Earl Stevens

Earl Eugene Stevens was born in Chicago, Illinois, April 6, 1925 the only son of Ernest E. Stevens and Shirley M. (Stafford) Stevens. Earl grew up in South Bend, Indiana. He graduated from Central High School, January 1943. John Wooden, of UCLA college basketball fame was his gym coach, and he participated in high school drama and musical productions and formed a friendship with classmate and neighbor Bob Stewart that would last a lifetime. He began college at the University of Chicago before transferring to Indiana University. College was interrupted by the draft. He served in the US Army April 3, 1945 to October 30 1946. He graduated cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Indiana University in 1949. After completing his undergraduate degree, Earl began graduate work in English at Princeton University, September 1949, before transferring to the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where he received his master's in English in 1951. He began work on his doctorate in English at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, N.C. in 1951, focusing on 19th Century British and Modern Literature, and American Literature. At UNC, Earl met Twila Mae Stoss, who was working on her master's degree in psychology. They were married December 19, 1952. For the next 62 years they were loving, supportive, and patient teammates, raising 3 sons and contributing tremendously to their communities as they moved from place to place. After getting married, Twila and Earl embarked on a series of moves: West Texas State College in Canyon, Texas, then University of North Carolina (again), then Pfeiffer College in Misenheimer, North Carolina; Trinity University, in San Antonio, Texas; Wisconsin State University, in Stevens Point, before he and Twila finally settled in Cumberland, Rhode Island and he became a tenured Professor in English Literature at Rhode Island College, Providence, RI (Sept 1968-Dec. 1994). He became the head of the teachers' union at RIC, working diligently to protect the status of the profession he loved. At every stop in this meandering journey, Earl loved his colleagues and students and was loved by many in return. As recently as the summer of 2019, a student tribute arrived from Pfeiffer College, more than 50 years after he taught there. A non-athlete himself he became a great supporter of his sons' sports, first high school basketball, then competitive rowing as his sons took up rowing in college. He was proud to display Yale Crew and Brown Crew stickers on all the cars. He became a beloved fixture at the race course, usually wearing an Irish tweed cap of one sort or another-- always with a book in hand (to occupy the time between races). He became such a part of the rowing scene that he served as president of Narragansett BC (the oldest rowing club in the US) for many years in the 1980s. Twila and Earl retired to Loveland, Colorado in early 1995. They embraced Colorado living, joining a hiking club, doing Elderhostel trips all across the Western US, volunteering for civic organizations. These include the Loveland Visitor Center, Friends of the Loveland Museum, and the Loveland Historical Society. Earl also served on the Loveland Senior Advisory Board, and the Advisory Committee of the Chilson Senior Center for 18 years. He worked with Welcome Wagon, then New Friendships Club, and The Loveland Connection. He served on the Larimer County Office on Aging Advisory Council for many years and contributed a regular monthly article on senior issues. He and Twila were members of Trinity Lutheran Church in Loveland Colorado. Teaching was always his passion, his guiding principal and even after "retiring" he taught literature classes at the Chilson Senior Center in Loveland from 1998 until 2015 when health issues and Twila's death set him back. He subsequently moved to Annapolis, Maryland to be close to middle son Craig and, once settled, he again found a way to share his gift for teaching with the community, teaching classes at Anne Arundel Community College up until 4 days before he passed away at age 94 on September 19, 2019. Earl is survived by 3 sons: Eric (Ft Collins, CO, wife Liz) Craig (Annapolis, MD, wife Marguerite) Scott (Bloomington, MN, wife Michelle) and 6 grandchildren, Katherine, Lindsey, Evan, Theresa, Sam and Craig junior. You will be missed by all who knew you, Earl: loving sons, daughters-in law, grandchildren, former students, surviving colleagues. The lessons you taught us will endure and you can take pride in knowing that you made the world a better place.