WINKS, Robin William 1930-2003

OBITUARY NOTICE—See index for CA sketch: Born December 5, 1930, in Lafayette, IN; died of complications from a stroke April 7, 2003, in New Haven, CT. Educator and author. Winks was a Yale University history professor and a prolific author of works on a wide range of subjects, though he was often most remembered for his books about espionage and his detective fiction. His undergraduate degree was earned at the University of Colorado in 1952; he then went on to receive a master's degree in 1953, as well as a certificate in Maori studies from New Zealand's Victoria University. This was followed by a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University in 1957. While still in graduate school, Winks was an instructor briefly at the University of Colorado, as well as at Connecticut College. In 1957 he joined the faculty of Yale University and remained there for the rest of his academic career, becoming John B. Madden Master of Berkeley College from 1977 to 1990 and chair of Canadian studies from 1985 to 1999. He also chaired the history department at Yale from 1996 to 1998. Winks was interested in many different subjects, including national parks—he had visited all 376 of America's national parks and won the eponymous Robin W. Winks gold medal from the National Parks Association in 1999—the histories of England's former colonies, detective fiction, and espionage. His Cloak and Gown: Scholars in America's Secret War (1987) was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, and his Mystery and Suspense Writers (1998) won an Edgar Award in 1999. Some of Winks' other books include Canada and the United States: The Civil War Years (1960; third edition, 1988), An American's Guide to Britain (1979; third edition, 1987), Oxford History of the British Empire: Historiography (1999), and To Stimulate to Some Action (2001).

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

BOOKS

Writers Directory, 18th edition, St. James Press (Detroit, MI), 2003.

PERIODICALS

Los Angeles Times, April 10, 2003, p. B13.

New York Times, April 10, 2003, p. A19.

Washington Post, April 9, 2003, p. B6.