March 12, 1932 - September 06, 2019
Henry-York "Hank" Steiner Obituary
Henry-York ?Hank? Steiner, Professor of English and Humanities at Eastern Washington University (EWU) for more than five decades, passed away on Friday, September 6, 2019. He was 87.
Hank was born March 12, 1932 to Deborah Lantz Steiner and Richard Morrow Steiner in Chicago, IL and raised in Portland, OR. After graduating from Lincoln High School, he spent a summer working in the dining car of a passenger train before attending Grinnell College. His college education was interrupted by the Korean War, and he served as a military policeman for two years before completing his BA in English at Grinnell in 1956. He then earned his MA from Yale University in 1957 and began his teaching career at Grinnell as an instructor of English from 1957-1959. Teaching became his passion and life?s work. He was an assistant professor in English from 1959-1962 at the University of Oregon, where he earned a PhD in English in 1963.
Now Dr. Steiner, he returned to Grinnell College as Assistant Professor in English from 1964-1968 and was also Associate to the Dean from 1966-1968. He found his academic home at EWU, where he was recruited as Dean of Undergraduate Studies in 1968. He went on to serve many roles at the university: Associate Professor (1968-1976), Professor (1976-2019), and Interim Director of the University Honors Program (1993-1994). During his tenure, he helped to develop programs in American Indian Studies, Africana Studies, Chicano Education, Environmental Science, and University Honors. He taught internationally at Dongguk University in Seoul, South Korea (1982-1983 and 1990) and Mukogawa Women?s University in Nishinomiya, Japan (1999). Dr. Steiner became Professor Emeritus on June 13, 2019, having taught EWU students with distinction for 51 years. His areas of interest included folklore, East-West philosophy and religion, and fantasy theory. He was a pre-eminent Tolkien scholar, and his children and grandchildren loved consulting with him on all things Lord of the Rings.
Outside of the university, he was actively engaged in his community, most notably as a founding member of the ski patrol at 49 Degrees North, where he volunteered until 2017. He served two terms as the Volunteer Patrol Director, from 1982-1986 and 1997-2001, and mentored many new patrollers. He was recognized by the National Ski Patrol with the Distinguished Service Award in 2002. Hank also served as Chairman of Spokane Community Action (1971-1976) and the Washington State Folklife Council (1988-1992). He was a member of the Board of Directors for Expo ?74 and the Spokane World?s Fair (1972-1975).
Hank married Lori Flores on January 13, 1990 and began the happiest period of his personal life. He and Lori enjoyed summers at their cabin in the Colorado mountains, sailing, hiking, gardening, and spending time with family and friends. He is survived by his wife Lori Steiner, brother David, daughters Anne Elizabeth Berk (William B.) of Portland, OR, and Riley Jane Steiner (Ryan Herndon Purcell) of Atlanta, GA, son Edward, and seven grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Cancer Care Northwest Foundation. A celebration of his life will be announced at a later date.
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