Obituary of Leonard Kent PhD

CHESHIRE - Leonard Joseph Kent, 80, of Cheshire, beloved husband of Valerie Ann (Dodd) Kent, died on Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at Mid-State Medical Center. Born on December 21, 1930, son of the late Fred and Fannie (Perlmutter) Kent, in Brooklyn, N.Y., he lived in Cheshire for the last 34 years. He was a U.S. Army veteran serving in the Intelligence Corps from 1954-1956. He took a bachelor's degree from Long Island University, a master's degree from New York University and a doctorate in comparative literature from Yale University. He has taught at elementary and secondary levels, and started teaching at Quinnipiac College (now University) in 1960, where in 1966 he became Professor of English and Chairman of the department. Nine years later he was appointed Professor of English and Dean of the Graduate School at the University of California, in Chico. He returned to Quinnipiac in February of 1971, where he served as Professor of English and President until 1977, when he returned exclusively to the classroom. He retired from Quinnipiac in December 1997. A literary critic, editor, and translator he has among other works, written "The Subconscious in Gogol' and Dostoevskij and its Antecedents"; edited and revised a translation of all of Gogol's shorter fiction, in The Collected Tales and Plays of Nikolai Gogol; edited and revised (with Nina Berberova) a translation of Anna Karenina, edited and translated (with Elizabeth C. Knight) The Selected Writings of E.T.A. Hoffmann; and he has written some three dozen articles and reviews. Besides his wife, Lenny is survived by daughter, Dr. Faye Sultan and husband Atty. Ken Essex of Davidson, N.C.; son, Michael and wife Wendy, of Cumberland, R.I.; son Philip, of Waterbury, CT., and stepson David Ash and his wife Carrie, of Glastonbury, CT. He is also survived by five grandchildren: David, Victoria, Courtney, Harrison, and Malcolm. Arrangements - Funeral services are private and burial is at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the College of Arts and Sciences Endowed Scholarship Fund, Quinnipiac University, Office of Development and Alumni Affairs, 275 Mt. Carmel Avenue, Hamden, CT 06518. The Alderson Funeral Home of Cheshire is assisting with arrangements.