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Edward L. Galligan

by Jeanne Baron

April 12, 2011 | WMU News

Photo of Edward L. Galligan.
Edward L. Galligan
Edward L. Galligan, a former Western Michigan University administrator and faculty member, died March 29. He was 85.

Galligan of Kalamazoo joined the WMU faculty in 1958 and retired as a professor emeritus of English in 1989 after 30 years of service to the University. He chaired the English department from 1985 until his retirement.

During his career, Galligan wrote three books of literary criticism, edited a book of H.L. Mencken pieces, wrote numerous essays and book reviews, and was a regular contributor to the Sewanee Review.

He was a fierce reader, interpreter and defender of literature, and brought this intensity to his teaching and scholarship. Before coming to WMU he taught at DePauw University from 1949 to 1958.

Galligan was active in the American Civil Liberties Union and Democratic Party in Kalamazoo. and served in the U.S. Navy's submarine service from 1943 to 1946. He earned a bachelor's degree from Swarthmore College in 1948, a master's degree from Columbia University in 1949 and a doctoral degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1958.

A memorial banquet and blues and jazz festival will be held in his honor at a future date.

Memorial contributions may be made to the West Michigan Cancer Center or Hospice Care of Southwest Michigan.