Former Dean of Humanities, Social Sciences Dies

Former Dean of Humanities, Social Sciences Dies

Virgil W. Topazio, who served as vice president and dean of humanities and social sciences at Rice from 1967 to 1981, died suddenly at his Houston home on Jan. 2. He was 84 years old.

During his lifetime Tapazio was recognized with numerous awards and honors for his teaching and research activities, which centered on 18th century French literature and for which he was considered one of the nation’s most distinguished scholars.

Topazio was named by the French government to Officier dans L’Ordere des Palmes Académiques, the highest French honor for scholarly achievement. He also was a Fulbright Visiting Lecturer at the University of Rennes in France in 1964 and 1965.

During his career, Topazio taught at Columbia University, the University of Rochester and Rice, where he joined the faculty in 1965 and held the position of vice president and dean of humanities and social sciences.

He was a member of the Modern Language Association, the American Association of Teachers of French, the American Association of University Professors and the Modern Humanities Research Association.

Much of Topazio’s research centered on Voltaire, including a book on the 18th century French philosopher titled “Voltaire, A Critical Study of His Major Works” (Random House 1966). His other works include “The Background and Development of D’Holbach’s Moral Philosophy” (1956), “Rousseau, Man of Contradictions,” “Studies on Voltaire” and many articles for scholarly journals.

He was born in Middletown, Conn., on March 25, 1915. He received his bachelor’s degree in 1943 from Wesleyan University and both his master’s (1947) and doctorate (1951) degrees from Columbia University. He is survived by two sisters, Valentina Mazzotta and Irene Giuffrida, both of Middletown, Conn. He leaves behind many nieces, nephews and close friends.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to Rice University in memory of Virgil W. Topazio.