Milne Library invites you to view an exhibit dedicated to one of SUNY Geneseo’s most distinguished and influential professors, Dr. Walter Harding. Harding, one of the world’s leading Thoreau scholars, was a member of the English Dept. faculty from 1956 to 1983 and in that time served as chairman of both the English department and the Division of Humanities.
The impact of Harding’s world-class scholarship and passion for Henry David Thoreau reached far beyond Geneseo, from campuses and auditoriums across the nation to Asia and Europe, where the U.S. State Dept. sent him to deliver a series of lectures on Thoreau and American literature. And, of course, the hundreds of articles and books he wrote or edited continue to enlighten and influence the world of Thoreau studies.
The exhibit, located in Milne’s lobby, coincides with the annual Walter Harding Lecture to be delivered on Tuesday, Nov. 8 at 7:30 p.m. in the Doty Recital Hall. This year’s speaker is Elizabeth Witherell, editor-in-chief of The Writings of Henry D. Thoreau (aka the Thoreau Edition). Walter Harding himself was the first editor-in-chief, from 1966 to 1972, of this monumental scholarly project. The exhibit will be on view through the end of the semester.
