Obituary of Richard Gregg

Richard A. (Sandy) Gregg, a former head of the Russian Studies Department at Vassar College, died Thursday, Dec. 11, 2008 in Poughkeepsie, after a long illness. He was 81. Professor Gregg was a graduate of Harvard University and Columbia University, where he won the Ansley Award for best doctoral thesis. Specializing in 19th century Russian literature, he taught at Amherst, Brown and Columbia and in 1969, he became the head of the Russian Studies Department at Vassar, a position he held until his retirement in 1997. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Francoise B. Gregg of Poughkeepsie; a son, Jonathan of New York City; a sister, Nancy Sippel of Ann Arbor, MI; and a brother, Peter Gregg of Vancouver, Canada. There are no memorial services planned. Arrangements are being handled by the Timothy P. Doyle Funeral Home Inc., 371 Hooker Ave., Poughkeepsie.