Siegfried Wenzel, an emeritus professor of English in the College of Arts & Sciences, died from complications of pneumonia on September 27. He was 96. 

Dr. Wenzel was born in 1928 in Bernsdorf, Germany. After completing high school in August 1946, his family fled the Soviet-controlled zone of Germany to the British-controlled zone, eventually settling in Heide. Three years later, his family emigrated to Joinville, Brazil. Dr. Wenzel earned a BA and teaching diploma from the University of Paraná in Curitiba in 1954. He then moved to the United States, where he earned an MA in English literature from Ohio University in 1956 and a PhD in English literature from Ohio State University in 1960.

Dr. Wenzel joined Penn’s faculty in 1975 as a professor of English. He wrote widely on medieval vices and virtues, as well as on Chaucer, Langland, and many aspects of Middle English literature, including analysis of religious texts. He edited several Latin texts with translations, resulting in twelve published books and numerous scholarly articles related to medieval sermons. 

During his time at Penn, he helped lead National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Summer Seminars for College Teachers, offering guidance in English and American literature. He guided multiple students through the completion of their doctorate degrees. In 2000, he joined Penn’s 25-Year Club.

Dr. Wenzel received two John Simon Guggenheim Fellowships and a fellowship from the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS). He was also awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant. A fellow of the Medieval Academy of America, Dr. Wenzel received its highest honor, the Charles Homer Haskins Medal, in 1996, for his book Macaronic Sermons: Bilingualism and Preaching in the Late Medieval Period.

Dr. Wenzel is survived by his children, Anne Wenzel (David Miller), Margie (Kate) Wenzel (Will Bayley), Tom Wenzel (Julia Bailey), and Liesbeth Wenzel; and his grandchildren, Emily and Jeremy Miller, Clare Bayley, and Andy and Matt Wenzel.

 In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations may be made to the St. Thomas More Catholic Church (RCIA programs) or Carol Woods Retirement Community.