Awards

Guggenheim Fellow - 1976

About J. Rufus Fears

Prior to his death, Dr. Fears was David Ross Boyd Professor of Classics at the University of Oklahoma, where he held the G. T. and Libby Blankenship Chair in the History of Liberty. He served as David and Ann Brown Distinguished Fellow of the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs. He earned his Ph.D. from Harvard University. Before he joined the faculty at the University of Oklahoma, Fears was Professor of History and Distinguished Faculty Research Lecturer at Indiana University, and Professor of Classical Studies at Boston University. An acclaimed teacher and scholar with more than 25 teaching awards, Fears was elected Professor of the Year on three occasions by students at the University of Oklahoma. Among his accolades include: the Medal for Excellence in College and University Teaching from the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence; the University Continuing Education Association (UCEA) Great Plains Region Award for Excellence in Teaching; and the UCEA's National Award for Teaching Excellence. Fears's books and monographs include The Cult of Jupiter and Roman Imperial Ideology and The Theology of Victory at Rome. He edited a three-volume edition of Selected Writings of Lord Acton. His discussions of the Great Books have appeared in newspapers across the country and have aired on national television and radio programs.