[Ads-l] RIP, John Algeo

[Ben Zimmer]

I just received word that John Algeo passed away on Sun., Oct. 13 at the
age of 88. He served as ADS president in 1979 and was the editor for
_American Speech_ from 1969 to 1982, overseeing the journal's transition to
becoming the official organ of the ADS in 1970. He also served as chair of
the society's New Words Committee, and in that capacity edited "Among the
New Words" for _American Speech_ from 1987 to 1997, joined for most of that
time by his wife Adele as co-editor. They commemorated the 50th anniversary
of the feature in 1991 with the publication of the book _50 Years Among the
New Words_. He also wrote and edited many other valuable works on American
English, including _Cambridge History of the English Language: Vol. VI,
English in North America_ (2001), _British American Grammatical
Differences_ (2004), _The Origins and Development of the English Language_
(6th ed., 2005), and _British or American English? A Handbook of Word and
Grammar Patterns_ (2006).

Here is the obituary published by the Bowling Green Daily News.

https://www.bgdailynews.com/obituaries/john-thomas-algeo/article_4240a092-b7e9-5527-b65e-47a94a893118.html
Bowling Green - Dr. John Algeo, UGA Emeritus Professor of English, died
October 13 in Bowling Green, KY, age 88. Born in St. Louis, Missouri. U.S.
Army, 1951-1954, with service in Korea.
John met his future wife, Adele Silbereisen, in graduate school. He was
sitting on the UFL quad, trying to study, when he was distracted by the
swish of a calf-length skirt and the lithe figure who wore it. When she
showed up in his Old English class, a love match was made over ancient
words and contract bridge.
John taught, lectured, and published on linguistics, fantasy literature,
and religion. He is author or editor of 29 books, including the widely-used
textbook, Origins and Development of the English Language. At UGA, he was
Alumni Foundation Distinguished Professor, Department Head, and Director of
Linguistics. He was President of the American Dialect Society, the American
Name Society, and the Dictionary Society of North America. He edited the
journal American Speech for ten years and, with Adele, for another ten
years wrote its "Among the New Words" column on neologisms. He was a
Fulbright Research Fellow and a Guggenheim Fellow at the University of
London, Visiting Professor at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, and
seminar leader for English teachers in Jerusalem.
John was fascinated with ritual, symbolism, and life's existential
mysteries. A 70-year member of the Theosophical Society, he served as
American President and International Vice-President. He rose to
Thirty-Third Degree in the Eastern Order of International Co-Freemasonry.
He lost his beloved Adele in 2010 and is survived by daughter Katie,
Scottsville, KY; son Thomas, Cincinnati, OH; and five grandchildren.
J.C. Kirby & Son Broadway Chapel has been entrusted with arrangements.
Cremation was chosen.

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org