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Barnard
French Professor Renée G. Geen Dies at 69
 New
York, NY— Professor Renée G. Geen, who taught
French at Barnard College for almost 50 years, died Wednesday
morning at 4:30 a.m. at 69 years of age. She lived in Fort
Lee, New Jersey.
Geen joined the College in 1956 as an Instructor of French
and became full professor in 1977. Geen also served as the
Chair of the French Department from 1970 to 1973. Geen migrated
to the United States from Paris in the early 1950s and earned
her doctorate at Columbia University, studying with one of
the most prestigious 19th century French literature scholars,
Joseph Bédier.
Together with three other colleagues in her department, Geen
authored a key French grammar and literary text, Forme
et Fond, Textes Littéraires Pour l’étude
de la Langue (1980), which was used at Barnard and adopted
by 150 leading colleges in the country. She also edited Rousseau’s
Les Rêveries du Promeneur Solitaire (1970). Geen
contributed numerous articles and reviews to leading journals,
such as Romanic Review, French Studies, and French
Review.
Professor Serge Gavronsky, who had known Geen since 1960,
said “When I arrived at Barnard in 1961, she was already
the presence of stability, intelligence, and critical acumen,
but more still, she was the heart and soul of the department.”
Geen was known for her dedication to teaching and to her students.
She taught courses in advanced grammar, translation to French,
French literature, and 17th and 18th century theater. She
served on numerous committees, such as the Committee on Instruction,
the Faculty Executive Committee, and the Faculty Planning
Committee. During her tenure, a broad range of new language
and literature courses were added to the French curriculum,
such as rapid reading and translation, advanced translation,
French theatre of the 17th Century, The Age of Enlightenment,
French short story, and writings of French painters.
She was awarded the honor of “Chevalier dans l’Ordre
de Palmes Académiques” in 1984 for her academic
contributions. Among her other awards were Phi Beta Kappa,
Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship, and the American Association
of University Women Fellowship.
Geen earned her B.A. at Brooklyn College in 1954, her M.A.
at the University of Wisconsin in 1955, and her Ph.D. at Columbia
in 1960. A funeral service will be held on Friday, November
21 at 1:00 p.m. at the Wien & Wien Memorial Chapel in
Englewood, NJ.
Geen is survived by her husband Stanley Geen, their three
children, and grandchildren.
Contact:
Petra Tuomi, Barnard Public Affairs, 212-854-7907, ptuomi@barnard.edu
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