Dr. Jacob Erhardt, professor emeritus of German at Westminster College, recently received recognition for his founding of the International Film Festival.

During a ceremony, the series was renamed in his honor as the Jacob Erhardt International Film Series, and a plaque was presented.  The plaque was placed in the Sebastian Mueller Theater in the McKelvey Campus Center at Westminster, where the films are shown.

"Jake taught German at the College for 36 years and was a major contributor to his field and the campus," said Dr. Ann Murphy-Dammron, chair of the Department of Modern Languages.  "We hope this is one way that he and his contributions will always be remembered here."

Erhardt, who taught at Westminster from 1968 until his retirement in 2004, earned his undergraduate degree from Baldwin-Wallace College, his master's from Middlebury College, and his Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University.  While at Westminster he served as chair of his department from 1970-1986, was the Language Educator of the Year by the Pennsylvania State Modern Language Association, translated into English Robert Reitzel's Adventures of a Greenhorn, and was recognized by the National Endowment for the Humanities as an outstanding member.

For more information, contact Murphy-Dammron at (724) 946-7265 or e-mail maddroa@westminster.edu.

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