Dear Members of the TC Community:

I am saddened to share news of Franklin Eugene Horowitz’s passing on January 31, 2022. Frank was a Professor in the Applied Linguistics Program at Teachers College from 1978 until his retirement in 2013 and was beloved by his TC colleagues and students. All of us, including me, benefited from his warmth, humor, energy and intellectual passion.

Perhaps Frank’s greatest gift to Teachers College and the field of linguistics was his expertise and creativity as a teacher. He taught general, historical, and applied linguistics at TC and students flocked to his courses. In 1993, based on the majority vote of TC’s graduate students, he was awarded Professor of the Year. His enthusiasm for language inspired legions of master’s and doctoral students, who continue the work of teaching linguistics to their own students around the world.

Beginning when he was a graduate student, Frank was also an active member of the International Linguistic Association. He served on ILA’s Executive Committee from 1962 to 1979 and again from 1989 until 2015, and served as the Association’s President from 1999 to 2002. In 2015, ILA’s 60th Annual Conference took place at Teachers College and was held in his honor. His former students, many of whom are distinguished scholars of language in their own right, traveled from all over the world to participate and pay tribute to him. 

We extend our deepest sympathy to Frank’s family and friends and hope their pain is eased by knowing how much he was esteemed and loved by his TC family and by the great legacy he has left here and across the field of linguistics.

Warmly,

Thomas Bailey
President, Teachers College