Necrology
Torrey “Jim” James Luce, Jr. '54
Aug. 28, 1932-May. 29, 2021
Torrey “Jim” James Luce, Jr. ’54 died on May 29, 2021, in Tinton Falls, N.J. Born on Aug. 28, 1932, in Elmira, N.Y., he came to Hamilton from the Elmira Free Academy. On the Hill, he majored in English literature and classical studies, although Latin was clearly his principal interest. In high school, he had taken four Latin classes, more than in any other discipline. His achievement in this subject at Hamilton foretold a lifelong academic career devoted to its literature and those who created it, particularly the works of Roman historians. In succession, he was awarded the Winslow Prize in Latin, the Hawley Prize in Latin, and the Arthur W. Soper Latin Scholarship. He also graduated with honors in Greek.
A member of Chi Psi fraternity, he was in the College Choir as a freshman and served on the Chapel Board from his sophomore through his senior years. In his junior year, he was a member of the Interfraternity Council, and in his final two years Jim served on the Student Admissions Committee.
Following graduation, he went to Princeton University to begin graduate studies in Latin, and, as events proved, remained at Princeton for his entire career. Bypassing a master’s degree, he proceeded directly to doctoral studies and earned his degree in 1958. The title of his dissertation was “Appian’s Exposition of the Roman Republican Constitution.” A series of prestigious fellowships supported his graduate work.
His academic achievements led to his appointment as an instructor in classics at Princeton even as he was finishing his doctorate. The 1958-59 academic year was the first of what would prove to be a 37-year career during the course of which he taught courses in Latin, Greek, and Roman history. In 1961, he was promoted to assistant professor and was awarded tenure and promotion to associate professor in 1967. In 1974, he was promoted to full professor and three years later was named the Kennedy Foundation Professor of Latin Language and Literature. On that occasion, he was also named chairman of the Classics Department, succeeding W. Robert Connor, Class of 1956.
A highly productive scholar, Jim focused his attention on the work of ancient Roman historians, their research methods, thought processes, and the sources they consulted. Among his major studies was Livy: The Composition of His History (1977), an examination of the working methods and thinking of this first-century Roman. Another was a collection he edited of essays by several colleagues titled Ancient Writers: Greece and Rome (1984). Other studies concerned the writings of Tacitus and of Greek historians, the latter a project in his retirement.
Beyond his teaching and scholarship, Jim served Princeton in other ways. From 1965 to 1970, he was assistant dean of the university; he chaired the Classics Department from 1977 to 1982 and again from 1987 to 1989. In between, during the 1984-85 academic year, he served as associate dean.
Beginning in 1963, he served continuously as the Latin scribe for the university, composing the Latin texts for honorary degree recipients and creating Latin names for new departments and the disciplines they represent. When the university became coeducational, he composed undergraduate diplomas appropriate to each gender. Particularly challenging was creating the Latin title for the Woodrow Wilson School of International and Public Affairs.
Torrey James Luce, Jr. is survived by his spouse, Marvin Mandelbaum.
