Collegiate Times

In life, we take many things for granted; for college students, professors tend to be regarded as those people who assign us long papers, quiz us on pointless readings, and take attendance on the one day we decide to sleep in.

When students take some time to get the know them, though, professors become mentors—and sometimes even friends.

On Thursday, July 15, professor and scholar of children’s literature and American literature, J.D. Stahl died at the age of 58 after a long battle with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

All professors were once students themselves, and Stahl was no exception. He received a bachelor’s degree from Goshen College, a master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh, and a doctorate from the University of Connecticut.

Stahl grew up in a multicultural environment, living in both the U.S. and Europe. The influence of his experiences was seen later in his career, when he researched the way authors (one of which was Mark Twain, whom Stahl had written about in his 1994 book “Mark Twain, Culture and Gender: Envisioning America through Europe”) represent German culture in American children’s literature and translated books. He also translated German articles and even reviewed German articles dealing with his fields of research.

After joining the Tech staff in 1982, Stahl left his mark by vamping up the children’s literature program from a single survey course. As a teacher and as a writer, he left his incredible impact on universities worldwide with the text book “Crosscurrents of Children’s Literature: An Anthology of Texts and Criticism,” which he co-edited in 2006. Stahl was also once the president of the International Children’s Literature Association and is a founding faculty member of a master’s degree program in children’s literature at Hollins University.

Stahl is survived by his wife, Sarah Windes, and his two sons, Daniel and Hans.

A version of this article appeared in the Jul 22 issue of the Collegiate Times.