Kestenberg, Louis, d. 1982

Professor Louis Kestenberg received his A.B. degree from Rice Institute in 1930; his M.A. in German from Rice in 1933; and his Ph.D. in German History from the University of Colorado in 1943. Born in Sosnowiec, Poland in 1907, Kestenberg emigrated with his parents to Houston, Texas in 1920.

Dr. Kestenberg joined the faculty of the University of Houston in 1933 as Instructor in German; became a fulltime faculty member in 1940 and continued to teach at the University of Houston until his retirement in 1974 as Professor Emeritus of History. Professor Kestenberg also served as the Chairman of the Division of Modern Languages from 1950 to1955; he served as First Chairman of the Honors Program from 1957 to 1964; as Visiting Professor at Tulane University in 1948 and as a Fulbright Teaching Interchange Lecturer in Reutlingen, West Germany in 1956 and 1957.

He was also a member of the American Historical Association and the American Association of University Professors and belonged to Phi Kappa Phi, Delta Phi Alpha, and Phi Alpha Theta National Honor Societies. Professor Kestenberg also served as President of the Houston Chapter of the United Nations Association and as President of the Neighborhood Centers Association.