In Memoriam: Gertrude Hughes, 1936-2022

Gertrude Hughes, professor emerita of English at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, died on January 4 in Waterford, Connecticut. She was 85 years old.

A native of Amsterdam, Hughes and her family emigrated to the United States in 1940 to flee the invasion by Nazi German forces. The family settled in New York City. After attending a private school in suburban Philadelphia, Hughes enrolled at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts. She went on to earn master’s degrees in education at Wesleyan University and a Ph.D. at Yale University.

Dr. Hughes joined the faculty at Wesleyan University in 1976 as an assistant professor of English. She taught at Wesleyan for 40 years, returning in 2006 as a full professor. She was a founder and early chair of the women’s studies program at the university.

Dr. Hughes was the co-author of American Philosophy and Rudolf Steiner (Lindisfarne Books, 2012) and author of ‎ More Radiant than the Sun: A Handbook for Working with Steiner’s Meditations and Exercises (2013).