English Professor Edward Galligan Passes Away at Age 85
April 5, 2011
April 5, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — Edward L. Galligan, a member of the DePauw University faculty from 1949 to 1958, died March 29 in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He was 85 years old. (at left: Prof. Galligan from the 1950 Mirage; below: a more recent photo)
Galligan was born in Taunton, Massachusetts on January 14, 1926. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1943 and served in the submarine service. In 1948, he graduated from Swarthmore College, and went on to earn a master's degree from Columbia University and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Pennsylvania.
He came to DePauw in 1949 as an instructor in the English department and five years later was made an assistant professor of English. In 1958, DePauw's senior class selected Professor Galligan to speak at their May 23 dinner, approximately two weeks before commencement.
In a 2002 visit to campus, Gene Brewer, author of K-PAX and 1959 graduate of DePauw, stated, "I came to DePauw on a Rector Scholarship. When I got here, one of the people who encouraged me was Ed Galligan. He was an English professor, and he put the writing bug in me." (Brewer also cited Galligan in a 2001 interview)
In the Fall of 1958, Dr. Galligan became an English professor at 
Western Michigan University, where he served for 30 years and retired as department chair.
He remained highly active as a literary critic after leaving the teaching professor. Over his career, Galligan wrote three books of literary criticism, edited a book of H.L. Mencken pieces, and wrote many essays and book reviews. He was a regular contributor to the Sewanee Review.
There will be no service for Professor Galligan. A memorial banquet and blues and jazz festival will be held in his honor at a future date.
Access his obituary by clicking here.