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WALTER METZGER Obituary
a retired professor of history at Columbia University, died on Monday, July 25, 2016, at the age of 94. Beloved father, husband, grandfather, teacher, and friend, he was an expert in academic freedom. He wrote numerous articles and monographs on the subject, including The Development of Academic Freedom in the United States (1955), coauthored with Richard Hofstader. He was deeply involved with the American Association of University Professors for several decades. He taught at Columbia for 43 years, lecturing generations of Columbia students on 20th century U.S. history and winning the Mark Van Doren Prize for teaching in 1990. He oversaw the graduate work of many students. A memorial service will be held this October at Columbia.
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Memories and Condolences
for WALTER METZGER
4 Entries
Jonathan LeMond
September 2, 2023
He was an incredible professor and an even better person. I am honored to have known him.
philip allessio
August 12, 2016
Professor Metzger would spend time at his summer residence in Worthington,Ma. He would often come to the Old Creamery for breakfast. It would be an honor for me to sit with him on occasion and have a lecture on American history and various political topics of the day. I dearly miss him.
My sincere sympathy to his family.
August 7, 2016
To Hillary & Gillian and your families. We send you our condolences at this most sad time. We shall miss his presence at 460 Riverside Drive. He was a friend, Columbia colleague, and neighbor for 50 years.
Eugene & Patricia Galanter
Andi Lynes
August 1, 2016
My condolences to family and friends. Walter continued to teach and mentor long after his retirement. He taught me to understand the importance of real conversation. I will always remember the hours spent in discussion and debate among friends at the Creamery in Cummington, Massachusetts. We will miss his warm, self-deprecating humor and the updates on his family members, of whom he was very proud.
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