Paul Avrich died last week, aged 74. He was a respected anarchist, and a historian of anarchism (particularly Haymarket and the Sacco and Vanzetti trial) and the Russian Revolution. He was a Professor Emeritus at Queens College. I was fortunate enough to have been a student in the last regular undergraduate course that Dr. Avrich taught at Queens College. It was an invaluable experience to learn about the Russian Revolution from a talented and diligent scholar, who was sympathetic to the utopian goals of the revolution, while critical of the undemocratic nature of the Bolsheviks.
There will be a service tomorrow at 12:45 pm at the Riverside Chapel (Amsterdam and 78th).
Dear Shaun,
Thank you for creating this page…..I was a student at Queens College of Professor Paul Avrich a long time ago (1972). He was a brilliant teacher and had a profound influence on my life. Because of him, I eventually studied the Russian language where I work (at the United Nations) and afterwards I pursued graduate study at both Hunter College and Queens College. I was lucky enough to have Professor Avrich as my thesis adviser while doing graduate work at Queens. Professor Paul Avrich was an outstanding teacher and a remarkable person who had the unique ability to make his students love Russian/Soviet History as much as he did. His death is a tremendous loss to all who had the privilege of knowing him and working with him…….RIP, teacher and friend…..
Pax et Bonum,
Cynthia J. Conti