Wellesley bid farewell this spring to two longtime professors who have taught generations of students.

Ifeanyi Menkiti

Professor of Philosophy, 41 years

A well-known poet, Ifeanyi Menkiti has taught a wide variety of courses—ranging from African philosophy, to philosophy and literature, to medical ethics. He has written numerous essays on community and social justice on the African continent and is also the author of four collections of poetry, Affirmations (1971), The Jubilation of Falling Bodies (1978), Of Altair, the Bright Light (2005), and Before a Common Soil (2007). Menkiti is also widely known for saving Harvard Square’s Grolier Poetry Book Shop, the oldest continuous all-poetry book­shop in the US. He has owned the store since 2006.

Edward Hobbs
Professor of Religion, 32 years

Edward Hobbs is a specialist in the New Testament and in hermeneutics (interpretation theory). He is the author of several books and articles on a wide variety of topics, from the New Testament and the Hebrew Bible, to ancient Greek and liturgics, to the fine arts and theology. He has also written about wine and appeared on public television as a wine specialist. The former owner of a vineyard, he selected the wines for the Wellesley College Club for many years and hosted wine dinners.