Marilyn Stokstad
Marilyn Stokstad (February 16, 1929 – March 4, 2016) was an American art historian of medieval and Spanish art, Judith Harris Murphy Distinguished Professor Emerita of Art History at the University of Kansas, and an author of art-history textbooks, including "Art History". First published in 1995, "Art History" was widely adopted at colleges and universities throughout the US and is currently in its sixth edition. In February 2016, "Time" Magazine named Dr. Stokstad 32nd of the 100 most-read female authors in US college classrooms. Life and career. Stokstad received a lifetime achievement award from the National Women ’s Caucus for Art, Kansas Arts Commission Governor’s Arts Award as the Kansas Art Educator of the Year, Chancellors Club Career Teaching Award, and an honorary degree of doctor of humane letters by Carleton College. She served as a consulting curator of medieval art for the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Mo. From 1961-1968, she was director of the University of Kansas Museum of Art , where she started her illustrious career in 1958 in the Department of Art History. Dr. Stokstad remained in the department for the entirety of her career, advancing to associate professor  in 1962 and full professor in 1966. In December 2012, she contributed a lead gift to establish an endowed directorship at the Museum. From 1978-1980, she was president of the College Art Association, having served as the organization's vice president from 1976-1978 and its secretary in 1974. Stokstad was born in Lansing, Michigan and received her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan with a dissertation on "The Pórtico de la Gloria of the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela." She earned her master's degree from Michigan State University with a thesis on "Norwegian Mural Painting from 1910  to 1950." Dr. Stokstad spent a year at the University of Oslo in Norway as a Fulbright Fellow after receiving her B.A. from Carleton College in 1950. She died in Lawrence, Kansas at the age of 87 on March 4, 2016. Upon her death, Stokstad bequeathed $1.1 million to the University of Kansas.