People

Raoul Bertrand Chair

The Raoul Bertrand Chair in Classics was established in 2012 thanks to a gift of $1.35 million from the estate of Raoul Bertrand, a long-time member of the Department of Classics. Professor Bertrand was born in 1923. He earned a B.A. at the University of British Columbia in 1944, then a Doctorat d’État at the Collège de France in 1955. His first major appointment was at the American University of Beirut, where he taught for ten years (1948-1958) before joining the faculty at San Francisco State in 1958, where he taught until his retirement in 1999. One of the accomplishments Prof. Bertrand himself is most proud of from his years at the university is his participation in the founding of the “Friends of the J. Paul Leonard Library.” He died in 2007 at the age of 84. Dr. Alexandra Pappas is the inaugural holder of the chair. 

Read more about the Raoul Bertrand Lecture Series in our Student Resources section.