Gifford, Don.

Donald Creighton "Giff" Gifford, born in Schenectady, New York in 1919; died in Williamstown, Massachusetts 22 May 2000. Professor of English and Williams College Class of 1956 Professor of American Studies Emeritus. He earned his bachelor's degree from Principia College in 1940, and pursued graduate studies at Cambridge University and at Harvard. Served in World War 2 initially as an ambulance driver for the American Field Service; later joined the U.S. Infantry and became a lieutenant. After teaching for several years at Mills College of Education in New York, Gifford came to Williams in 1951; he retired in 1984. He and his wife were actively involved in civic and charitable causes. Giff's service to Williams College was wide-ranging and influential and included chairing the design committee for Sawyer Library and creating a comprehensive review of student residential life. Gifford wrote on a wide variety of topics. He published poems and short stories; essays on education and child development; a book on the history of the Shakers, a book on American architectural theory and a book on how technological developments from the industrial revolution onward have altered how we perceive the world. He was internationally recognized as one of the world's most learned scholars of James Joyce's works. His volumes of annotations for "The Dubliners", "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man", and "Ulysses" are encyclopedic in scope and reflect a fundamental conviction that before we interpret we need to know.

From the description of Papers, 1851-1993 (bulk 1982-1993). (Williams College). WorldCat record id: 299605505