Craig William Kallendorf

On January 31, 2023, Craig Kallendorf, Professor of English and Classics at Texas A&M, passed away from brain cancer at the age of 68.

Born on June 23, 1954, in Cincinnati, Ohio, he received his BA in English and Classics from Valparaiso University and his MA and Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of North Carolina. He joined the faculty at Texas A&M in 1982 and served as interim head of the Department of Modern and Classical Languages from 2001 to 2004. The author or editor of 24 books and 175 articles, book chapters, and reference book entries, Craig received the Association of Former Students Distinguished Achievement Award in both teaching (1999) and research (2010). A two-volume collection of essays by colleagues from around the world was published in 2019 in recognition of his work.

In his work and in his life, Craig devoted himself to the values that mattered to him. His professional passion was to bring back to life and nurture our connections to the past, by teaching the languages of antiquity and studying books from the Renaissance that preserve the classical tradition. His favorite author was the Roman poet Virgil because his poetry explores so well what it means to be human-to work for a worthy goal, to fail, and to get up and try again. These values complemented what he believed in, that by faith alone, in Christ alone, by grace alone, we can always rejoice even amid our sorrows (2 Cor 6:10).

Work, though, took second place to his family, as they know. Craig’s parents Earl and Hazel Kallendorf predeceased him. His marriage ended in separation, but he leaves behind his children, Trevor and his friend Autumn Green and Barrett; his sister Camille Rechel, her husband Mike and their sons Christopher and Matthew; and close family friend Laci, Jordan and Clifton and Calvin Conway. Craig is grateful to the many friends, especially Hilaire Kallendorf, who helped in different ways while he was battling cancer.

A visitation will be held on February 3, 2023, from 4-6 pm at Callaway-Jones Funeral and Cremation Center. Funeral services will be held at Grace Bible Church Anderson Campus on February 4th, 2023, at 11:00 am, with interment for family only afterward. Memorials may be made to Grace Bible Church, The Christian Faculty Network at Texas A&M, or the charity of your choice.