Nicholas James Karolides

1928 - 2018
Nicholas James Karolides
August 5, 1928 – June 7, 2018

Nicholas "Nick" Karolides was born in Albany, New York, and died peacefully in his sleep surrounded by his loving wife and daughters, two months prior to his 90th birthday.

Son of Greek immigrants, as a teen Nick worked in a butcher shop to help support his family. He hadn't considered college until his English teacher recommended he apply for scholarships. He earned a BS, MA and PhD from New York University, and in between served as Army Captain during the Korean War. He taught Junior High English and Social Studies in New York before moving to River Falls, Wisconsin to begin his 48-year career as an English professor at UWRF.

Students called Nick their favorite professor. He guided them in class and for 30 years as the longest-running Associate Dean in the country. He taught over 30 different courses, many of which he created. He pioneered interactive, discussion-based teaching, subjects including teacher education, mythology, and the literature of the American West, children, minorities and war.

Nick won multiple awards for outstanding teaching and intellectual freedom. He authored 16 books and countless articles on censorship, literature, minority issues, and teaching techniques. He was a frequent speaker at conferences, a consultant for regional school districts, and the editor of the Wisconsin English Journal for 23 years. Fluent in modern Greek and a lover of history, Nick led 14 Classical Greece tours through UWRF.

Nick cherished spending family time gardening, swimming, playing tennis, making animal pancakes, and telling bedtime stories. He enjoyed theater and ballet and even performed as Drosselmeyer in a UWRF Theater production of the Nutcracker.

Nick is survived by his beloved wife of 56 years, Inga; daughters Melissa Karolides and Alexis Karolides (Douglas Hill); grandsons Nikolas and Sage Karolides, and Kai and Liam Hill; sister Aphri Jacobsen; and nieces and nephews Pamela Caplis, Debora Caplis, Linda Sengakis (Paul), Leslie Jacobsen (Jonathan Feinstein), and Richard Jacobsen (Lorraine Orlandi).

A celebration of Nick's life will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Society of River Falls, N8010 WI-65, River Falls, WI 54022, on Saturday July 7, 2018 at 1:30 pm.

Memorial may be made to the Karolides Music Fund or the Karolides Study Abroad Fund at the UWRF Foundation, 310 S. Third Street, River Falls, WI 54022.