obits
John Nagle ’56 Jo h n d. n a g l e ’56, Ph .d., associate professor emeritus of English, died on May 10, 2010. He was 75 years old. After graduating in 1956 from Manhattan, Nagle earned his master’s and doctoral degrees from Fordham University. He served the College from 1958 to 1994, beginning as an instructor and retiring as associate professor of English and world literature. In a short story about the College in the Village Voice in 1984, a student was quoted as saying, “John Nagle is ‘the only professor in the city with students clamoring to study Milton at 8 a.m.’” Respected by his students and fellow faculty, Nagle was known as a talented lecturer and genuine person, who was endearing in so many ways. “John Nagle was a huge presence in any forum,” says Stephen Kaplan, Ph.D., professor of religious studies. “He was a man of enormous wit, charm and intellect. His presence could fill a room with thought and laughter. Nagle was never boring. One could see the breadth of his knowledge at the Dante seminars, where he could ask a question or raise a point about a colleague’s presentation from such a wide range of perspectives.” “There was a vivaciousness about John Nagel that could not be contained,” says John Wilcox, Ph.D., vice president for mission. “One could never cap his effervescence, a quality that affected all who came in contact with him. I would be waiting with him for the next class on the third floor of Miguel, and I could always depend on John for a joke that lent itself to repartee that then led to another joke. I always wondered where his energy and wit came from.“ Brother Patrick Horner, F.S.C., professor of English, describes Nagle as extraordinarily well and widely read in many areas of English literature.
“Dr. Nagle epitomized the idea of a scholarly professor,” says Br. Horner. “He continually kept abreast of the latest critical and scholarly works in these areas and incorporated them in his classes. He never lost his zest to do new material in his classes and always found ways to present it freshly to his students. One of my fond memories was sitting in on his Joyce class and marveling at the breadth of his knowledge of that difficult work and the ease with which he communicated its intricacies and beauties to the class.” A former student of Nagle’s and an honorary degree recipient (Fall Honors Convocation, 1991), Ron Herzman ’65, Ph.D., distinguished teaching professor of English at SUNY Geneseo, explained the tremendous influence Nagle had on his life, in a letter sent to the president of Manhattan College upon Nagle’s death. “First, and most important, he did for me what only great teachers do: he saw more in me than I saw in myself,” Herzman wrote. “He gave me a very great gift. Second, he gave me my subject matter and a passion for it. Throughout his long career at Manhattan as a prodigiously gifted teacher, there weren’t many sites on the literary landscape to which he did not travel.” While pursuing his doctorate, Nagle was awarded a grant from the prestigious Danforth Teacher Grant Program in 1967-1968. He was one of 38 faculty members selected from a national field of nearly 400. He also was awarded Manhattan’s Bonus et Fidelis medal in 1983. A resident of Riverdale, he is survived by his brother, Msgr. Joseph P. Nagle; his sisters, Virginia Danaher and Patricia McCormick; and many nieces and nephews; and grandnieces and grandnephews. A memorial will be held on campus on Saturday, Sept. 25, at 11 a.m.
The fall 2009 issue of Manhattan magazine, mailed in late December, includes an obituary for Anthony J. Scala Sr. ’44 (page 55). The photo accompanying the story is not of Scala, but of Charles V. Kovac ’51. This is the correct photo of Scala. Manhattan College deeply regrets the error.
manhattan.edu
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