Dr. Merrill Lewis, widely known and respected Professor Emeritus in Western’s English Department, passed away in Bellingham on June 25, 2021. Merrill earned his BA in English and MA in History from the University of Oregon. He earned his PhD in English from the University of Utah, specializing in nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century literature with emphases in American Studies and Western and Pacific Northwest literatures.
Merrill joined the English department at Western in 1968. For the next thirty-one years, he taught generations of students with his characteristic combination of intelligence, patience, and good humor. He was a legend among students for his vast knowledge of Pacific Northwest literatures and beloved for his kindness and dedication.
Merrill was devoted to his students and to his scholarship. His pioneering publications on women writers of the American West have remained essential to studies of Western American literature into the twenty-first century. He was researching and writing about Western American women writers before anyone else. He is now considered to be a foundational scholar on the subject.
Merrill was a valued member of Western’s English Department and we cherish his memory. To read more about his life and many accomplishments, please see Merrill’s online obituary.
