In Memoriam: Andrew R.L. Cayton

In Memoriam: Andrew R.L. Cayton, former University Distinguished Professor of History

We are deeply saddened to announce the death on December 17, 2015, of Andrew R.L. Cayton, who taught in the History Department at Miami University for 25 years.

Drew was the epitome of a Miami teacher-scholar.  His books and articles on the Midwestern frontier, the American Revolutionary era, and the history of the early  modern Atlantic world helped shape many fields.  He held numerous offices in scholarly organizations, including President of the Society for Historians of the Early American Republic (SHEAR).

It was as a legendary teacher that Drew most affected the Miami community.  Through his brilliant lectures in History 111, American History to 1865, he touched many thousands of Miami students.  In upper-level and graduate classes, and through his incisive individual mentoring, he nurtured historical and personal growth among countless students.  To the History Department, the College of Arts and Science, and the entire University, he gave tirelessly of his wisdom and warmth.

In the fall of 2015 Drew moved to the Ohio State University to take up the Warner Woodring Chair in Early American History.  It is tragic that his life was cut short just as he was starting a new phase in his career.

A scholar's scholar, a teacher's teacher, a colleague, a friend, and a mentor:  We will always remember Drew and what he gave Miami.  Our deepest sympathies to his wife, Mary Kupiec Cayton, who retired from the History Department in 2015, their daughters Elizabeth and Hannah, and their families.

A memorial service was held on December 28 at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Oxford.  The family suggests that contributions be made to the James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute of The Ohio State University, or to the National Humanities Center, Research Triangle Park, NC.

Wietse de Boer, Chair, Department of History