UC Honors Philanthropist Margo Tytus

UC took time out today to honor Mrs. Margo Tytus for her more than 44 years of service and generosity to scholars and researchers. Since June 1956, Mrs. Tytus has served on the board of trustees that oversees the Charles Phelps Taft Memorial and Louise Taft Semple funds at UC.

To thank her for the many years of devoted service, UC's Taft Faculty Board honored Mrs. Tytus during a reception at the Faculty Club.

Mrs. Tytus, whose grandfather was a brother of Charles Phelps Taft, first joined the Taft Fund Board of Trustees as an adviser in October 1953 and became a member of the Board of Trustees in June 1956.

Although she still serves on the board, she stepped down in December 1999 as the Taft Fund board chair. That's when the UC Taft Faculty Board decided a long-overdue "thanks" and recognition were in order. The new Taft board chair is John T. Lawrence III, senior vice president at PaineWebber.

A resident of Indian Hill, Mrs. Tytus was joined by other honorees who benefit from the Taft Fund. Four of UC's five current Charles Phelps Taft Professors attended: Roger Daniels and Barbara Ramusack, both professors of history; David Minda, professor of mathematical sciences; Patricia Hill Collins, head of the African American studies department and professor of sociology, who was the first female to hold a Taft professorship. Kenneth Meyer, professor of mathematical sciences, will not be able to attend.

Other honorees include 22 graduate students who are recipients of Taft Graduate Fellowships, as well as two Post-Doctoral Fellows, Michael Dahan (political science) and David Sobel (philosophy). The reception will also honor the first Departmental Enhancement Award winner, the project "Europe Old and New" from the departments of Germanic languages and literature, history, and Romance languages and literature.

This academic year, the Taft Fund will provide almost $1 million for these programs as well as others such as undergraduate and graduate study grants, travel grants, library purchases, conferences, lectures and publications. The fund benefits 10 departments in Arts and Sciences: anthropology, economics, English, Germanic languages and literature, history, mathematical sciences, philosophy, political science, Romance languages and literature, and sociology.

In addition to the Oct. 13 reception, the UC classics department has spearheaded another effort to thank Mrs. Tytus' loyal and long years of service to the Taft and Semple funds.

The classics department, the beneficiary of the Semple Fund, is launching the Margo Tytus Visiting Scholars Program, which is intended to bring scholars from around the world to Cincinnati to enjoy the use of the University of Cincinnati Burnam Classics Library -- one of the world's premier collections in the field of classical studies.

The 165,000-volume library is "of special value to scholars in terms of both the richness of its collection and its accessibility," says Getzel Cohen, UC professor of classics and director of the Tytus Program. "The library covers all aspects of the the classics: the languages and literatures, history, civilization, art and archaeology. This library collection compares to the best collections in the world with the added advantage that it is all together in one place, under one roof. This is a magnificent resource that we want to share."

The fellowship program is funded by University Libraries, the Provost's Office, the University Dean and Vice President for Research and Advanced Studies, and the classics department.

It will offer at least one scholar per year a stipend of $1,000 per month plus housing for one-nine months. These visiting fellows will also have the chance to use the nearby Hebrew Union Collection's Klau Library, which is rich in Judaica and Near Eastern studies.

To apply, scholars must be at least five years beyond receipt of a doctoral degree. For application forms, write to: Director, Margo Tytus Visiting Scholars Program
Department of Classics
University of Cincinnati
PO Box 210226
Cincinnati, OH 45221-0226
E-mail: secretary@classics.uc.edu

The deadline to apply is Jan. 1 of each year.