Remembering History Teacher Evan Bukey

It is with deep regret that the Department of History announces the passing of Evan Bukey, Professor Emeritus in the Department of History, on November 20, 2024. He was a distinguished scholar, valued colleague, and dedicated mentor. We feel compelled to say that the University of Arkansas has lost an icon.

Bukey was iconic as an old-fashioned gentleman, always impeccably dressed like he stepped out of a Brooks Brothers catalog (he humorously admitted to owning a “disgraceful number of ties”). He was iconic for leaving a lasting impression on generations of students, whose esteem, affection and respect he earned: “They congratulate him – as Fulbright College declared in awarding him a Master Teacher Award in 1997 – although they groan a little. about his strict standards and expectations.

The Arkansas News editor also remembers Bukey fondly: “He was always like the professor you see in the movies: scholarly, with a sense of humor and really enthusiastic about everything that happened.” he had discovered or gleaned at that time. »

Bukey was also iconic for his true cosmopolitanism. He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1940, and was educated at Ohio Wesleyan University and then at Ohio State University, where he received his doctorate. Bukey began his international journey as a Fulbright exchange student in the 1960s, marking the beginning of a lifelong commitment to international education. His expertise in the modern history of Germany and Austria has earned him accolades, including a visiting professorship at Wolfson College, Cambridge, in the 1990s.

A true citizen of two worlds, Bukey mastered the German language so well that his English sometimes included a hint of a German accent, a testament to his deep immersion in his field.

Despite his extensive international experience, Evan Bukey has called Fayetteville, Arkansas home for over 50 years. He joined the history department at the University of Arkansas in 1969, rose to the rank of full professor in 1986, and continued his academic legacy as professor emeritus following his retirement in 2008. Continuing his ongoing commitment to international academics, he also held leadership positions in the German field. Study association and in the Central European History conference group.

Bukey’s first two books — Hitler’s birthplace: Linz, Austria, 1908-1945 (Indiana University Press, 1986) and Hitler’s Austria: popular sentiment during the Nazi era, 1938-1945 (University of North Carolina Press, 2000) – established his reputation as one of the leading authorities in Austria during the Nazi era. Both books, also translated into German, received national acclaim, awards and international recognition. Most notably, his second book received the National Jewish Book Award in 2000 and the Austrian Cultural Book Prize in 2001. In 2002, Bukey was also recognized with the Arkansas Alumni Association’s Distinguished Achievement Award, honoring both his mentoring and scientific reputation.

As professor emeritus, Bukey continued to work tirelessly, publishing two additional books and numerous articles. Two years after publishing his third book, entitled Jews and intermarriage in Nazi Austria (Cambridge University Press, 2011), he received the Vogelsang Prize, Austria’s highest scholarship award, sponsored by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Science, Research and Economy. “This prize pays tribute to Bukey’s essential publications on Austria’s role in the Nazi regime,” declared Reinhold Mitterlehner, Austrian Minister of the Economy, on this occasion.

Bukey’s final achievement in his book was Juvenile crime and dissent in Nazi Vienna, 1938-1945 (Bloomsbury, 2019) another testament to its fluid transitions between political and social history.

In an autobiographical note written for his family, Bukey looks back on his childhood years in Cincinnati, recounting the service of his father, U.S. Army Lt. Col. Norman Bukey, at the anti-aircraft school at Camp Davis, in North Carolina, and the mix of personal and historical emotions related to the events of World War II. Concluding this remembrance, he wrote: “For me, the war was over, but my fascination with Nazi Germany was only just beginning. »

Evan Bukey is survived by his wife Anita; his children, Ellen and David; his grandchildren Robin, Sebastian, Gretchen, Kathryn and Lauren; and his brother David Bruce. A celebration of his life will be held in the spring at the Butterfield Trail Village retirement community on a date to be announced. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Ohio Wesleyan University fund for the Richard W. Smith Lecture on Civil War History, to the Salvation Army, or to the cause of your choice.

Bukey’s first two books — Hitler’s birthplace: Linz, Austria, 1908-1945 (Indiana University Press, 1986) and Hitler’s Austria: popular sentiment during the Nazi era, 1938-1945 (University of North Carolina Press, 2000) – established his reputation as one of the leading authorities in Austria during the Nazi era. Both books, also translated into German, received national acclaim, awards and international recognition. Most notably, his second book received the National Jewish Book Award in 2000 and the Austrian Cultural Book Prize in 2001. In 2002, Bukey was also recognized with the Arkansas Alumni Association’s Distinguished Achievement Award, honoring both his mentoring and scientific reputation.

As professor emeritus, Bukey continued to work tirelessly, publishing two additional books and numerous articles. Two years after publishing his third book, entitled Jews and intermarriage in Nazi Austria (Cambridge University Press, 2011), he received the Vogelsang Prize, Austria’s highest scholarship award, sponsored by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Science, Research and Economy. “This prize pays tribute to Bukey’s essential publications on Austria’s role in the Nazi regime,” declared Reinhold Mitterlehner, Austrian Minister of the Economy, on this occasion. Bukey’s final achievement in his book was Juvenile crime and dissent in Nazi Vienna, 1938-1945 (Bloomsbury, 2019) another testament to its fluid transitions between political and social history.

In an autobiographical note written for his family, Bukey reflected on his childhood years in Cincinnati, recounting his father, U.S. Army Lt. Col. Norman Bukey’s, service at the anti-aircraft school at Camp Davis, in North Carolina, and the mix of personal and historical stories. emotions related to the events of the Second World War. Concluding this memory, he writes: “For me, the war was over, but my fascination with Nazi Germany was only just beginning. »

Evan Bukey is survived by his wife Anita, his children Ellen and David, his grandchildren Robin, Sebastian, Gretchen, Kathryn and Lauren, as well as his brother David Bruce. A celebration of his life will be held in the spring at the Butterfield Trail Village retirement community on a date to be announced. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Ohio Wesleyan University fund for the Richard W. Smith Lecture on Civil War History, to the Salvation Army, or to the cause of your choice.