O'Sullivan Named to Chair of Literature

August 23, 1999

A 1932 graduate of Rollins College and a retired University of Tennessee English professor has established an endowed faculty chair in literature at his alma mater, and President Rita Bornstein has appointed to the position a distinguished English professor who has taught at Rollins for the past 25 years.

"How appropriate that Kenneth Curry, a distinguished English professor in his own right, would choose to establish this faculty chair in literature at the college that has meant so much to him over the years," said Bornstein. "We are grateful for this generosity, and we believe we have acknowledged his gift appropriately by appointing to the position a man admired by his colleagues and his current and former students."    

Appointed to the Kenneth Curry Chair of Literature was Maurice O'Sullivan, who has chaired Rollins' English department since 1995 and is the author and editor of many articles and books, including Crime, Fiction & Fact in the Sunshine State and The Florida Reader. O'Sullivan, who earned his bachelor's degree from Fairfield University and his master's and doctorate degrees from Case Western University, briefly taught at Ohio State University before joining the Rollins faculty in 1975. Bornstein announced O'Sullivan's appointment at a faculty gathering Friday (8/20).

Retired since 1978, Curry is an emeritus professor of English at the University of Tennessee. During his years of teaching, he authored many books and articles on English literature of the Romantic period. He also is the author of English at Tennessee, a history of the University of Tennessee English department. Four years ago, Curry also presented Rollins with a gift of more than $100,000, the proceeds of which were used to purchase acquisitions for the College's Cornell Fine Arts Museum.

"I am glad that I have been in a position to help the good cause of Rollins," Curry said. "As a native Orlandoan, I also take great pride in its remarkable progress and accomplishments."