Remigio U. Pane Papers

Remigio Ugo Pane was a professor of Italian at Rutgers University starting in 1939 and continuing until his retirement in the 90s. Born in Sicgliano, Cosenza, Italy on 5 February 1912, he immigrated to America and became a US citizen on 1 April 1929. He received his bachelors of arts degree from Rutgers in 1938 and went on to receive his masters of arts from Rutgers in 1939. From there, he went on to complete further graduate studies in Italian at Columbia University, receiving his doctorate in 1941.

Pane was the first full time instructor for Italian appointed by Rutgers University, beginning his career at the university in 1939. From 1952-1971, he served as the chair of the romance languages department at Rutgers, where he oversaw the reorganization of the department. During this time he also served as the director of the Italian graduate programme, reorganized Dante's 700th anniversary lectures and concert at Rutgers, directed the NDEA Institute for undergraduates preparing to teach Italian and Russian after graduating - the first programme of its kind in the United States - as well as established the Rutgers Junior Year in Italy programme in 1971.

In addition to the countless hours he worked at Rutgers, Professor Pane was a part of a number of projects and organizations, working at local as well as nation-wide levels. From 1954-1955 he presented fourteen weekly half hour programmes on Italian culture over channel 13 TV, and two half hour Italian language programmes through WCAU channel 10 in Philadelphia from 1959-1960. He presented a vast number of lectures for both academic associations such as the Modern Language Association, Italian-American organizations and for the general public, with topics ranging from Italian history to the modern Italian-American experience. He served the chairman of the College Entrance Examination Board's Italian Achievement Test from 1964-1971, assistant editor of Italian for the Modern Language Journal from 1965-71, chairman committee to evaluate Italian materials prepared by the Defense Language Institute from 1965-1966, the president of the American Association of Teachers of Italian (1968-1971), vice president and then president of the National Federation of Modern Language Teachers Associations (1969-1970), an evaluator of the Italian department of York College of the City University of New York (1975), member of the Italian Heritage Committee planning for the 41t International Eucharistic Congress (1975-1976), and evaluator of the Italian Department of the School of Languages and Linguistics of Georgetown University (1977), among other positions. He was also a member of organizations such as the Modern Language Association of America, American Association Teachers of Italian, and American Italian Historical Association.

Various awards and honours received by Pane include the Lateran Cross awarded by the Vatican (1954), il Croce della Solidarieta Italian, Commendatore (knight commander) by the Italian Republic (1955), the Leonardo da Vinci Medal of Award by the Leonardo da Vinci Society of Fort Lee, New Jersey, Grande Ufficiale dell'Ordine della Stella della Solidarieta Italiana by the Republic of Italy (1970), was inducted into the Sovereign Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Knights of Malta (1976), in addition to a number of others. The Pane room at Rutgers New Brunswick's Alexander Library also bears his name.

Pane retired in the early 1990s and died 4 April 2000.