October 31, 2003: Volume 59, Number 8

Colleagues mourn loss of Prof. Bristol

William B. Bristol, professor of history emeritus, died on Oct. 24.

A native of Philadelphia, he graduated in 1936 from Gettysburg College and earned his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. He was a visiting professor at the University of Puerto Rico and taught at Princeton University before joining the Union faculty in 1948. He retired in 1985.

As a pacifist during World War II, he was a conscientious objector, working with the U.S Forest Service, first in New York and then in Oregon and Washington, where he was a smokejumper -- parachuting into remote locations to fight forest fires.

A specialist in Latin American history, Prof. Bristol taught such courses as "The Spanish and Portuguese Empires in America," "Latin America and the United States," and "The Mexican Revolution." He traveled extensively in Central and South America, making several trips to research Protestant missionary activities in Colombia, to investigate fruit companies in Honduras and Costa Rica, and to lead Union student groups to Bogota. He wrote a monograph on Cuba for the American Friends Service Committee, reviewed more than forty-five books for Choice magazine, and was a frequent speaker on non-violence and on Latin American topics.

He was active with foreign student groups at the College and an advisor to the International Relations Club and Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity. His memberships included the American Historical Association, the Latin American Studies Association, the Conference on Latin American History, and Phi Beta Kappa.

Survivors include his wife, Naomi; his daughter, Joan Cameron Bristol; his son-in-law, Randolph F. Scully; and his granddaughter, Naomi Scully-Bristol.

<< Previous Story 'We Won't Pay!' going up in...

Next Story >> Faculty to weigh calendar...