African History Professor, Vail, Dies

Last weekend, Harvard University lost an outstanding academic, a beloved colleague, and an inspiring mentor to students of history.

H. Leroy Vail, professor of history and Harvard's senior historian of Africa, died on March 27. He was 55 years old.

Vail was known for his work promoting African history within Harvard's History department.

"When I first came...he was the only Africanist here," said Mark A Kishlansky, Baird professor of history and associate dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. "He supported the field of African history and kept it going at Harvard."

Vail advocated for the recruitment of graduate students from Africa to study history at Harvard.

He also taught History 1904. Underdevelopment in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1884 to President, and History 1909: A History of Southern Africa.

Colleagues said Vail valued the responsibility of teaching students.

"He took undergraduate teaching very seriously. Even his jokes in class were planned," said colleague and Associate Professor of History Emmanuel K. Akyeampong.

Akyeampong said Vail's case studies on tribalism and tradition in southern Africa reshaped how academics think about ethnicity.

Academic commitment notwithstanding, Vail's legacy among his colleagues was his empathy and dedication to his students.

According to History Department Chair William Kirby, Vail was a physi- cally imposing man, very tall and stocky with abeard, but his disposition was anything butimposing.

"He was an absolute gentle soul with a greatwit... [who], as much as any one I have know inthe department, was loved and admired by hisstudents," Kirby said.

Frederick Antwi'01, Harvard African StudentsAssociation president, was one student who wastouched by Vail's enthusiasm and warmth.

"I lived in Africa up until the time I camehere and his lectures showed me that there was alot I had to learn about the continent," Antwisaid.

But students said Vail could be personable aswell as informative. According to Antwi, Vailwould talk to students after class about life inGhana, where he previously lived and Antwi grewup.

"After listening to him lecture for a fewminutes, you gathered that he not only loved hisstuff but loved to communicate it as well," saidAntwi.

Vail developed his research and communicationskills in the Boston public school system.

Born in Cambridge in 1940, he attended theBoston Latin School, then Boston College.

Moving on to the University of Wisconsin, Vailreceived his Ph.D. in Bantulinguistics in 1972.

Vail held a number of professorships at theUniversities of Malawi, Zambia, and Virginiabefore joining the Harvard faculty in 1984.

One of the world's foremost scholars in Africancolonial history, Vail coauthored a number ofbooks and articles, including Capitalism andColonialism in Mozambique.

In his later years, Vail was afflicted by anumber of illnesses, including heart trouble andpneumonia, but he remained dedicated to his workand his students.

According to Kirby, he was "an extraordinarilybrave man" who never complained, and continued toproduce quality research.

Despite his losing battle with lymphoma, Vailcontinued to work on a dictionary of the languageof the Lakeside Tonga people of Malawi.

Vail is survived by Patricia Anne Horochena,his wife of 31 years, a daughter Sharon Mulengaand a brother, David.

A memorial service at Harvard is being planned,but the date has not yet been set.H. LEROY VAIL

"He was an absolute gentle soul with a greatwit... [who], as much as any one I have know inthe department, was loved and admired by hisstudents," Kirby said.

Frederick Antwi'01, Harvard African StudentsAssociation president, was one student who wastouched by Vail's enthusiasm and warmth.

"I lived in Africa up until the time I camehere and his lectures showed me that there was alot I had to learn about the continent," Antwisaid.

But students said Vail could be personable aswell as informative. According to Antwi, Vailwould talk to students after class about life inGhana, where he previously lived and Antwi grewup.

"After listening to him lecture for a fewminutes, you gathered that he not only loved hisstuff but loved to communicate it as well," saidAntwi.

Vail developed his research and communicationskills in the Boston public school system.

Born in Cambridge in 1940, he attended theBoston Latin School, then Boston College.

Moving on to the University of Wisconsin, Vailreceived his Ph.D. in Bantulinguistics in 1972.

Vail held a number of professorships at theUniversities of Malawi, Zambia, and Virginiabefore joining the Harvard faculty in 1984.

One of the world's foremost scholars in Africancolonial history, Vail coauthored a number ofbooks and articles, including Capitalism andColonialism in Mozambique.

In his later years, Vail was afflicted by anumber of illnesses, including heart trouble andpneumonia, but he remained dedicated to his workand his students.

According to Kirby, he was "an extraordinarilybrave man" who never complained, and continued toproduce quality research.

Despite his losing battle with lymphoma, Vailcontinued to work on a dictionary of the languageof the Lakeside Tonga people of Malawi.

Vail is survived by Patricia Anne Horochena,his wife of 31 years, a daughter Sharon Mulengaand a brother, David.

A memorial service at Harvard is being planned,but the date has not yet been set.H. LEROY VAIL