Wayne S. Vucinich | |
|---|---|
| Born | Voislav Vucinich June 23, 1913 Butte, Montana, U.S. |
| Died | April 21, 2005 (aged 91) Menlo Park, California, U.S. |
| Education | University of California, Berkeley |
| Occupations | Historian Educator Academic |
| Spouse |
Sarafina "Sara" Stys
(m. 1942; died 1990) |
Wayne Spiro Vucinich (born Voislav Vucinich; June 23, 1913 – April 21, 2005) was an American historian. Following World War II, he was one of the founders of Russian, Slavic, East European and Byzantine studies at Stanford University, where he spent his entire academic career.
Vucinich was born in the United States to Spiro J. Vucinich and Sofija (Palikucha) Vucinich, a family of Serb immigrants who had come from Bosnia in the early twentieth century. He was born in Butte, Montana in 1913, and lived there until he was orphaned at 5 years old and then sent back to Herzegovina.
He was educated in Herzegovina and Los Angeles, California. He attended the University of California, Berkeley, earning a M.A. in East European history in 1936. He continued doctoral studies until 1941, and also studied at the Charles University in Prague.
Vucinich began working for Office of Strategic Services (OSS) and worked as an analyst for the Balkans and the Soviet Union during the Second World War. He was offered a teaching position in Stanford's History Department after the war; he taught there from 1946 to his 1978 retirement. In 1977, the Robert and Florence McDonnell Professor of Eastern European Studies chair was established for him. Among his students were David Kennedy and Norman Naimark.
From 1981 to 1982, he served as president of the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies.
VUCINICH, WAYNE S., historian; b. Butte, Mont., June 23, 1913; s. Spiro J. and Sofija (Palikucha) V.; m. Sara Stys, Jan. 31, 1942; [...]
Born June 23, 1913, in Butte, Mont.; son of Spiro J. and Soka (Palikuca) Vucinich; married Serafina Stys (a teacher and counselor), January 31, 1942; [...]