Robert F. Goheen (1919 – 2008)

The Trustees and staff of the National Humanities Center are deeply saddened by the death of Robert F. Goheen on March 31. In 1976 he joined other distinguished leaders from higher education to found the National Humanities Center as a residential institute for advanced study in the humanities. He was a Trustee of the Center from 1984 through 1996, serving as chairman of its board from 1991 through 1996. Upon his retirement from the board, he was elected Trustee Emeritus. In 1996 the Center recognized his leadership by naming the collection of books written by its fellows The Robert F. and Margaret S. Goheen Collection, and in 2000 the Robert F. and Margaret S. Goheen Fellowship was permanently endowed at the Center.

Throughout his long association with the National Humanities Center, Robert Goheen unfailingly brought wise counsel and clarity of vision, reminding its Trustees, staff, and Fellows by his salient example that the ultimate purposes of good scholarship are not confined to the academic world.