Harry J. Cargas
| Personal details | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Harry James Cargas |
| Born |
June 18, 1932 Detroit, Michigan |
| Died | August 18, 1998 (aged 66) St. Louis, Missouri |
| Buried | Kirkwood, Missouri |
| Nationality | American |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Residence | St. Louis, Missouri |
| Parents | James Cargas, Sophie Cargas |
| Spouse | Millie Cargas |
| Occupation | Professor, writer, scholar |
| Education | PhD |
| Alma mater |
University of Michigan, Saint Louis University |
Harry James Cargas (June 18, 1932 – August 18, 1998) was an American scholar, author, and teacher best known for his writing and research on the Holocaust, Jewish-Catholic relations, and American literature. He was a professor at Webster University for nearly three decades, and his circle of friends and collaborators included the American novelist Kurt Vonnegut and Nobel Laureate and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel.
Cargas was the son of James and Sophie Cargas of Hamtramck, Michigan. His father was a Greek immigrant and his mother was of Polish descent, and they raised their son in a working-class area near Detroit. As a young man, Cargas struggled to find a career. He quit university education four times before finishing his first degree, and he spent several years working odd jobs in factories, bars, restaurants, and trucking in both Michigan and Indiana. He also spent time in the copper mines of Montana and as an athletic director for a boys' school in New York and wrestling coach in New Jersey before finding his calling as a scholar.
During his young life, Cargas also served in the Korean War and was a decorated combat veteran. After the war, however, he became a lifelong pacifist. His philosophy of nonviolence was influenced by the writings of Catholic mystic Thomas Merton, and Cargas published the introduction to the Japanese edition of Merton's autobiography The Seven Storey Mountain in The Queen's Work magazine while he was its editor.
Cargas committed himself fully to academic life in 1963. He earned a BA and MA from the University of Michigan, and received a PhD in literature from Saint Louis University. In 1970, he joined the faculty of Webster University, where he taught until his death in 1998. He was the chair of the English department there and also taught courses in the history, art, and religion departments. Some of his course topics included the novels of Kurt Vonnegut, protest literature, Latin American literature, prison literature, and Native American literature. A lifelong proponent of good sportsmanship, Cargas also served as the athletic director for the university between 1988–1989.
...
Wikipedia