Joseph T. Skerrett, Jr: In Memoriam

Members of MELUS and longtime readers of the journal have known Professor Joseph T. Skerrett, Jr. (known to his colleagues as "Joe" and to his family as "J.T.") very well. University of Massachusetts Amherst colleague Ron Welburn, also an early MELUS member, recalls that Joe Skerrett was likely founding editor Katharine Newman's first recruit to the organization. Professor Skerrett succeeded Newman as editor of the journal and served as its editor for more than ten years (1987-99). He also served as president of the society from 1984-86, published in the journal, served as guest editor of several special issues, and regularly attended MELUS conferences both as a panelist and program chairperson. His association with MELUS, University of Massachusetts Amherst colleague Randall Knoper observes, "connected him to a vast web of national and international colleagues, and those connections became resources and channels of vitality for the department here at the University of Massachusetts Amherst."

Professor Skerrett taught at the university for over forty years. He took time away from the University of Massachusetts Amherst at Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia. He also served as assistant to the chancellor for the New York City School System, Frank Macchiorola, from 1978-80. Macchiorola's widow, Mary, says of him, "Joe was a gentle man in the truest sense of the word, a loyal and devoted friend, as well as a humble and brilliant scholar."

We who were fortunate to know him at the University of Massachusetts Amherst certainly appreciated his stature as a scholar but also knew him as an inspiring teacher and mentor and as a skilled administrator of our graduate concentration in American studies. His work crossed boundaries of genres and disciplines as he brought together colleagues in various departments to explore issues in literature and ethnicity, the teaching of writing, and film studies and culture. He worked with a number of gifted graduate students who have gone on to faculty positions at prestigious institutions, including Goucher College, Northwestern University, Amherst College, Loyola University, the University of Connecticut, and the University of California, Los Angeles.

In the Department of English, Professor Skerrett taught courses in African American literature, multi-ethnic literature, and American studies. He was the author or editor of several books, most recently the widely used Literature, Race, and Ethnicity: Contesting American Identities (2001). Professor Skerrett was part of the generation of scholars who brought ethnic studies (and women's studies) from the fringes of American literary studies to its center. He published widely on American writers, including Langston Hughes, Paule Marshall, James Weldon Johnson, Richard Wright, Toni Morrison, Ralph Ellison, and others. He had a deep scholarly interest in James Purdy and was an established authority on this writer.

As a widely active professional, Professor Skerrett regularly attended, organized panels for, and gave papers at scholarly conferences. In addition to MELUS conferences, colleagues regularly encountered him at Modern Language Association (MLA) meetings and also at meetings of the American Literature Association (ALA), the American Studies Association (ASA), the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC), and the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). He also accepted invitations to present papers at conferences abroad, including in France, Spain, and Brazil.

In addition to his association with MELUS, Professor Skerrett served on the editorial board of the journal Callaloo. He served as their book review editor from 2009 until his death, which is one reason, perhaps, that his home was stacked floor to ceiling with piles of excellent hardback books. Of his work with Callaloo, which dedicated its Winter 2016 issue to his memory, editor Charles Henry Rowell wrote, "We will never forget meeting him, working with him, and sharing our various productions with him, as he enriched our work and our lives with his words and deeds—selflessly and tirelessly encouraging and supporting us as a friend and colleague" (iv).

During his career, Professor Skerrett was the recipient of many honors and awards. At the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1996, he received the Chancellor's Award for Multiculturalism, given to those who have distinguished themselves by increasing awareness of multicultural issues...