Donna Gerstenberger, former chair of the department of English, dean of undergraduate education, and president of the faculty senate at the University of Washington, died earlier this year from complications of a stroke while vacationing in Tucson, Arizona. She was 82 years old.
After earning a Ph.D. at the University of Oklahoma, Dr. Gerstenberger joined the faculty at the University of Washington in the 1960s. She was an authority on 20th-century literature and developed an interest in women’s and gender studies. She served as a mentor to many women faculty members at the University of Washington. She was also one of the founders of the literary magazine Seattle Review.