Two recent gifts in memory of beloved faculty members have ensured that their legacy will live on, supporting graduate students in the fields to which they dedicated their life’s work.
Ron Stroud, a leading expert in the study of Greek epigraphy, taught in the Department of Ancient Greek and Roman Studies from 1965 until 2007. He helped found the Graduate Group in Ancient History and Mediterranean Archaeology (AHMA) in 1968 and was instrumental in building AHMA into the premier program of its kind in the nation.
Soon after Professor Stroud’s passing in October 2021, James Barter (B.A. ‘68), an early student of Stroud’s, established an endowment in his memory with a gift of $500,000 for graduate student support. The gift was matched by a campuswide program, and the resulting $1 million endowment will allow AHMA to award a Stroud Fellowship to a Ph.D. student each year.
Barter’s connection to Berkeley and to classical civilizations remains strong. He audits a course every semester and recently participated in Professor Kim Shelton’s archaeological excavation in Mycenae, Greece. Barter has also made generous gifts to the Nemea Center and the Library, including the Classics collection and the Center for the Tebtunis Papyri. The passing of Professor Emeritus Andrew Stewart (History of Art and DAGRS) inspired another generous gift to AHMA.
Stewart, one of the world’s foremost experts in the study of ancient Greek art, served as director of AHMA for six years, enhancing its profile in art history and archaeology and strengthening the program’s ties with experts in the study of the ancient Near East. He was awarded the Archaeological Institute of America’s Gold Medal Award for Distinguished Archaeological Achievement in January 2023, just weeks before his death.
