Ohio University mourns the passing of Trustee Professor of English Emeritus Samuel Crowl, Ph.D. A memorial, open to the community, will be held in the Margaret M. Walter Hall Rotunda on October 11 from 2:30-4 p.m. Refreshments will be served following the memorial.
Crowl, who was a Shakespeare professor for generations of OHIO students and an architect of programs across the University, passed away on June 16, 2024. A part of the OHIO community since 1970, Crowl was an award-winning professor who also served as dean of the University College from 1981-1992.
Crowl’s teaching and scholarly focus centered on Shakespeare on film, a specialization that he helped to launch globally. He was the author of seven books, the latest published in 2024, titled “Shakespeare and Baseball.”
As dean of University College, Crowl co-built the university-wide General Education requirement, consulted on similar programs across the country, and was an accessible and hands-on dean.
With director Tom Carpenter, Crowl and the board built the Ping Institute for the Humanities into an active resource for university, regional, and state education. From its founding in 1994 to its current thriving leadership under Professor of Classics and director Fred Drogula, the Institute sustains a rich legacy from its founders.
Professor Drogula worked closely with Crowl. “Sam had already retired when I arrived at Ohio University in 2018, but he remained an active member of the Ping Institute. Long after his retirement, he was still offering frequent Ping Institute workshops on Shakespeare’s plays for groups of Ohio high school teachers, who eagerly came to Athens to spend the day working with Sam and absorbed his passion and knowledge on the topic. To hear Sam talk about Shakespeare was to hear at one time both a young man giddy with excitement about a topic and a sage professor who was a master of his subject,” said Drogula.
Crowl left lasting imprints on colleagues and community as well as on university programs and students. He was twice selected by students for the prestigious University Professor Award and was conferred the Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree at Ohio University’s 200th Commencement in 2015.
James Bruning, Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Provost during the Ping years, wrote, “He brought joy to so many in the Athens area and Ohio University through his marvelous intellect, friendly personality and incredible speaking ability. I used to call Charlie Ping on regular occasions and invariably, our conversations would turn to Sam and his much appreciated visits and conversations with Sam.”
Susan Crowl, Professor of English, wife and companion in Sam’s polymath life and career, adds that their long life together echoed Robert Browning’s lines, “an age so blest that, by its side, Youth seems the waste instead.”
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Ohio University Foundation in support of the Samuel and Susan Crowl Professorship. Checks can be sent to The Ohio University Foundation, P.O. Box 869, Athens, OH 45701, with “Crowl Professorship endowment” written on the memo line. Gifts can also be made at give.ohio.edu; type “Crowl” in “Make a selection or search for your Fund” section. For more information on Crowl please see this website.
