We are happy to announce the Digel/Jones Memorial Gift, offered to the department in the name of two former Lehigh students. The Digel/Jones Memorial Gift honors the lives of William A. Digel (B.A. 1959, M.A. 1964) and Barry O. Jones (B.S. 1960) by providing support to students in the English Department of Lehigh University. The Fund will be administered by the Chair of the English Department.
Bill Digel (Lehigh ’59) majored in English at Lehigh, and for a time was also in the 5-year Arts/Engineering program. After military service he continued as a graduate student and also as an instructor in English, receiving an M.A. in 1964 with a thesis on John Donne. But he had also always had an interest in science generally, and especially in how “things” worked; his collection of old radio parts was a particular delight, both of his and his friends. After he received his M.A. he in effect combined his interests in science, technology, and writing, beginning a long career as a technical writer with Dupont. He served in that capacity until retirement and continued as a consultant until his death in 2010. For his contemporaries in the Theta Xi fraternity Bill was a reassuring (and inspiring) example of a life that could be lived outside the precincts of engineering and business.
Barry Jones (Lehigh ’60) received a degree in accounting from Lehigh, but did so only because it afforded a clearer path to earning a living. His first loves had always been literature and writing, and after military service he was able to pursue them. He took up graduate studies in English at Rutgers, with the encouragement of Lehigh’s Carl Strauch and the counsel of Paul Fussell of Rutgers; he received an M. A. from Rutgers and was subsequently an instructor in English there, an editor of Rutgers publications, a consultant in business communications, and an editor for Bloomberg News. His notable service to the Lehigh chapter of Theta Xi fraternity included a ten-year as secretary of its alumni association, during which time his annual Eta News won an award from the national fraternity. His memoir of his service in the peacetime U.S. Army, Honest John: Adventures of a Reluctant Cold-Warrior, was published in 2006.
If you wish to donate please contact Dr. Dawn Keeetley, English Department, Lehigh University, Drown Hall, 35 Sayre Drive, Bethlehem, PA 18015.
2021 Digel-Jones Memorial Awards: Molly Porter and Adam Heidebrink-Bruno
2019 Digel-Jones Memorial Awards: Cherise Fung, Claire Silva, and James Hamill