Thomas R. Cleary *70

Thomas Cleary, retired professor of English at the University of Victoria in British Columbia in Canada, died Oct. 4, 2018, at age 78.

Born in New York City, Cleary graduated from Queens College in 1965 after three years in the Army. He won a Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship for future college teachers and took it to Princeton, where he earned a Ph.D. in English in 1970, specializing in 18th-century literature.

In 1969 Cleary, his first wife, Ruth, and baby daughter immigrated to Canada, and he began his 33-year career in the department of English at the University of Victoria. He received an Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching. Active in the university’s administration, he was twice English department chair. Also, he was ombudsman, president of the faculty association, elected to the Senate, and appointed to the board of governors.

Cleary retired in 2002, and he and his second wife, Jean, became world travelers. They also worked on and cherished the five homes they had in their three decades together.

He is survived by his wife, Jean; his three children; three stepchildren; six grandchildren; and five step-grandchildren. His ex-wife, Ruth, predeceased him.

Graduate memorials are prepared by the APGA.