Lois Stein, who taught Spanish at Cornell from 1973 to 1984, died on Dec. 5, 2024, in Phoenix, Arizona. She was 85.
Stein earned her bachelor’s degree in Spanish and French from Purdue University and earned a Fulbright to study at the University of Madrid in 1961-62. Knowing then that she was destined for a life in higher education, she entered graduate study in Spanish at Brown University, where she earned an M.A. in 1965, and passed her doctoral examination a year later. She held a 40-year career in higher education.
According to her obituary, Stein and her friend and colleague, Professor Emerita of Spanish Sally Farrington-Clute, built a Spanish program at Cornell with course offerings “stronger in scope and quality than those offered by many universities.” They took student groups to Mexico and launched campus activities such as Spanish Club and weekly Spanish-language social hours. Following Stein’s career at Cornell, she spent 19 years at the University of Chicago as dean of students in the graduate division of the social sciences.
Stein’s family remembers her as a loving wife and mother and an excellent cook who enjoyed consuming news, literature, and cultural and culinary experiences. Stein is survived by her husband of 60 years, Harvey, who taught French at Cornell College from 1969 to 1977; two sons; a granddaughter; a brother; and a sister.