Frank Gado ’58

Frank Gado ’58, Ph.D., died on June 8 in West Hartford, Vermont, after a long struggle with brain cancer. Frank was born in Fairview, New Jersey, to immigrant parents from Piemonte, Italy. He majored in philosophy and comparative literature and was active with Ledyard Canoe Club and The Dartmouth. Frank completed a master’s and Ph.D. at Duke before starting a long career teaching American literature and film at Union College in Schenectady, New York. He chaired the English department for several years, headed the Union College Press, and was twice awarded Fulbright fellowships to teach at Uppsala University in Sweden. Frank was a forthright critic of literature, culture, and the academy, including Dartmouth. In our 25th reunion book, he wrote: “Since 1958, our alma mater has become, in all but name, a medium-sized university, and although it still ranks among the academic excellencies, it has forfeited the opportunity to be the flagship American college.” Larry Hampton ’58 says Frank was an “outspoken, opinionated, controversial individual [and] I found him a very intelligent, well-informed, involved, and thoughtful guy.” Frank is survived by two daughters, including Anna ’90, and a son.