Dr. Bernard S. Oldsey

Dr. Bernard S. Oldsey, 85 of West Chester died Saturday, October 11, 2008 at his home. He was the husband of the late Ann Re Oldsey, who died in 1994.Born in Wilkes-Barre PA, Bernard was the son of the late Frederick and Mary Moritz Oldsey. Bernard graduated from GAR Memorial High School in Wilkes-Barre and then attended The Pennsylvania State University on an athletic scholarship for football and track. While at Penn State, he earned his Bachelors, Masters and Doctorial Degrees.His undergraduate education at Penn State was interrupted by WWII. He served in the US Army Infantry during the war, and was wounded in combat while in Italy. Bernard received several decorations during his military service, including the Purple Heart.After receiving his Ph.D., in English, Dr. Oldsey taught at Penn State for twenty-five years, specializing primarily in American Literature. He moved from Penn State to West Chester University in 1969, where he was also a Professor of English and was instrumental in establishing graduate degree programs there. While at West Chester, he also founded an academic journal, College Literature, which is still in publication today. Bernard was a prolific writer and researcher who published more than fifteen books during his career in academia, including two novels. His first novel, The Spanish Season, was largely written while he taught at the University of Zargoza, Spain where he was a visiting Fullbright Professor.In addition to his novels, Bernard was known for his literary criticism; especially for research on the novels and short stories of Ernest Hemmingway.Bernard was an avid and accomplished skier, tennis player, and golfer. He and his wife, Ann, were long time member of the West Chester Golf and Country Club.He is survived by his children William F. Oldsey and his wife Julie Levin Alexander of Basking Ridge, NJ; Jan Oldsey-Zucker and Pascal R. Peron of West Chester; son-in-law Kenneth H. Zucker, Wayne PA; grandsons Matthew, Michael, Zachary, Andrew, Jake, Alex and Gregory; brother Gilbert Oldsey, Freehold, NJ. He is predeceased by his brother Joseph Oldsey, Cleveland, Ohio.Visitation will be Tuesday, October 14, 2008, 4:00-6:00pm., followed by the funeral service starting at 6:00, all to be held at DellaVecchia, Reilly, Smith and Boyd Funeral Home, Inc. 410 N. Church St. West Chester 610-696-1181 www.drsfh.com. Interment will be at the Centre County Memorial Park in State College, PA on Wednesday, October 15, at 3:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Alzheimer's Association Delaware Valley Chapter, 399 Market Street, Suite 102 Philadelphia, PA 19106

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