John Jay TePaske, Professor Emeritus of Duke University, died on December 1, 2007, in Durham, North Carolina. He was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on December 8, 1929, the grandson of Dutch immigrants. John’s life path led him to a long and distinguished career as a historian of colonial Spanish America. He is survived by his wife Neomi, his daughters Susan TePaske-King and Mariana TePaske-Daly, three grandchildren, and his brother Robert.
John’s interest in Latin American history began with one inspirational course at Michigan State University. After graduation he married Neomi Gray, and together they relocated to Durham, where John studied for the doctorate in history at Duke University under John Tate Lanning. Upon completion of the MA in 1953, he served two years in the army during the Korean War. While completing his dissertation, John taught at Memphis State University from 1958 to 1959. When he received the PhD...
