Alan Wheelock
Associate Professor Emeritus of English Alan Wheelock, a specialist in American literature who taught at Skidmore for more than two decades, died Oct. 26, 2020, of complications from cancer. He was 84.
Alan joined Skidmore in 1982 and continued to teach at Skidmore and the Academy for Lifelong Learning through SUNY Empire State College even after his official retirement in 2002. Alan particularly cherished the academic year he spent lecturing in China in the 1990s.
“Alan Wheelock’s specialty was American literature, but he taught wide-ranging courses at Skidmore that included classic films, world fairs, witchcraft and science fiction,” said Professor Emeritus Murray Levith. “By all accounts, he was a witty and inspiring teacher with a loyal student following and, for some, an important mentor.”
Born in Brooklyn, Alan was a Marine Corps veteran and completed his doctorate at the University at Albany.
He was predeceased by his parents, Sterling and Madeline Wheelock; his brother, Warren (Connie) Wheelock; and his wife of 44 years, Renate. He is survived by his daughter, Jennifer (Chris) Centola; his son, Jared (Bridget) Wheelock; and his three grandchildren, Garrick Centola, Jordan Centola and Dylan Wheelock.