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Former dean passes at age 82

A former University of Wisconsin College of Letters and Sciences dean passed away Tuesday morning.

Former dean E. David Cronon died at the age of 82 after suffering a sudden illness, according to current dean of the College of Letters and Sciences Gary Sandefur.

UW Provost Patrick Farrell said Cronon made "tremendous contributions" to the university in a college that makes up nearly half the student body. L&S, Farrell said, is "like a university unto itself."

"Managing that college as well as really developing it into the kind of exceptional educational organization it has become is due in large part by the deans who have led that college," Farrell said. "[The deans] make it well known not just throughout Wisconsin, but around the world."

According to the release, Cronon was the L&S dean from 1974 to 1988 and a UW history professor for more than 40 years.

Sandefur said Cronon played a large role in UW's University History Project, which chronicles the history of the college. In addition, Cronon also co-authored two volumes of the collection after his employment at UW, Sandefur added.

The release said those volumes cover the years of 1925 to 1945 and post-World War II through 1971.

Former L&S dean Phil Certain, who served as dean from 1989 to 2000, said in a release that Cronon supervised the hiring of several faculty members and contributed to the "excellence" of the university.

"It is difficult to think of any single individual in recent memory who has given more high-quality services to the College of Letters and Sciences," Certain said in the release. "He was a true campus citizen and will be sorely missed."

Cronon's son William currently works at UW as the Frederick Jackson Turner and Vilas research chair of history, geography and environmental studies, according to a UW release.