George R. Creeger

1925 - 2014

George R. Creeger of Middle Haddam, Connecticut died peacefully on November 1, 2014 at Brookside Nursing Home in Wilder, Vermont. Born in 1925 in Attleboro, Massachusetts, the son of Methodist Minister whose parishes included Middletown, Connecticut (where George met his wife Elva, the daughter of Wesleyan University professor Carl Stearns - they were married there in 1951), and other New England towns, he graduated from Depaw University in 1945, Phi Beta Kappa. After graduation, he served a tour of duty as an Army Air Corps Master Sargent at Tachikawa airbase in post-war Japan. He returned to pursue graduate study at Yale where he earned Master's and PhD degrees and was a Junior Sterling Fellow. Hired as an English instructor at Wesleyan University in 1951, by the time of his retirement in 1999, he had served as Professor of English, Director of the College of Letters, Dean of the College, Secretary and Chair of the Faculty, and was the Wilbur Fisk Osborne Professor of English. A teacher first and foremost, Dr. Creeger's appreciation of all things beautiful produced many courses and publications on Romantic and American literature and poetry, American art, architecture, and material culture, and opera. Known as a brilliant teacher whose deep resonant voice was instantly recognizable, he was much beloved by a devoted following of students. When it was inaugurated in 1993, he was the first recipient of the Binswanger Award for excellence in teaching. George and Elva were founding contributors to the Wasch Center for Retired Faculty - a room there is dedicated to them. Dr. Creeger also taught at the University of Berlin and in Wurzburg, Germany as a Fullbright Guest Professor as well as Mystic Seaport, The Museum of America and the Sea in Connecticut. In addition to extensive photographic documentation of early southern New England buildings, Dr. Creeger's interest in Connecticut history and architecture also led to a number of private restoration projects on historic homes, barns, and furniture of the lower Connecticut River valley, and a life-long avocation as carpenter and cabinet maker. George is survived by his daughter, Katie, of Ithaca, New York, his son, Christopher (Kit) Creeger and daughter-in-law Shelley Hadfield of Meriden, New Hampshire, and two grandsons, Ethan and Josh, both sons of Kit and Shelley. He is predeceased by his wife, Elva, and by a son, Carl, who lived in Austin, Texas. Donations in memory of Dr. Creeger may be made to Wesleyan's Center for Faculty Career Development. A memorial service is anticipated at Wesleyan in May.