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Edward Dudley, Cervantes scholar, chair
Edward J. Dudley, longtime chair of the former Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, and a well-known scholar of the works of Miguel de Cervantes, died on July 21 in the Sanford USD Medical Center in Sioux Falls, S.D. He was 82.
Dudley joined the UB faculty in 1974 and served as chair of the Department of Spanish, Italian and Portuguese, which became the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures. He stepped down as chair in 1983 to return to the classroom, retiring as a professor emeritus in 1999. He continued to publish articles and mentor graduate students until the effects of Parkinson’s disease limited his ability to write and study.
A native of St. Paul, Minn., Dudley earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English literature and a Ph.D. in Spanish literature, all from the University of Minnesota.
Before joining the UB faculty, Dudley taught at UCLA and at the University of Pittsburgh, where he was chair of the Department of Hispanic Languages and Literatures and director of the Comparative Literature Program.
Dudley’s scholarship focused on medieval and Renaissance literature, with an emphasis on Cervantes’ “Don Quixote,” the story of the 16th century Spanish picaresque that laid the foundation for the modern novel.
In his 1997 book “The Endless Text: Don Quixote and the Hermeneutics of Romance,” Dudley explored the connections between ancient Celtic tales, modern film noir and the book that he called “the story of stories, the supreme metatext for the Renaissance.”
“The Endless Text” was selected as a CHOICE Outstanding Academic Book for 1998 by the Association of College and Research Libraries.
Dudley also is the author of “The Wild Man Within: An Image in Western Thought from the Renaissance to Romanticism” (1972) and (with John Crow) “El Cuento” (1966).
A memorial service will be held on Aug. 9 in St. Paul. Donations may be made in Dudley’s name to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.
Louise Dochstader, Alumni Relations staff member
Louise L. Dochstader, a senior program assistant in the Office of Alumni Relations for 39 years, died July 23.
Dochstader’s voice was familiar to thousands of UB alumni who made reservations for events hosted by the Office of Alumni Relations, and she also met and greeted many UB graduates who attended alumni events in the Buffalo area.
Dochstader, who joined the Office of Alumni Relations in June 1969, befriended many past presidents, chapter presidents and board members of the UB Alumni Association in her years at the university.
She is survived by her husband, David, a refrigeration mechanic in University Residence Halls and Apartments.
Memorial contributions may be made to Roswell Park Cancer Institute or Hospice Buffalo.