Dear Colleagues,
I am here cross-posting an obituary notice published on H-Asia
regarding the passing of Professor Edwin Gerow.
________________________________
In Memoriam: Professor Edwin Gerow
October 16, 1931 – July 24, 2025
My friend and one-time colleague, Professor Edwin Mahaffey Gerow, passed away
on July 24, 2025 in Portland, Oregon. In his lifetime he established himself
as an outstanding scholar of Sanskrit and Indian poetics. A measure of his
stature could be glimpsed in the numerous tributes paid to him by other
scholars’ contributions to the online Indology discussion list.
Gerow was celebrated for his wide-ranging, penetrating scholarship on Sanskrit
poetics and philology as well as India’s philosophical and literary traditions.
As noted by Robert P. Goldman of UC Berkeley, he was “another towering Sanskrit
scholar of his generation” whose exacting standards enlivened rigorous study
and intellectual curiosity.
Colleagues and former students have recalled his demanding precision in the
classroom—yet matched by a generosity of spirit and willingness to push beyond
disciplinary boundaries. Will Tuladhar‑Douglas shared how Gerow’s mentorship
inspired his long pursuit of Sanskrit, anthropology, and Buddhist studies; he
described Gerow’s “ruthless exactitude” balanced with stretching far in pursuit
of enquiry.
Edwin’s scholarly path might be said to have been unconventional. He was born
in Akron, Ohio, to Adolphus Denton Gerow and Alice Corrinne Gerow (nee
Mahafey). His father was a long-term employee of the Pennsylvania Railroad.
His mother was the daughter of a mail carrier in Mount Vernon, Ohio. The
Gerows had previously had one son who had died at a young age before Edwin’s
birth. The family experienced further tragedy when Adolphus Gerow died a few
days before Edwin’s second birthday. Edwin grew up with his widowed mother in
the Akron suburb of Cuyahoga Falls, attending its public schools. While in high
school he was active in its musical programs as a member of the A Cappella
Choir and a featured singer in “The Boy’s Quartette.” (Many years later he
returned to music, taking up the study of the cello.)
From this somewhat modest background, following graduation from Cuyahoga Falls
High School in 1949, he made an academic leap, gaining admission to the Robert
Hutchins College of the University of Chicago. The Hutchins College offered a
broad “core curriculum” centered on the Great Books of Western Civilization.
Student achievement was measured by examination, a process through which Edwin
advanced at an accelerated pace. Apart from his mastery of the curriculum,
perhaps harkening to his Huguenot ancestral heritage, he also began serious
study of French language and literature. He stayed on a further year studying
Sanskrit before sailing to France where he spent two years at the Université
de Paris studying French and Philosophy; in 1959 he would return to further
study in Paris under the tutelage of the eminent Sanskrit scholar Louis Renou.
Back in Chicago, Edwin completed his Ph.D., producing a dissertation that
evolved into his masterpiece A Glossary of Indian Figures of Speech,
[Publications in Near and Middle East Studies, Columbia University, series A,
vol. xvi]: (The Hague: Mouton & Co. 1971.)
In over sixty years, Edwin published over 130 articles, chapters and reviews
and co-edited a number of collective volumes. He co-edited [with Edward C.
Dimock, Jr., and J.A.B. van Buitenen], The Literatures of India, an
Introduction. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1974). Other major
contributions were his Indian Poetics. [Vol. V, fasc. 3 of A History of Indian
Literature, ed. Jan Gonda] (Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz. 1977) and The
jewel-necklace of argument : (the Vādaratnāvali of Viṣṇudāsācārya) (New Haven:
American Oriental Society, 1990), of which the online resource goodreads.com
commented “Gerow not only translates the text, but also aims to represent the
entire relevant thought of Visnudasa. The result is a Cook’s Tour of medieval
Indian intellectuality as well as an accurate representation of Visnudasa’s
argument.” Another masterful publication was Edwin’s editing and
translation--in collaboration with H. V. Nagaraja Rao—of The Vṛttivārttika or
commentary on the functions of words of Appaya Dīkṣita (New Haven: American
Oriental Society, 2001.) His breadth of learning and capacity for disciplined
writing enabled him also to serve as Editor-in-chief of the Journal of the
American Oriental Society from 1988 to 2000.
