Rusinow, Dennison I.

Dennison I. Rusinow was a highly accomplished journalist, scholar and professor. In 1963, he began a 25-year career with the American Universities Field Staff (AUFS), as associate for Southeastern Europe and later associate director. His book on the political economic history of the former Yugoslavia, The Yugoslav Experiment, 1948-1974, published in 1977, earned him international acclaim as an expert on the former multi-ethnic nation. Before retiring in 2000, Rusinow had devoted the last 12 years of his professional life to the University of Pittsburgh as both an adjunct History professor and research professor at the University Center for International Studies. Born on October 29, 1930, Rusinow grew up in St. Petersburg, Florida. At Duke University, he received a B.A. in Philosophy and History, graduating first in his class in 1952. As a Rhodes Scholar, he earned a second B.A. from New College at Oxford University. Immediately following graduation, he served a 3-year stint as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy. Returning to England after his service in the Navy, he earned a M.A. from New College at Oxford University in 1959. Finally, in 1963, he received his Doctorate of Philosophy from St. Anthony's College at Oxford while simultaneously serving a fellowship at the Institute of Current World Affairs, which included studying in Vienna and Belgrade. Rusinow devoted more than 40 years of scholarship to Southeastern Europe. His areas of expertise included ethnic nationalism in Yugoslavia, the Cyprus conflict and Marshall Tito's regime. Prior to joining the faculty at Pittsburgh, he served as: adjunct professor of history at Dartmouth College in 1976, lecturer in international affairs at California Institute of Technology in 1970, lecturer in Balkan and Italian Studies at the Institute for Mediterranean Studies in Rome from 1969 to 1977 and adjunct assistant professor of history at Michigan State University in 1965. In addition to his accomplishments in the university classroom, Rusinow's total scholarship included five books, numerous newspaper and journal articles as well as contributions to several edited volumes on the subject of Eastern Europe. Following his retirement from the University of Pittsburgh in 2000, Rusinow took up residence back in St. Petersburg, Florida. On January 20, 2004, he died at the age of 73.