Herbert Bergman Ph.D.

Herbert Bergman, Ph.D. East Lansing Age 84, born in New York City, on June 11, 1925, to the late Samuel A. and Estelle Esther Bergman, and passed away on August 31, 2009. Dr. Bergman, professor emeritus of the MSU Department of Writing, Rhetoric and Cultures, was a Phi Beta Kappa and received his doctorate from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Earlier he had won the English Award at CCNY and was granted a fellowship to study for his Master's in English at Duke University. Dr. Bergman joined the faculty of the MSU Department of American Thought and Language in 1958. For twenty-three years he was chairperson of the "America on Film" three-term course sequence, previously having served as chairperson of the committee that created this program. He additionally secured Educational Development Program grants to fund the program's first year offering and to improve it overall. During Dr. Bergman's tenure the "America on Film" Program, praised by The London Times and nationally recognized, enrolled over 36,000 students, with up to fifty sections offered each term. Also, for twelve years, Dr. Bergman edited the ATL 171, 172, and 173 texts. For eight years Dr. Bergman was director of the Film Studies Thematic Program. Under his leadership the Film Studies Program's budget, visibility, course offerings, faculty, enrollment, and certified graduates increased dramatically. Dr. Bergman also co-founded the Film Division of the Modern Language Association of America and served as its chairperson. Dr. Bergman has published on Walt Whitman and on American drama in such journals as American Literature, Studies in Philology, Modern Language Notes, Studies in English, Walt Whitman Review, Journalism Quarterly and, as his final work, he co-edited The Collected Writings of Walt Whitman, The Journalism, Volumes I and II. In addition, he received grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Council of Learned Societies, the American Philosophical Society, the Modern Language Association of America, and the Michigan State University Foundation. Dr. Bergman is survived by his beloved wife, Elaine; stepson, Richard Montier (Tammi), and grandchildren Joelle and Justin; and sister, brother-in-law and niece, Marilyn, Joseph and Joscelyn Jurich. I would also like to thank the staff at Burcham Hills Retirement Community who took such good care of him in his final days and prior thereto. Any contributions should be directed to it at 2700 Burcham Drive, East Lansing 48823. The family is being served by Gorsline Runciman Funeral Homes, East Lansing.