Charles R. Krahmalkov, Ph.D., professor of ancient Near Eastern languages and literatures in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, will retire from active faculty status on May 31, 2004.

Professor Krahmalkov received his A.B. degree from the University of California-Berkeley in 1957 and his Ph.D. degree from Harvard University in 1965. He joined the University of Michigan faculty as an assistant professor in 1965 and then went to teach at the University of California from 1966-68. He returned to the University as an assistant professor in 1968 and was promoted to associate professor in 1970 and professor in 1975.

Professor Krahmalkov is a renowned philologist and linguist of Northwest Semitic languages, including Hebrew, Amorite, Ugaritic, and Phoenician-Punic. His particular and unusual interest is Punic, the language of Carthage and North Africa during the classical period and the mother tongue language of Saint Augustine. He devoted most of his scholarly work to the exploration of this language. Professor Krahmalkov gained international fame, in academia as well as in the popular press, with the decipherment and discovery of the earliest western specimen of rhymed poetry in a Punic inscription, dated to the late second century B.C. The leading authority in the field, he crowned his work with three pioneering volumes on Phoenician-Punic.

During his long and exemplary career at the University of Michigan, Professor Krahmalkov was continuously dedicated to teaching and caring for his students. Dear to many, he has shown his erudite humanity, warmth, and spirit of collegiality and support throughout the years.

The Regents salute this distinguished scholar by naming Charles R. Krahmalko professor emeritus of ancient Near Eastern languages and literature.