Percas, Nicholas 1889-1965

PERCAS, BABENCO, PONSETI

Posted By: Marilyn Holmes
Date: 7/12/2014 at 07:50:33

The Grinnell (IA) Herald-Register

RITES PENDING FOR DR. NICHOLAS PERCAS;
GRINNELL COLLEGE PROFESSOR EMERITUS

Nicholas Percas, 76, retired Grinnell College classical languages professor died here Sunday after a long period of failing health.

Funeral arrangements are pending at Smith Funeral Home.

Dr. Percas, who joined the Grinnell faculty in 1947 as a full professor and as head of the department of classical languages, retired from active teaching in 1954 with the rank of professor emeritus of classical languages and comparative literature, but continued to teach on a part-time basis for several years thereafter. During the year 1950-51, he was designated as Trustees' Honor Professor in recognition of his superior teaching.

Born in Alexandria, Egypt, Mar. 14th, 1889, he was married to Ana Babenco in 1912. The couple came to the United States in 1941 and he served as a lecturer in Spanish language and literature at Rockford (Ill.) College for one year and as professor of Spanish at St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y. for five years before coming to Grinnell.

Prior to that he had served as professor of modern languages and classical Greek at the University of Valencia in Spain and as professor of Latin, Spanish literature, and world literature at the Instituto Blasco Ibanez in Spain, and as director of the Instituto de Idiomas in Caracas, Venezuela.

Dr. Percas earned his undergraduate degree from St. Katherine College in Alexandria, Egypt, in 1909, and held graduate certificates or degrees from the University of Paris in France, and from the Institute Luis Vives, the University of Valencia, and the University of Madrid in Spain. He had additional graduate study in the United States at Columbia University.

For many years he was a consistent contributor to foreign language publications in his field and prior to coming to the United States, was an active participant in Spanish educational associations. The Percas' had traveled widely in Spain, France, Belgium, England, Italy, Greece, Egypt, and South America.

In addition to his wife, Dr. Percas is survived by one daughter, Mrs. Ignacio V. (Helena) Ponseti of Iowa City, who is also a member of the Grinnell faculty with the rank of professor of Spanish.