.J., and majored in French and German. He served for four years as an officer in the Navy following graduation. He continued to Johns Hopkins University, earning a master’s degree in French in 1961 and Ph.D. in Spanish language and literature in 1963, and meeting his ex-wife and close friend, Eleanor, a fellow Ph.D. student.

His first positions were in several universities (University of Wisconsin-Madison, Duke University, and University of Rochester), followed by 19 years at the University of Arizona at Tucson. In 1988, he moved back to the University of Rochester as a full professor in comparative languages, remaining there until his retirement. He then moved to Mobile to be near his daughter and daughter-in-law.

In addition to numerous articles and a strong scholarly legacy, Bob wrote two books: Calderon: The Secular Plays and The Fortunes of the Novel: A Study in the Transposition of a Genre.

He was devoted to learning and teaching and was known as a generous mentor to his graduate students. He enjoyed classical music and found a love of long distance running in midlife, moving to intense gym workouts later in life. He volunteered at the Nineteenth Ward Community Association in Rochester, and the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley.

The class offers its condolences to his daughters: Eleanor (Karen Smith) and Catherine Blalock; and his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.