Wooster mourns passing of Peter Havholm, professor emeritus of English
Peter Havholm, professor emeritus of English at The College of Wooster, passed away May 21, 2026, in Los Angeles, California. Joining the faculty in 1971, he served the College community for 38 years as a colleague, mentor, teacher, and editor of Wooster magazine before retiring in 2009.
Havholm taught widely within the English department both on topics related to his own research in British colonial studies and Victorian literature and in areas that widened opportunities for Wooster students to explore and apply their knowledge of English. He was an early adopter of what would eventually be termed the digital humanities, pursuing tools and technical knowledge that allowed students to experiment with digital video, web publication, and digital storytelling.
“Peter pioneered the use of digital technology to enrich literary study,” said Jennifer Hayward, English department co-chair and Virginia Myers professor of English and global media & digital studies. “He helped faculty and students in the humanities imagine new possibilities for teaching and learning.”
Havholm’s work developing the College’s first course in journalism helped students practice all they were learning while they built toward futures in many areas of public writing and media. His efforts in the early 2000s helped to introduce mobile computer labs, enhanced seminar rooms, and digitally supported and team-taught courses, all of which kept the department at Wooster a cutting-edge and lively space for pedagogical experimentation. One example was a collaborative course with Jennifer Hayward, Revenge Tragedy to Soap Opera, where students both studied dramatic form and applied their learning as they created their own narratives and filmed them.
Havholm’s own research interests included literary analyses of Rudyard Kipling’s work, culminating in the publication of his book , published in 2008.
He served as editor of Wooster magazine from 1985 to 1995. His letters leading each of his editions of the magazine offered reminders of his thoughtfulness, engagement with the liberal arts, and commitment to the experience of a Wooster education. He also served as Dean of the Class of 2011.
Like many faculty members, Havholm built a many-threaded connection to Wooster, including living on-campus for a time in a student dormitory with his wife and small children. Havholm’s legacy as a professor, colleague, friend, husband, and father remains in the memories of those who knew him. Hayward and others remember him for both intellectual rigor and a joy that animated interactions with him.
“That combination — intellectual seriousness, a terrific sense of humor, huge creative energy, and deep personal kindness — is central to how we will remember him,” Hayward said. “He brought his scholarly depth into the classroom through his generous, imaginative teaching and I.S. mentorship.”
Posted in News on June 16, 2026.
