In Memoriam: Diethelm Prove (1941–2015)

Diethelm (Diet) Prowe, the previous editor of German Studies Review, died peacefully on March 7th, 2015 at the age of seventy-four. We are dedicating this special issue on surveillance to his memory. As the Laird Bell Professor of History, he taught courses on modern European history at Carleton College in Minnesota from 1966 to 2008. A historian trained at Stanford University, Diet published on postwar West German history, including a monograph on West Berlin during the Cold War. His scholarly interest in the process of democratization and his belief in freedom of speech and right to privacy were inseparable from his own biography as a child growing up in wartime Bonn and then immigrating with his family to the United States in the late 1950s. The same traits that informed his approach to teaching and mentoring at Carleton, where he is fondly remembered by colleagues and students, also characterized his work as editor: a firm commitment to the highest standards of quality and a very gentle, supportive approach to the reviewing and editing process. After serving on the editorial board for a couple of years, Diet in 2000 took over the editorship from GSA founding director Gerald R. Kleinfeld. During his tenure, the journal became an important showcase for the new interdisciplinary approaches and critical methodologies that distinguish German studies today. In addition to serving as editor, Diet was also responsible for supervising typesetting and printing for what then was still a self-published journal. I remember having breakfast with him in a hotel in Clearwater Beach in preparation for the transition in editorship—as always, he was wearing his signature cravat—and asking for his input on a seemingly endless list of questions. He remained calm, supportive, and encouraging throughout and allowed me to take over the position with a sense of confidence. As members of the German Studies Association, we owe him an enormous debt of gratitude; he will not be forgotten. A longer obituary will appear in the Newsletter.

The Editor