Monica Letzring, 80, formerly of Mt. Airy, a retired professor and former head of the undergraduate English Department at Temple University died May 10 of Alzheimer's disease at an assisted living facility in Cavalier, N.D., where she had been living for the past seven years.
When she retired as an associate professor in 2002, Ms. Letzring had been elected a department chair and appointed a dean and director of several Temple University programs abroad. She taught English for three years in Rome and was director of the program from 1889 to 1991.
She later directed the university's London program and taught at Temple's campus in Tokyo before retiring.
Born in Cavalier, Ms. Letzring received her doctorate from the University of Maryland. Her specialty was 18th century British literature.
An avid gardener, she was asked by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society to serve as a judge for the City Gardens Contest in Philadelphia.
She served as a board member of Historic Rittenhouse Town in Germantown for more than a decade, chaired the organization's History Committee and edited its Journal of History.
She is survived by a brother, Richard, and sisters Geraldine Kaercher and Joyce Bliderman.
Funeral services were held May 18 in North Dakota. Memorial donations may be made to Historic Rittenhouse Town, 208 Lincoln Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19144. – WF
