In Memoriam: Dr. Dianne Ashton

Abstract

The Department of Philosophy and World Religions at Rowan University is deeply saddened to announce the passing of our esteemed colleague and dear friend Dr. Dianne Ashton, Professor Emerita of World Religions in 2022. After earning her Ph.D. from Temple University, Dr. Ashton joined Rowan’s faculty in 1989 and taught with distinction in the Department of Philosophy and World Religions until her retirement in 2021.Dr. Ashton became one of the eminent scholars of American Jewish history and Jewish women’s history. Her contributions included Hanukkah in America: A History, Rebecca Gratz: Women and Judaism in Antebellum America, and Four Centuries of Jewish Women’s Spirituality, along with dozens of scholarly articles, book reviews, and essays. Dr. Ashton served six years as the editor of the journal American Jewish History, the premier journal in the study of Jewish history in America. She was the first female editor in the 118-year history of the journal.In her influential book on Rebecca Gratz, Ashton uses hundreds of Gratz’s own letters in her research and examines the context behind her life. With the help of Gratz College president Zev Eleff, Dr. Ashton had plans to digitize and annotate about 500 of Rebecca Gratz’s letters. That project will move forward with support from Gratz College and Rowan University.Dr. Ashton wrote Jewish Life in Pennsylvania, which is one of the PHA’s Pennsylvania History Series books, published in 1998.