A former associate University librarian and emeritus English professor, Richard Ludwig, died April 28 in his home in Princeton. He was 82.
Ludwig was "charismatic," said Stephen Ferguson, a former colleague of Ludwig's and curator of rare books at Firestone Library. Ludwig "had a special charm about him," Ferguson said.
In addition to his amiable character, Ludwig was also an accomplished librarian. "Literary History of the United States," a comprehensive piece for which Ludwig was the chief bibliographer and coeditor, was the "first of its kind," Ferguson said.
It was because of his skills as a bibliographer that Ludwig found a "natural segway" into the University Library's Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, which he was appointed to head in 1974, Ferguson said.
While under Ludwig's guidance, the collections grew drastically, with such acquisitions of works by Sir Thomas More, F. Scott Fitzgerald '17, Ernest Hemingway, Adlai Stevenson and Woodrow Wilson 1879.
Ludwig managed the enlargement of the library, including the constructions of the Milberg exhibition gallery and the Seeley Mudd Manuscript Library.
Ludwig was also able to procure certain donations from Howard Behrman. Behrman, whose endowment enlarged the library's collection with holdings by authors of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Ludwig was also influential as an English professor.
"[Ludwig] was a very effective classroom teacher," Ferguson said. One of Ludwig's former students, Michael Spence '66, the winner of the Nobel Prize in economics, established the Richard M. Ludwig Endowment Fund for the purchase of rare books and manuscripts for the University library.
Others have recognized Ludwig's work with similar honors.
New York collector Leonard Milberg '53 donated important collections, such as works of American and Irish poetry, to the library in Ludwig's honor. When Ludwig retired in 1986, Viscountess Mary Eccles presented the Raymond Mortimer Papers to the library in honor of Ludwig.
Ludwig was the editor of such works as "Aspects of American Poetry" and "Letters of Ford Madox Ford." Series. He received the McCosh Faculty Fellowship, one of the highest honors bestowed on faculty members.
The list of Ludwig's accomplishments, though, does not convey how gracious he was personally.
Read More
GSG approves audit, delays budget approval after ‘insufferable’ meeting
Nikki HanThe final Graduate Student Government (GSG) meeting for the semester lasted more than an hour and a half when discussions over the proposed budget for the next year and a proposed Student Life Fee of $100 turned controversial.
The final Graduate Student Government (GSG) meeting for the semester lasted more than an hour and a half when discussions over the proposed budget for the next year and a proposed Student Life Fee of $100 turned controversial.
Effort to restore chapel’s pews slowly progresses
Ben GoldstonHead carpenter Jim Sullivan has been restoring the Chapel pews over the last year. The dry atmosphere of the Chapel has warped the wooden pews over the years.
Head carpenter Jim Sullivan has been restoring the Chapel pews over the last year. The dry atmosphere of the Chapel has warped the wooden pews over the years.
Metals, molecules, and medicine: chemical biology’s influence on health and sustainability
Aanya KaseraChemistry professor Chris Chang’s lab studies the chemical biology of the elements, specifically examining the roles that copper, iron, and zinc play in biology across all kingdoms of life.
Chemistry professor Chris Chang’s lab studies the chemical biology of the elements, specifically examining the roles that copper, iron, and zinc play in biology across all kingdoms of life.