Leading Folklore Scholar
The family of Martin Puhvel fled communism their homeland, Estonia, in 1944, residing in Sweden for five years before migrating to Montreal, 1949. A Gold Medalist undergraduate at McGill University, Martin Puhvel completed his Ph.D. in English Literature at Harvard University, 1958. Before his 1996 retirement, Professor Puhvel had spent his entire teaching career at McGill, a span of nearly 40 years as one of the world's leading folklore scholars specializing in Old and Medieval English Literature. In this 1998 view, Professor Puhvel, left, receives his Emeritus Professorship certificate from Mr. Dick Pound, today, Chancellor of McGill University and, currently, Vice President of the International Olympic Committee. [Photo, courtesy Professor Martin Puhvel]