Steven Paul Scher, professor emiritus of German and comparative literature, died of heart failure Dec. 25 at his Hanover residence. Scher was 68 and is survived by life partner Ulrike Rainer, who is also a professor of German and comparative literature at the College.
Scher joined the Dartmouth faculty in 1974 and taught literature seminars, German language courses and graduate seminars. He was an internationally recognized scholar whose research focused on the interplay between literature, language and music.
In the midst of Fall term 2001, Scher left the classroom due to health complications. According to Rainer, it is unclear whether Scher's heart attack was spontaneous or the product of his deteriorating condition. At the time, Scher was teaching a first-year seminar, which Rainer took over for the remainder of the course.
Born in 1936 in Budapest, Hungary, Scher studied law and music before fleeing to Austria during the Hungarian uprising of 1956. He briefly studied medicine in Austria before arriving in the United States in 1957 as a political refugee. Three years later he graduated cum laude from Yale University with a degree in German literature. In 1963, Scher received his U.S. citizenship, the same year he received a doctorate from the university. It was also at Yale that Scher met Rainer.
Before settling in Hanover, Scher taught at Yale, Columbia University and Southern Connecticut State College. Upon arriving at Dartmouth, Scher chaired the German department until 1980 and again from 1993 to 1996. During his tenure, Scher directed foreign study programs in both Berlin and Mainz and served as a member of numerous College committees.
College President James Wright expressed sorrow at the death of a friend "far too young." Wright said the news of Scher's passing was shocking and tragic, as he had just met with the late professor a week before his death.
According to Wright, Scher said he was feeling well and preparing for knee surgery after playing tennis regularly for a number of years. Wright said that Scher did not appear ill at that time.
"Steve was a delightful man who taught us beautiful things about music, Germany and Hungary," Wright said. "We were privileged to know him."
At the time of his death, Scher was actively engaged in research. He was writing a book on German composer and poet E.T.A. Hoffmann. The professor remained active in his field throughout his life via involvement in several prestigious national arts foundations, including the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Scher also served as a consultant for numerous university presses and scholarly journals and was a recognized lecturer in his field. Scher's work resulted in numerous related conferences at Dartmouth and Yale.
An open memorial service will be held on Feb. 5.