Evening star., 1949-08-14
By Jessie Font Evons


most intellectually satisfying pro-
fessions a teacher can follow,
according to DR.. Lowell Thomas
Ragatz. He is a recognized expert
on Caribbean colonialism and i'm
perialism and author of widely
used photographers on this and
kindred subjects in American uni
versities and colleges.
When the second session of
George Washington Universitys
summer school ends this month,
DR.. Ragatz will have concluded Is
years of service to it in the field
of modern European history.
But when the fall sessions open.
his chair will be vacant because he
will then assume the Craftsmanship
of the history department at Ohio
State University and serve as pro-
fessor OF modern European history
there.
The son of family Of church
and school leaders, this professor
with friendly smile and keen sense
of humor comes from Swiss for
bears a hundred years in this
country. He is the lineal descend
ant of the Ragatz who was one of
the organizers of the Evangelical
Church at Sauk Prairie, Wis. To-
day, it is called the Ragatz Evan
gelical Church.
Taught One Room School.
| Graduated from the high school
in Prairie du Sac, Wis, where he
was born, too young by two years
to enter the University of Wiscon-
sin, he bought his first pair of long
pants and got himself a position
as teacher in a one-room country
school. With the courage and
initiative of youth, he taught
classes of adult Czech immigrants
to speak English by the use OF
German. which all could under
stand
In the University of Wisconsin
whose A. B., M. A. and Phi. d
degrees he holds. his scholastic at
tainments were equaled by his
extracurricular activities ir
journalism. A Phi Beta Kappa
Pi Gamma Mu and Pi Delta
Epsilon member. Lowell Ragatz
was the founder of Wisconsin S
now famous humor magazine
The Octopus; served on the
BOARD of its Daily Cardinal, was
business manager of its Literary
Magazine. and one of the editors
of his class year book. the
Badger. In 1920 his alma mater
honored him with one of its
jubilee medals for professional at
tainment.
His doctorate discussion. "The
Fall of the Planter Glass in the
Caribbean" won him the Justin
Winsor Prize of the American His
torical Association, which led to
his election as a fellow in the
Royal Historical Society and the
Royal Society of Arts.
While on Guggenheim fellow
ship he continued his research in
the field of Colonial administra-
ton. He has also done graduate
work at the University OF
Grenoble, the Sorbonne and the
London School of Economics.
Editor and Contributor.
The promise of his student days
at the University of Wisconsin on
! it's student publications has been
fulfilled in his IL years editor
ship of the American Historical
Review and as member OF the
editorial board of the Journal OF
Modern History and of the Re-
vues des Colonies. A frequent
contributor to the international
photography of Historical Sci
ences and the Dictionary Of
American Biography. DR.. Ragatz
is an outstanding example of a
busy teacher who finds time Tor
a prodigious amount of academic
research and publication.
His book. March of Empire. y
brought out this year, has been
favorably received in this country
and in England. He is working
on his Europe in the 10Th and
goth Century" which will be pub
lished early in 1850. An article
written for the Nations Business
entitled, THE British Empire That
Is to Be-" or "Britain's Ace in the
Hole in Africa" has been digested
in a number of British publlca-
tions, including The Empire