Dr. Judith E. Boss, Professor of English

Dr. Judith E. Boss taught British literature; 17th century literature, Milton and Spenser; Native American literature and studies; shamanism

Dr. Boss earned her Ph.D. in English from Texas Christian University in 1971; she began teaching at UNO in 1976. Always a strong supporter of UNO’s Native American Studies program, Dr. Boss was also a faculty member of the International Studies and Women’s Studies programs. She served on multiple university committees, the Faculty Senate, and was the first vice-president of the UNO chapter of the American Association of University Professors.

A pioneer in the field of digitized text, Dr. Boss worked with Project Gutenberg and the University of Virginia Text Center to digitize such classic works as Les Miserables, My Antonia, The Soul of the Indian, and Myths and Legends of the Sioux.

Health issues slowed her gait only slightly, but she fully retired in 2012, at which time she was honored by Native American Studies and presented with a painting, Blue Buffalo, by Donel Keeler. Dr. Boss passed away on 7 April 2013, and is sorely missed by her students and colleagues in English and Native American Studies. One of her students called her “one of the finest teachers of my academic career.”

The Native American Studies program and its faculty honor her memory.