Adolf, Helen (1895–1998)

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Adolf, Helen (1895–1998)

Austrian-born educator. Born in Vienna, Austria, Dec 31, 1895; died Dec 13, 1998, in State College, Pennsylvania; dau. of Jakob Adolf (attorney) and Hedwig (Spitzer) Adolf (artist); sister of Anna Adolf Spiegel (b. 1893, a medical doctor).

Professor of German language and literature who made major contributions to several areas of scholarship; after earning a PhD in literature, went to Leipzig, Germany, to work in a publishing house; with Nazi Anschluss, fled to US (1939); joined the staff of Pennsylvania State University (1943), becoming a full professor (1953); wrote Visio Pacis (1960). Awarded the Republic of Austria's Cross of Honor, 1st Class, in Arts and Letters (1972).

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