SCHOOL of INTERNATIONAL SERVICE

American University · Washington, D.C.

William C. Cromwell

Death of William C. Cromwell, Professor Emeritus of International Service

William C. Cromwell, professor emeritus of international service, died March 12 with his family at his side in Rockville, Maryland, at the age of 73. Professor Cromwell taught international relations in the School of International Service from 1962 until his retirement in 1999.

Bill Cromwell earned his BA in philosophy in 1956 from Emory University, and his MA and PhD in international relations from American University in 1965 and 1968, respectively. He held a series of administrative roles in SIS as well, serving variously as assistant to the dean, assistant dean, associate dean, and acting dean during AY 1978–79. Bill Cromwell also had a number of visiting appointments, principally at the College of Europe in Brussels during the 1980s. He also directed the AU Brussels Semester Program. His research interests focused on the Atlantic community and Europe.

Bill Cromwell published and spoke copiously about grand themes in grand ways. His coauthored book, Political Problems of Atlantic Partnership: National Perspectives, was considered by reviewers as "an intelligent and well written" accounting of European-Atlantic relations in the late 1960s. His most recent work, in the 1990s, focused on the changing role of NATO, post-Soviet political realignments, and U.S. policy and role in the face of events in the Persian Gulf and Bosnia.

According to Maria Green Cowles, associate dean for academic affairs in SIS, Bill Cromwell was a larger-than-life presence. Cromwell taught Cowles in graduate classes and served as a member of her PhD committee. "Cromwell had a booming voice and was a great orator. He captured each person in the classroom." She also recalled that he exuded warmth and celebrated his students’ achievements with joy. "Bill was not someone who was hesitant to talk about the importance of family, faith, and service to others. He was someone who lived his life in a way that simply embodied this."

Leeanne Dunsmore, associate dean for graduate admissions in SIS, added "I have never seen someone with so much passion for his work. . . . When he would lecture to us, he would finish each statement with the words "you see?" You did see, and you did understand. The windows would fly open, he would turn his fan on, roll up his sleeves, and begin his pacing up and down the rows of chairs. Sweat would be dripping off of him as he accentuated each point, and we would sit there in awe."

Dean Louis Goodman of SIS added, "Ever since Bill stopped teaching full time, he has been profoundly missed in the halls of SIS. But he is still there. When an issue is in doubt, the natural response still is, "What would Bill think?" "What would Bill say?" "What would Bill do?" His was a remarkable presence, one that will always be with us."

William C. Cromwell’s funeral was held on March 15, 2008 at Metropolitan Memorial Methodist Church, immediately across Nebraska Avenue from AU and the SIS building. He was interred in Rockville, Maryland.

I do not know what your destiny may be, but this one thing I do know—that no one of you will ever be truly happy until you have sought and found how to serve. —Albert Schweitzer