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Campus Sets July 21 Memorial Service for Lew Marcuson

Emeritus Professor of English Taught at WC from 1957 Through 2002 Wilmington College will remember emeritus professor of English Lewis Marcuson at a campus memorial service July 21, at 4 p.m., in the T. Canby Jones Meetinghouse, Boyd Cultural Arts Center. The memorial will be held in the manner of Friends and feature an unscripted period during which friends and colleagues can share memories, lessons learned and reflections on the former, long-time faculty member. Marcuson, 86, died June 20 at Cape May Retirement Village in Wilmington. A graveside service and family visitation were held in the Cleveland area. He taught English and theatre from 1957 through 2002. Possessing a life-long passion for theatre, he directed shows at WC and was active in dramaturgy, the art of theatre in which he delved into the substance and history of dramatic productions, playwrights and actors. He often led talk-back sessions following WC Theatre productions in which the audience interacted with cast and direction staff on issues close to the production. In 2003, he published the book, A Century of Theatre at Wilmington College: A Nostalgic History and a Scrapbook, in which he interviewed persons close to the productions, as well as wrote recollections of shows, both personal and from published reports. He dedicated the book “to the actors who performed in the plays, the directors, the playwrights, the designers and composers, the stage managers and the backstage crews, and to everyone who came to see the plays.” He earned his undergraduate degree at Antioch College, a Master of Fine Arts from Yale University and his Ph.D. from the University of Denver. Marcuson is survived by a sister, Doris Sopher, two nieces, five great nieces and nephews, and devoted Wilmington friends Wynn Alexander and Gail Al-Ghawi. The family suggests that any donations or memorial gifts made in his memory go toward the Theatre Department at Wilmington College.