Catherine Lupori taught at St. Catherine University in St. Paul for more than four decades, pressing to expand women's learning opportunities with the mantra that an all-female institution couldn't just "add women and stir."
Lupori, a beloved English professor, died Monday at age 95, leaving a legacy as a literary genius and ardent feminist.
In 1979, she led the creation of a weekend studies program for female students on the go. In 1985, she founded a women's research center to study gender disparities and to improve understanding of how women learn.
"That passion for understanding and committing to women's education — to women's ways of knowing, women's ways of learning, women's ways of teaching other women — is something that she never stepped away from," said Colleen Hegranes, St. Kate's senior vice president and provost.
Lupori remained influential on campus after retiring — appearing at events with her husband, Peter, a sculptor and former St. Kate's art professor, and participating in the annual Conversation With Books event she designed in 1964.
Lupori believed the power of books was unlocked by conversation, about them, by studying and even by rereading them.
"You miss so much of a good book if you read it only once, because while the book stays the same, you change over time," she said in an interview this year for the school's magazine. "Did you ever say to yourself, 'I've heard that Beethoven once. I don't have to listen to that again.' Or, 'I've already seen that Cézanne. I don't need to go back to the museum.' Writing is art."
Lupori was a feminist "in her bones" who believed women would gain success and equality if they dedicated themselves to learning, Hegranes said. She not only created weekend classes in 1979 — an achievement underappreciated in today's era of online learning — she made sure the classes were as rich as those conducted during the week. She also served as English department chair.
