George John Szemler

George John Szemler (birth name György János Szendy , born August 17, 1928 in Szombathely , † February 28, 2003 in Chicago ) was an American ancient historian of Hungarian origin.

Szendy grew up in Szombathely. During the Second World War in 1944, he and his whole class joined the St. László Infantry Division. He and the few survivors were taken prisoner by the Soviets, from which he was released in 1945 because of his age. In 1947 he moved to Austria and studied history and classical philology at the University of Innsbruck . After obtaining his licentiate in 1950, he emigrated to the USA . To protect his family in Hungary, he took the name George John Szemler (after his mother's maiden name).

In the USA, Szemler worked as a Latin and history teacher, organist and choir director in Boys Town (Nebraska) and continued his studies at Creighton University there before he was drafted into military service in 1952. He served in the United States Army Intelligence as a translator in Germany for two years. In 1954 he took his leave and received American citizenship. In Boys Town he obtained his master’s degree in 1956 .

In 1957, Szemler moved to Chicago, where he took up doctoral studies as a Ryerson Fellow at the University of Chicago and worked as a choir director at the Catholic St. Alphonsus Church. From 1959 to 1961 he was a lecturer in Latin, Greek and history at Mundelein College . In 1961 he received a position as Assistant Professor of Ancient History at Loyola University Chicago , where he worked until his retirement (later as Full Professor, from 1971 also as Adjunct Professor of Classics). In 1969 he was awarded a Dr. phil. PhD.

Szemler's main research interests were the Greek history of the archaic and classical periods as well as the organization of the Roman priesthood. As a recognized specialist in this field, he also wrote a fundamental article for the Real Encyclopedia of Classical Antiquity (RE).

Szemler had been married to Barrie Redfearn since February 2, 1957. Their children are John Francis, Jessica Marie and Jennifer Szemler.

Fonts (selection)

• The Priest of the Roman Republic. A Study of Interactions Between Priesthoods and Magistracies . Brussels 1972 ( Latomus 127)
• Pontiff. In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Supplementary Volume XV, Stuttgart 1978, Col. 331-396.
• with William J. Cherf and John C. Kraft: Thermopylai. Myth and Reality in 480 BC Chicago 1996
• Prison Years: In the House of the Living Dead. The Diary of the Most Rev. László Szendy . Chicago 2002

literature

• Alpha to Omega. Studies in Honor of George John Szemler on his Sixty-Fifth Birthday . Chicago 1993 (Festschrift)
• Brenda Warner Rotzoll: George John Szemler, Loyola history professor . In: Chicago Sun-Times , March 6, 2003
• Stephen J. Simon: In Memoriam George John Szemler . In: Perspectives. Newsletter of the American Historical Association . Volume 42,1 (2004), p. 48 ( online )