Oct. 30, 1936 to Dec. 20, 2012
We are deeply saddened by the passing of Gerhard Koeppel, professor emeritus. During his decades in the department, Dr. Koeppel’s kindness left an indelible mark on Classical archaeology and his students and colleagues.
“Gerhard was a lovely, gentle man,” Sara Mack, professor emerita remembers. He was “a good teacher with a good sense of humor.”
Cecil Wooten, professor emeritus and former chair of the department, echoes Dr. Mack’s fond memories:
“Gerhard Koeppel was a kind and gentle man who was extremely generous with his time and with his expertise. His help was invaluable to me when I was preparing lectures on Roman painting, sculpture, and architecture for my Roman Civilization class. Not only did Gerhard advise me about bibliography and answer my numerous questions, he even took many of his own slides over to the slide lab and had them copied for me. I will always have a very fond memory of him.”
Dr. Koeppel began his academic career studying ancient Roman art and archaeology at the University of Cologne. Specializing in Roman Historical Reliefs of the Roman Empire, he joined our faculty in the late 1960s. For approximately 30 years, Dr. Koeppel shared his expertise not only with his students and colleagues but with the international archaeological community through numerous publications and professional positions; one of his most important contributions was his catalogue of Roman historical reliefs published as a series of annual articles in Bonner Jahrbuecher from 1983 to 1992. He was a member of the Archaeological Institute of America, the Classical Society of the American Academy in Rome, the Deutscher Archaeologenverband, and Corresponding Member of the Deutsches Archaeologisches Institut. He also was resident scholar at the American Academy in Rome, 1974-75; professor-in-charge of the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies in Rome, 1980-81, 1989-90, and spring 1998; and director of the American Academy Summer School, 1986-1988.
Born Oct. 30, 1936, Dr. Koeppel passed away Dec. 20, 2012, in Germany. He is survived by wife Anette Koeppel, and by their children and grandchildren, Peter Koeppel and Yordanka Nedyalkova and Oskar; Hertha and Pedro Gabás and family; and Ernst and Heidi Koeppel and family.