William Charles Kirk Jr. ’32 *38

BILL KIRK, a scholar and longtime classics teacher, died in Washington, D.C., on Mar. 10, 1990.

Bill came to Princeton from Exeter, and quickly established himself as a scholar. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa, and returned to Princeton for an MA in 1933 and a Ph.D. in classics in 1938. Most of his life was spent in teaching. He went first to Grove City College, where he taught an astonishing variety of courses, including Latin, Greek, German, French, history, sociology, and English grammar. In 1948 he transferred to Florida State and rounded out his career teaching classics there.

In 1936 he married Muriel Margaret Main. They had two children, Kathleen Louise and William C. III.

Bill had strong connections with the church. He was a deacon, then chairman of the board of deacons both in the First Presbyterian Church of Grove City and the First Presbyterian Church of Tallahassee after its move south. In Tallahassee he helped found the local Y.M.C.A. and was a member of its first board of directors. He was also president of the Florida Classical Assn. and president of the Florida State Univ. chapter of the American Assn. of University Professors. After retirement Bill moved to Washington, D.C., and in recent years was active as a volunteer in the American Heart Assn. To his survivors we send deepest sympathy.