In Memoriam
Sadness accompanied this past year in many ways, least of which was having to say goodbye to departed friends and colleagues.
Edmond Jacobitti
Ed passed away in California in November 2020 at the age of 82. A Newark, N.J. native, Ed was appointed as an assistant professor in the SIUE Social Sciences Division in September 1970. An active scholar and professor of modern European Intellectual History, he retired from SIUE at the rank of professor in 1997, but continued to teach as an emeritus professor until August 2000. Ed’s research focused on the Italian philosopher Benedetto Croce. Ed was a founder and editor of The Journal of Machiavelli Studies. In addition to his teaching and scholarship, he was an avid pilot and hunter, and enjoyed birding, prairie conservation, riding horses and exploring the Everglades. Ed’s first wife, Suzanne, also a faculty member at SIUE, passed away in 2002. Ed is survived by his wife, Barbara. Many of us remember long conversations with Ed and will miss him dearly.
Wayne Santoni
Wayne passed away in July 2020 at the age of 79. A Baltimore native, Wayne earned a master’s in history from the University of Maryland College Park and a doctorate in history from the University of Kansas. He spoke six languages – English, Italian, French, Russian, Spanish and Czech. Wayne was a past chair of the department. After retiring in 2009, he continued as an adjunct associate professor for the past 11 years. During Wayne’s tenure, he taught Western Civilization, both early and modern, junior and senior level Concepts of History courses, as well as Russian history, The Great War, History of Magic, Witchcraft and the Occult, Modern Europe, and basic European and American survey courses. He was a three-time winner (1974, 1981, 1995) of the Teaching Excellence Award. He served in the Faculty Senate for 28 years. Wayne was chair of the department when some of the faculty members in the department were hired and we remember lively conversations and his supportive leadership and mentorship.
