Clarence (Pete) Mondale, an emeritus professor of American Studies at GW, died at his home in Washington on May 2. He was 87. Pete taught at GW from 1965 until his retirement in 1992. Previous to teaching at GW, he taught at the University of Minnesota.
Moved perhaps by the emerging campus revolt of the late 1960s, Pete conceived the notion of a division of experimental programs at GW that would more directly, and flexibly, respond to student interests. It was within that context that Pete introduced experiential learning, a combination of learning-by-doing and civic engagement with the university’s host city. The latter element subsequently prompted the creation of the Center for Washington Area Studies.
Strongly influenced by early breakthrough books in the field of American Studies that drew historical inferences from literary sources, such as Leo Marx’s Machine in the Garden, Pete brought his own intelligence and insight to a number of courses, not the least the capstone senior seminars that made the major so special. Over time—and ahead of his time—he became fascinated with the role of distinct regions in influencing American character. In his teaching and in the source book he produced with Michael Steiner, he explored a topic that has since received increasing attention.
A gentle and unpretentious man, Pete was a source of stability and continuity in the program. If he sometimes seemed amused at the attention directed his way because of the publicity surrounding his very public younger brother Walter, he could also take the inevitable foibles of academic life with a grain of salt. Pete was a willing listener, steady and insightful in his judgments. The flat tone of his distinctive Minnesota accent belied the ripples of insight and intelligence he conveyed to students and faculty alike. He will be remembered fondly by the host of students and colleagues he worked with over the years. Pete’s wife Virginia was always a lively and welcome presence at program events. To her and her family, we join Pete’s many friends in offering our most sincere condolences.