Martha Hollis Calhoun Wintner, longtime lecturer of German and English at Haverford College in Pennsylvania, passed away on July 9. She was 87 years old.
Born in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, Wintner earned her bachelor’s degree in German from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. While there, she received a Fulbright Scholarship to study in Berlin, Germany, from 1959-1960. After completing her undergraduate education, she received her master’s degree in German from Yale University.
In 1968, Wintner began her over four-decades-long career with Haverford College. She started out as a lecturer in the German department and was later promoted to senior lecturer in the English department. During her tenure, she pioneered the college’s writing program, frequently helping first-year – and often first-generation – students acclimate to the rigors of college-level writing. She was involved in the Dean’s Office, the Multicultural Scholars Project, and the Mentors as Student Teachers program. Her many contributions to the college helped lay the groundwork for several current programs at Haverford, including the Writing Center, the Office of Academic Resources, and the Chesick Scholars program.