Gunderson, Robert Gray

Robert Gray Gunderson was an Indiana University professor of speech communication and history, and a former director of IU's American Studies Program. He began working at IU in 1958 and remained until his retirement in 1985.

Robert Gray Gunderson was born in Madison, Wisconsin in 1915. He received his B.S. from the University of Wisconsin in 1937, and in 1941 he received his M.A. from Oberlin College. He completed his graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin, receiving his Ph.D. in 1949.

Before joining the Indiana University faculty, Gunderson spent a lengthy period of time as a member of the Oberlin College faculty, beginning at the rank of instructor in 1938 and becoming Professor in 1955. In 1952, he was named chairman for the Department of Speech, a position he held until 1958, when he left Oberlin for Indiana University. At IU, he served as a professor in speech and theater and as the director of graduate studies in the Department of Speech and Theater. He offered seminars in American public communication from the colonial period through the New Deal, and directed nearly 50 doctoral students in American Studies. In 1985 he was awarded the Distinguished Teaching Award by the IU Student Association.

From 1961 to 1965 Gunderson chaired the American Studies Committee in the IU Graduate School, which ultimately led to the creation of the graduate program in American Studies. He directed the program from 1968-1978. He retired in 1985.

In addition to numerous journal articles, he was the author of two books: The Log Cabin Campaign, a study of the 1840 presidential election, and The Old Gentleman’s Convention: The Washington Peace Conference of 1861. Furthermore, he served in various editorial capacities for the Indiana Magazine of History, the Quarterly Journal of Speech, and the Journal of American History. He also served on the board or as an officer for several organizations such as the Southern Historical Association, the Organization of American Historians, and the Speech Communication Association. He died at the age of 81 on November 24, 1996.