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Samuel B. Seigle, a longtime professor of Classics at Sarah Lawrence College and a beloved mentor to generations of students, passed away on June 12, 2025. He was 92.
A member of the Classical Languages and Literature faculty for 55 years, from 1964 until his retirement in 2019, Sam generously shared with students and colleagues his love for and mastery of ancient Greek and Latin languages, literature, history, and culture. He joyfully introduced students to ancient models and methods vital to humanity, in both senses of that word. He modeled and fostered the process of rational, empathetic critical inquiry that is at the heart of a Sarah Lawrence education.
When Sam arrived on campus in 1964, he took over the Classics curriculum, which, at the time, offered beginning and intermediate Latin and Greek intermittently. Sam began offering not only literature-in-translation courses but also ancient Greek and Latin at the beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels every semester. In seminars and in guiding conference work, Sam encouraged students to connect their study of Greek and Latin to their other interests – a true model of interdisciplinary education. He attracted students from all areas of study and backgrounds and engaged them in the rewarding process of close textual analysis leading to vigorous critical deliberation and productive discussion. Sam’s love of Greek and Roman literature enabled generations of students to ponder timeless, consequential questions and to appreciate the contemporary relevance of ancient texts.
Sam was a dedicated mentor and passionate educator to countless students, and something of a legend on campus. He was known for showing up to class with bagel halves and flat soda, for carrying academic papers around campus because his office was overflowing with texts and documents, and for his Greco-inspired curses, like “Oh, Minerva!”
Upon his retirement in 2019, the Board of Trustees unanimously recommended Sam for Faculty Emeritus status. Reflecting on his legacy, Provost and Dean of Faculty Kanwal Singh said, “Sam Seigle embodied the intellectual curiosity, generosity of spirit, and deep humanity that define Sarah Lawrence. His presence shaped the College for more than half a century, and his legacy lives on in the countless students whose lives he transformed.”