Edwin’s teaching career commenced as an Assistant Professor of Sanskrit at the
University of Rochester, while also visiting as a lecturer at Columbia. In
1964 he joined the faculty of the University of Washington as Assistant
Professor of Sanskrit and Indic Literature, promoted to Associate Professor in
1967. He was serving as Chairman of the South Asian Studies Program when I
first arrived in Seattle, and proved to be a hospitable source of welcome
support. It was at that time I think I glimpsed the secret to his prodigious
academic production. When he was working he worked diligently, and when time
came to relax—he fully did so. I have fond memories of hikes in the Cascades
and Mount Rainier National Park with Ed and his sons and, sometimes, our
colleague Paul Brass. When we were in nature he was fully engaged in nature.
My students also benefitted from Edwin’s initiative in inviting Pandit H. V.
Nagaraja Rao from the Mysore Sanskrit College to Seattle to pursue western
linguistics training. This visitor graciously took time from his studies to
share recitations of Vedic and epic stanzas in my classes.
In 1973, Edwin left Seattle to take up the Frank L. Sulzberger Professorship of
Civilizations in the College at the University of Chicago and as Professor of
Sanskrit. There he was deeply involved with the new Humanities program in
Civilizational Studies.
Fresh opportunities beckoned in 1985 when he and Cheryl Chevis relocated to
Portland, Oregon. Reed College invited him to serve as a visiting professor of
Humanities, and in 1989 formally offered him appointment as Professor of
Religion and Humanities—a position he held until retirement in 1997. At Reed he
inspired a cohort of undergraduate students to advance to graduate studies and
distinguished academic careers. After retirement he continued to publish
extensively nearly twenty articles and reviews.
Edwin’s scholarly production has extended beyond his life. His widow Cheryl
Chevis shared that his editor had written to inform her that "his ultimate
magnum opus, the French translation of Nāgeśa’s Paramalaghumañjuṣā, will
appear as the next Bulletin d'Etudes indiennes (BEI 37), before the end of
December 2025.” I am informed that this marks the first complete translation of
this important text on semantics and the philosophy of knowledge in any Western
language. Finally, there also will be an essay published in a volume in honor
of Lyne Bonsat-Boudin that will appear sometime in the near future.
Edwin was very much at home in Sanskrit and French—he frequently collaborated
with French colleagues and readily published in their language. Silvia
D’Intino of the CNRS Paris wrote of him : “Always ready to generously help
students and
colleagues, I will remember him for his marvellous esprit de
finesse!! And his irresistible accent, and smile while saying ‘au revoir.’”
Edwin’s influence was acknowledged through the Festschrift published in his
honor—Ācāryasamarpaṇam: Studies in Honor of Edwin Gerow (International Journal
of Hindu Studies, 2015)—marking a scholar whose writing and teaching shaped
numerous fields, His meticulous approach to Sanskrit grammar, poetics and
philology made him a highly effective teacher, willing to mentor his students.
The horizons of his learning were extraordinarily broad—a range frequently
observed in his elegant essays and reviews.
Edwin was honored by election to President of the American Oriental Society,
2001-2002; elected Honorary Member of the Société Asiatique (Paris) in 2007 and
awarded Doctorat honoris causa, by the École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE),
Section V (“Religious Sciences”) in 2008.
Edwin Gerow’s life was marked by a relentless pursuit of precision, a deep
respect for linguistic artistry and a constant love of scholarship. He leaves
behind an inspiring legacy in the academic communities at Reed College, the
University of Chicago, the University of Washington and beyond, where his
influence carried students from early stages into careers in Indology,
anthropology, philosophy, and Buddhist studies He is survived by his wife
Cheryl Ann Chevis, his sons Aaron and Matthew and grandson Ian.
Edwin’s life will ultimately be measured not only by his own scholarly
accomplishments, but by the many benefits he brought to the world in talent,
achievement and strength. His was a life lived well, indeed.
Frank F. Conlon
Professor emeritus
History, South Asian Studies and
Comparative Religion
University of Washington
Seattle, WA
1 September 2025
I wish to acknowledge the valuable assistance of
Cheryl Chevis and Dr. Lyne Bonsat-Boudin.
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