Anthony Gythiel
professor, history, Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Science
Anthony Gythiel may have retired from Wichita State, but he's not finished working.
Gythiel, who has been at WSU since 1971, recently retired from his career as professor
of history. While he is no longer teaching, at 79 he continues to work on his other
passion of translating theology works by world-renowned scholars. Twelve books have
been published so far, and he is working on two more.
"If God continues to grant me life, I plan to continue translating books," said Gythiel,
who is fluent in five languages and has studied 13, including some that are no longer
spoken.
For his efforts as both a teacher and translator, Gythiel has received numerous awards,
including the John R. Barrier Distinguished Teaching Award from the Fairmount College
of Liberal Arts and Sciences in 1993. He was the first person to win the award. In
2008, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree by the trustees and faculty
of St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary in Crestwood, NY.
Gythiel grew up in Belgium during World War II. After the war, he stayed in Belgium
and eventually went to college. He received a bachelor's degree in philosophy in 1953
and master's in theology in 1958. It was then that he decided to become a Catholic
priest, and he was subsequently sent to work as a missionary in Zaire.
In 1963, Gythiel decided to leave Zaire, which was in the middle of a revolution.
After Zaire, Gythiel came to America, where he had received a scholarship to attend
the University of Detroit.
From 1966-1971, he earned a master's in English and a Ph.D. in medieval studies.
After that, Gythiel came to Wichita State as an assistant professor.
Gythiel points to many favorite moments while at Wichita State: each time he received
a grant to write one more translation.
"When I did receive such grants, I knew that my efforts had not been in vain, and
that pleased me immensely," he said. "It also made me very thankful to the university
that they had such a program to help professors."
Gythiel said his translating work is also his hobby. He used to finish old oak furniture
as a pasttime, but has trouble doing so now. "As a result, I switched my hobby of
working with tough wood to translating tough paragraphs," he said.
When he doesn't have his head buried in books, Gythiel relaxes with his wife, Dana.
He plans to stay in Wichita, a city he said he's grown to love.