Diehl, Huston

Huston Diehl of Iowa City died at home in the presence of her family on Sept. 8, 2010. The cause of death was adenoid cystic carcinoma, diagnosed in 1998. She was 61.

The daughter of Dr. Gilbert Herman Diehl and Nancy Simons Diehl, Huston was born in Greenville, Pa., on Oct. 1, 1948. She received her B.A. from Colorado College in 1970, her M.A. from Duke University in 1971, and her Ph.D. in English from Duke University in 1975. On Sept. 2, 1988, she married Gerald B. Wetlaufer, who became a professor of law at The University of Iowa in 1985 after 12 years in private practice in Washington, D.C. At the time of her death, Huston was professor of English and CLAS Collegiate Fellow at The University of Iowa. She also taught at the State University of New York at Geneseo from 1975-1979 and at the University of Oklahoma from 1979-1985.

A specialist in 16th and 17th century English literature, Huston published widely on the theatrical, visual, and religious cultures of early modern England. She was the author of An Index of Icons in English Emblem Books (1986), a reference work funded by a publication grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, and Staging Reform, Reforming the Stage: Protestantism and Popular Theater in Early Modern England (1997), named an “Outstanding Academic Book of 1997” by Choice Magazine. Dream Not of Other Worlds, her memoir about teaching in a segregated “Negro” elementary school in rural Virginia, in 1970 was published in 2007. A critical reflection on education and the history of segregation, this book recounts what Huston had hoped to offer her students and the obstacles she faced but above all recalls the voices of her students and the lessons they taught her. Huston's scholarship was supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship in 1978-79 and a University of Iowa Faculty Scholar Award from 1988 to 1991, as well as by numerous research grants from SUNY, the University of Oklahoma, The University of Iowa, and the Folger and Newberry Libraries.

A passionate and engaging teacher, Huston received teaching awards at all three universities where she taught, including the University of Iowa's Excellence in Teaching Award in 1989. In 1984, she directed an NEH summer seminar for high school teachers on Milton's Paradise Lost, a poem that she especially loved to teach. While at The University of Iowa, she supervised 16 doctoral dissertations and 11 undergraduate honors theses. She took great pride in her students' accomplishments and professional careers. In May 2010, many of her former students returned to Iowa City to participate in a symposium in her honor.

Huston also performed extensive service at the department, collegiate, and university level at all three universities where she taught. She was recognized for her commitment to teaching, research, and service with a Regents Award for Faculty Excellence and a College of Liberal Arts Collegiate Fellow at the University of Iowa.

All her life Huston loved the outdoors. With her two sisters, she enjoyed a rambunctious childhood in the woods around her home in Pennsylvania and grew up riding horses, hiking, and playing outside. She especially loved the Colorado mountains, becoming an avid skier during her college years and returning often with her family. In Iowa City, she was an accomplished gardener and enjoyed long daily walks, often with friends, family, and dogs. Her passion for the theatre and visual art shaped her scholarship and teaching and also deeply enriched time shared with friends and family.

Love for her family centered her life. With her husband, Jerry, she created a home full of laughter and playful affection for her daughter, Susannah, and stepdaughter, Jamian. There she warmly welcomed family members, friends, colleagues, and students. Her great gift was to recognize in others their best qualities and to bring people together, with a generosity of spirit that fostered community and long-lasting bonds.

Huston is survived by her husband, Gerald B. Wetlaufer of Iowa City; her daughter, Susannah Simons Lewis of Boulder, Colo.; her stepdaughter, Jamian Wetlaufer of London, England; two stepchildren from an earlier marriage, Jennifer Lewis Smith of Kensington, Md., and Daniel Lewis of Richmond, Va., and their children; two sisters, Deborah Young of Stoneboro, Pa., and Eve Sliwinski of Hudson, Ohio; and five nephews, Benjamin Young of New York City, Andrew Young of Asheville, N.C., Peter Young, of Tokyo, Japan, Adam Sliwinski of New York City and Daniel Sliwinski of Charlotte, N.C. She is also survived by her brothers-in-law, James Young and Thomas Sliwinski; a sister-in-law, Judi Clinton of Coralville; and Jenny's and Dan's spouses, Douglas Smith and Monica DeMott Lewis.

She was preceded in death by her parents.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Sept. 12 on the second floor of the Old Capitol building, with reception to follow. Arrangements are with Lensing Funeral and Cremation Service.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Huston Diehl Memorial Fund, in care of the University of Iowa Foundation, Levitt Center for University Advancement, 1 West Park Rd., Iowa City, IA 52255. This fund, established with an initial bequest from Huston before her death, will help support the teaching and research mission of the English Department at the University of Iowa.

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