Hugh A. Harter

PORTSMOUTH - Hugh A. Harter, 82, died Aug. 13, 2011, at home with the peaceful pull of the Piscataqua River outside his window to lull his passing.

He was born in December of 1922 in Columbus, Ohio, and raised there by his parents, Anthony and Georgiana (Hayes) Harter.

He received his bachelor's degree cum laude in 1947 and PhD in 1959 from Ohio State University, a master's cum laude from Mexico City College, the University of the Americas in 1951, and a Doctor of Letters degree from Alma College, the latter honoring his innovations in international education.

Mr. Harter began his teaching career while still a student himself. He was the Andrew Mellon postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pittsburgh in 1960 and 1961. He also taught at Wesleyan University, Elmira College, Chatham College and Loyola University before becoming a professor at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, where he taught from 1966 until 1984. For many of those years, he served as chairman of the department of romance languages. He was also the Robert Hayward professor of modern foreign languages from 1976 to 1984.

He found time to teach abroad, including at the University Catolica de Santa Maria, Arequipa, Peru, in 1969 and as director of academy programs in Segovia, Spain from 1969 to1998, serving as the director of the International Institute of Spain, where he was named professor emeritus.

He lived in Segovia for years and in 1976 was made an honorary citizen of the city. He also taught and conducted research in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.

Professor Harter was an author in several genres and several languages and became known internationally as a scholar of Spanish and French literature. He was particularly renowned for his translations of Nobel Prize-winning Spanish poets.

His bilingual editions of major poetical works, Shadow of Paradise and The Diary of a Newlywed Poet by Nobel Laureate Vicete Aleixandre and Juan Ramon Jimenez are widely recognized as masterful.

He translated seven novels from the French. The books he authored include Gertrudis Gomez de Avellaneda, Tangier and All That, and more recently, Return to Patton's France, 1944's Odyssey Retraced, The Countess, which he called "a satirical novel in verse." His most recent, a book of poetry called Flying With Nightingales, was published in 2009. He co-authored and edited many other books.

His distinguished career in education and literature was disrupted only once, for his service in World War II with the Military Intelligence 3d Army at Normandy and then the Air Transport Command. He was the recipient of medals of St. Calais, Vendome, Blois, Dombasle, Utah Beach, Avranches and Ouzouer, as well as the medaille d'Honneur of Confedn, Europeene des Anciens Combattants, and many other awards.

Hugh wrote extensively about his war experiences which affected him deeply, and returned to France for the dedication of Avenue Hugh Harter.

He was also a businessman, a visual artist and an art collector. He created an original holiday card every year that he sent out to all of his loved ones, and his watercolors illustrated his favorite book, The Countess.

Hugh would say his greatest achievement was winning the heart of his beloved wife, Frances, who predeceased him in 2006.

Fran and Hugh traveled extensively but lived many years in New York City before retiring in 2003 in Portsmouth, where he will be missed by many.

He was predeceased by a sister. He is survived by his stepchildren and their families and his many dear friends.

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SERVICES: Services are Wednesday at 10 a.m. at Finnerty and Stevens Funeral Home at Great Barrington, Mass., where Hugh will be buried next to Fran. A memorial service will be held in Portsmouth at a later date.