Complex sentence: The Richard Ellmann Lectures in Modern Literature, now among the most prominent in North America, were established in honor of Richard Ellmann (1918--1987), who served Emory University as the first Robert W. Woodruff Professor from 1980 to 1987.
Split into simpler sentences: The Richard Ellmann Lectures in Modern Literature, now among the most prominent in North America, were established in his honor. He had served Emory University as the first Robert W. Woodruff Professor from 1980 to 1987.