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We report with great sadness the death of Professor T. James Luce, on May 29.

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Published Date

October 11, 2021

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We report with great sadness the death of Professor T. James Luce, on May 29. Luce was a major presence in our department for a generation. A native of Elmira, NY, he came to Princeton as a graduate student in 1955 (with a B.A. from Hamilton College), stayed on as Instructor, and remained at Princeton throughout his career. In 1977 he was named Kennedy Foundation Professor of the Latin Language and Literature; he retired in 1995. His 1978 monograph, Livy: The Composition of his History transformed scholarship on this author by demonstrating the planning behind, and sophistication of, his presentation of the Roman past, and his important articles on Roman historiography remain central points of reference decades after their appearance. He was also a generous and genial teacher of Latin, Greek, and Roman History, whose laughter would ring through the department. And his scholarly influence survives also among the many students he trained and inspired. In addition to two terms as Chair, Luce’s service to the university included thirty-two years as Latin scribe, writing the Latin for university degrees and helping salutatorians with their speeches. He is survived by his husband Marvin Mandelbaum and by two siblings, to whom we extend our profound condolences. Jim’s many contributions to the field of classics and to the department will be remembered with joy and gratitude.