Bernard Robert Kogan

Background

Kogan, Bernard Robert was born on May 16, 1920 in Chicago, Illinois, United States. He was a son of Isaac and Ida (Perlman) Kogan. Kogan grew up with his brother, the late Chicago journalist and author Herman Kogan, in the Humboldt Park neighborhood. A talented athlete, he played handball and tennis, but it was his skill with a baseball bat that earned him the nickname he would carry through life, "Babe."

Education

Kogan attended Kelvyn Park High School before earning a bachelor's in English language and literature from the University of Chicago in 1941. He enlisted in the Navy in 1940 and served as editor of the ship's newspaper aboard the USS Antietam.

After the war he returned to the University of Chicago, receiving a master's in English in 1946 and a doctorate in Victorian literature and the novels of Charles Dickens in 1953.

Career

Bernard R. Kogan was an Instructor in English at Indiana University in 1946-1948. He also worked as an instructor in Humanities at the University of Chicago in 1949-1951.

Kogan was a professor of English and humanities at such institutions as the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he worked from 1952 to 1990. A passionate lecturer of literature, he was a leader in making the University of Illinois a four-year institution. Kogan’s first published writing appeared in a collection titled The Chicago Hay market Riot: Anarchy on Trial in 1959. In 1960 he contributed a piece to a collection called Darwin and His Critics: The Darwinian Revolution. Kogan was also the author of Narrative Techniques in the Later Novels of Charles Darwin. He served in the United States Naval Reserve during World War II.

He was a volunteer for the University of Illinois at Chicago Scholarship Association, lecturing and conducting literary and theatrical fundraising tours for the benefit of outstanding students.

Achievements

• Mr. Kogan was the author of many articles and book reviews, as well as two critically acclaimed books, "The Chicago Haymarket Riot: Anarchy on Trial" in 1959 and "Darwin and His Critics" in 1960.
  
  In addition to his teaching and writing, he conducted seminars at Newberry Library and lectured at other institutions.
  
  Bernard Robert Kogan has been listed as a noteworthy English language educator by Marquis Who's Who.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Darwin and His Critics 1960
  • The Chicago Haymarket Piot 1959

Membership

Bernard Robert Kogan was a member of Modern Language Association. He was an active member of Congregation Kol Emeth in Skokie, a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Honorary Society and the founder of the Phi Beta Kappa Iota Chapter at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

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  Member Modern Language Association , United States

• Congregation Kol Emeth in Skokie , United States

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  The Phi Beta Kappa Society is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and is often described as its most prestigious honor society, due to its long history and academic selectivity.

  Phi Beta Kappa Honorary Society , United States

• Phi Beta Kappa Iota Chapter at the University of Illinois at Chicago , United States

Personality

Quotes from others about the person

• "He was a generous and loving colleague," said Curt Johnson, professor of English emeritus and former associate chancellor of academic affairs at the University of Illinois at Chicago. "And he had such a curious intellect, always animated about something he had just read or learned."
  
  One of his former students, Ralph Ruebner, now a professor at the John Marshall Law School, called Mr. Kogan "a wonderful teacher who spoke with authority, yet a man whose words and conduct were gentle and respectful.
  
  It seemed that for him literature was just another medium to transmit valuable lessons about civility and morality. To me, he was the model teacher."

Connections

In 1962 Kogan married Irene Horwitz, and in 1963 the couple had twin girls Naomi and Sara. He also had a stepson Henry and a stepdaughter Sophia.

Father:

Isaac Kogan

Mother:

Ida (Perlman) Kogan

Spouse:

Irene Horwitz

Daughter:

Sara Kogan

Daughter:

Naomi Kogan

stepson:

Henry Kogan

stepdaughter:

Sophia Kogan

References

• Contemporary Authors New Revision Series, Vol. 194
  2010