Walter LaFeber: Teacher, Scholar, and Inspiration
Walter LaFeber, one of America’s most distinguished historians, wowed three generations of Cornellians from the moment he arrived on campus in 1959 down through his death in 2021. He was a legendary teacher whose lectures on American diplomatic history packed Bailey Hall in the 1960s and 1970s on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and, yes, Saturdays. He was a prize-winning scholar whose insightful accounts of U.S. relations with Russia, Central America, and Japan and best-selling textbook, The American Age, became “must-reads” in history courses across the country.
He was also a remarkable mentor to hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students who pursued careers in college teaching, U.S. government service, the law, the fine arts, and business and industry.
As a testament to LaFeber’s influence, the Center for Presidential History joined a host of these former students to do three things:
1. Host a conference at the Cornell Tech campus in New York.
2. Publish a Festschrift with Cornell University Press to honor LaFeber.
3. Collect a set of oral histories to preserve and understand LaFeber’s influence on multiple generations of students and scholars.
You will find information related to each of these below.
CONFERENCE:
On October 27-29, 2023, dozens of Walter LaFeber’s former students will gather at a conference to remember and honor his life, work, and influence. The conference will take place in New York City, on the campus of Cornell Tech.
Click here to view all of the details of the conference, including the speakers and schedule.
FESTSCHRIFT BOOK - THINKING OTHERWISE:
Walt liked to say that “a professor is someone who thinks otherwise,” an aphorism that resonates with the thirty participants in this conference and countless other Cornell alums whose lives he changed.
With the cooperation of Cornell University Press, many of these former students, now scholars in their own right, wrote a book to honor him. Each chapter explores a combination of LaFeber’s ideas, published works, and their influence on the world.
Click here for more information about the book, including purchase information and free PDFs of the entire book and each individual chapter.
ORAL HISTORY
The Center for Presidential History is producing a collection of filmed oral histories, contributed by Walter LaFeber’s former students. These explore LaFeber’s career and development, students’ memories of him, and reflections on LaFeber’s influence on scholarship, politics, and the wider world.
Click here to view these oral histories and transcripts.