CHRISTOPHER EBERT SCHMIDT-NOWARA

1966 - 2015

Schmidt-Nowara, Christopher Ebert, PhD Of Somerville died suddenly on June 27, 2015 after a brief illness, while visiting his daughter in Paris, France. He was 48 years old. Chris was Professor of History and Prince of Asturias Chair in Spanish Culture and Civilization at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. Chris was a prominent scholar of Spanish history and culture. He obtained his PhD in 1995 from the University of Michigan and was a Fulbright Scholar and a Mellon Foundation Fellow during his graduate study. His work focused on the history of slavery and abolition in the Hispanic world as well as the history of politics and ideas in the Spanish empire, especially during the imperial crises of the nineteenth century. His first book, Empire and Anti-Slavery: Spain, Cuba and Puerto Rico, 1833-1874, published in 1999, is considered ground-breaking in the field, a work that established Chris as an essential voice in the study of nineteenth century Spain and Latin America. Chris subsequently published several well-received books about the Spanish Empire, further cementing his central role in the area of study. Before taking his position at Tufts, Chris was a professor of history at Fordham University in New York, New York from 1998 until 2011 and a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University from 1995 until 1998. In every setting, Chris was recognized for his ebullient personality, keen intellect, devotion to historical study, irreverent sense of humor, and loyal friendship. Chris was an avid sports fan, an aficionado of film noir and crime novels, and a lover of good food and better beer. Although a resident of Somerville for a relatively short time, Boston helped form Chris's identity throughout his life, in particular as a passionate citizen of the Red Sox Nation. Chris spent significant time visiting the New England area as a young person with his beloved grandparents, Robert H. Ebert, M.D. and Emily Hirsch Ebert. Both remained strong influences on Chris's intellectual and professional development throughout his life. Dr. Ebert was Dean of the Harvard Medical School from 1965 until 1977. Chris was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1966 and grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is survived by his beloved daughter Althea Rose Spieler-Nowara, his parents Elizabeth Ebert Schmidt-Nowara and Wolfgang Schmidt-Nowara, M.D., his brother Peter and sister Molly, step-mother Ellen Marder, M.D., step-grandmother Barbara Ebert, step-sisters Wendy Marder, M.D. and Dinah Marder Zeiss, uncles John Ebert of Belmont and Thomas Ebert, M.D., of West Boylston, and a large extended family throughout the United States and Europe, including nieces and nephews who loved their Uncle Chris. He is also remembered and celebrated by friends and colleagues across the globe. Memorial services are planned for Boston at Tufts University in the fall.