Religious history expert and UW-Madison Emeritus Paul Boyer died Saturday after a short battle with cancer at age 76.
Teaching at UW from 1980 to 2002, Boyer was best known for his work studying the impact religion has on the American life.
While coping with a diagnosis of late-stage cancer, Boyer finished scholarly projects he had been working on, such as revisions on a textbook and his final book “A Very Brief Introduction to American History” that will be published later this spring.
“The way he faced the hand he’d been dealt was absolutely emblematic. He didn’t rail; it was very matter-of-fact,” colleague Charles Cohen, a history and religious studies professor, said in a statement.
In addition to his time as the Merle Curti Chair in American History, Boyer also directed the Institute for Research in the Humanities and was elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
A memorial service will be held Friday, April 27, at 4:30 p.m. at the First Unitarian Society, 900 University Bay Drive.
