Roger Steiner

The Department of Linguistics notes with sadness the passing of our colleague, Roger Jacob Steiner. Roger was a founding member of the Department of Linguistics, now the Department of Linguistics and Cognitive Science. As a scholar, Roger was best known as the Bantam New College French and English Dictionary, by far the most popular of the many French/English dictionaries, selling literally millions of copies. He also edited five Spanish/English dictionaries. There were many facets to...

Roger . . . although we never met face2face, we communicated by way of email over the past several years with regard to our shared Steiner family histories that date back to the 1850s in Lomira, WI. I am so glad you and I had a chance to speak by phone 3 days before you spread your wings and traveled to the west towards the setting sun. Your memory and our digital friendship will forever remain with me.

Dr. Steiner was my professor way back in 1966; his knowledge and enthusiasm for medieval french literature was inspiring. I used his dictionary for many many years in my own teaching career in California.

Dr. Steiner was the father of one of my very best friends and he and his wife Kay were like my second parents during my childhood. A wonderful person, Roger spent a lifetime always learning and communicating and helping others to do the same. The world has lost another great man...

Only met you one time...I will always have a great memory of our intense conversation .... may you rest in peace.
Marianna Erdmann

Roger Steiner was a favorite French professor and a personal friend of mine for many years.

I am sorry I will not be able to attend his services, but I will be thinking of him with fond memories.