Stow Persons

PERSONS, TORRELL, CUMMINGS, REUSS, ROB

Posted By: Tara (email)
Date: 7/3/2009 at 11:38:54

Stow Persons, Carver Professor of History Emeritus at the University of Iowa, died on January 6 at his home in the Oaknoll Retirement Residence from complications of Parkinson’s disease. His body was deeded to the University of Iowa College of Medicine. At his rquest there will be no memorial service. Memorial donations may be made to the Oaknoll Foundation or, through the University of Iowa Foundation, to the University of Iowa Department of History or to the Special Collections Department of the University of Iowa Library.

Stow was born June 15, 1913 in Mt. Carmel, Connecticut, the son of Frederick Torrell and Florence (Cummings) Persons. On September 4, 1943 he married Dorothy Reuss in Princeton, New Jersey. he received his BA and PhD degrees in history from Yale University and taught at Princeton University from 1940 until he joined the University of Iowa Department of History in 1950. He was acting dean of the Graduate College in 1960-1961, and served as chairman of the Faculty Senate and Council in 1969-1970. He retired in 1981. He held visiting professorships at the Salzburg (Austria) Seminar, Stetson University, San Francisco State College, the University of Wyoming and the University of Colorado.

Persons was the author of several historical works including Free Religion, American Minds, The Decline of American Gentility, Ethnic Studies at Chicago, and the University of Iowa in the Twentieth Century.

Survivors include his wife Dorothy Reuss Person of Iowa City, a daughter Catherine Persons and son-in-law Peter Rob of Nome, Alaska.

Two brothers, Theodore Persons and Dwight Persons preceded him in death.