RM-MLA Past Presidents: II Stuart Cuthbertson 1950-1951

34 RM-MLA PAST PRESIDENTS: II STUART CUTHBERTSON 1950-1951 Stuart Cuthbertson—idealist, poet, and leader in the teaching of modern foreign languages—is a retired and much revered member of the faculty of the University of Colorado. A man of versatile talents, a warm personality, and a unique sense of humor, he has been a lasting inspiration to his staff and thousands of students. In deahng with people, he found no minor problem brought to him was too small to merit his interest and no major issue too perplexing to escape his thoughtful, personal concern. After graduating from the University of Illinois in 1917, he served as interpreter for Headquarters, 88th Division in France from 1917 to 1919. While in France he also studied at the University of Montpellier. He first came to the University of Colorado in 1925 as an instructor in the department of Romance languages. He progressed in rank, received his Ph.D. from Stanford University in 1932, and became headStuart Cuthbertson of the department in 1934. In 1939 he was named head of the newly organized department of modern languages and Hteratures. After serving for thirteen years in that capacity he resigned the headship but remained an active member of the department until his retirement in January 1959. The accomphshments of Dr. Cuthbertson are so many and so varied that it is difficult to detail them in a short note. However, a brief Hsting must include twenty years of administrative duties, thirty-three years as a teacher of Old Spanish, Medieval Spanish Hterature, Old Provençal, comparative Hterature, as well as classes in French and Spanish at all levels. Through the years he directed theses in the fields of Romance Hteratures and linguistics and presented innumerable scholarly papers. His impressive pubHcations vary from a history of the University of Colorado to articles on the Spanish Civil War and the place of the humanities in an atomic age. Among his pubHcations are books, poetry, translations of foreign verse, and the internationally known Cuthbertson Verb Wheels in seven languages. RM-MLA Past Presidents: II35 Professor Cuthbertson has always been a man of vision. Some thirty years ago, long before audio-lingual teaching became an established procedure , he was concerned about helping students attain fluency in the foreign language. As a means of providing further additional opportunity to speak the language under careful guidance he established the Modern Language House where French, German, and Spanish were spoken. Native directors and a varied program of activities provided a knowledge of the culture of the various countries. Similarly, long before the days of ready availability of scholarships and grants for foreign study, Dr. Cuthbertson foresaw this need. He contacted business and industrial firms in an attempt to secure funds. He succeeded in gaining support from the administration of the University of Colorado and established the Travel Savings Fund wherein the University matched the amount of savings of a student or faculty member with a long-term, low-interest loan in order to facifitate foreign travel and study. As a leader in professional organizations Dr. Cuthbertson has made many contributions. He was one of the founders of the Rocky Mountain Modern Language Association and was its president from 1950 to 1951. Between 1952 and 1955 he served as chairman of the Modern Language Association Liaison Committee, which had as its goal the improvement of foreign language teaching and the fostering of language study on all levels. One of Professor Cuthbertson's most extraordinary activities attracted national attention. From 1947 to 1949 he was official script writer and radio commentator for the Foreign Policy Association of New York. His 120 radio speeches were recognized during those years as a penetrating analysis of world affairs, and today they constitute a lasting tribute to the intelligence and vision of a man keenly interested in the welfare of all mankind. In recognition of Professor Cuthbertson's personal accomplishments as a teacher and a scholar and as a leader in the field of modern language study, the French government conferred upon him the title of Chevafier de la Légion d'Honneur in 1955. He was further honored by the University of Colorado in June 1960...