Victor Niles Paananen

Victor Niles Paananen, AB 60mcl died March 24 in Cambridge.

He was a retired English professor at Michigan State University, where he taught from 1968 to 2002. He also served as assistant dean of the graduate school and chaired the English department.

Before going to Michigan State, he taught at Williams College and Wofford College. He was the author of two books, William Blake and British Marxist Criticism.

A committed political activist, he was a longtime member of the Committee for a Workers International and was a founding member of the Labor Party in the United States.

He leaves his wife, Diane (De Santis), and two sons Karl and Neil; his first wife, Donna (Jones), died in 2002.

Harvard Magazine July/Aug. 2013