Keith Hitchins facts for kids

Keith Arnold Hitchins (born April 2, 1931 – died November 1, 2020) was an American historian. A historian is someone who studies and writes about the past. He was a professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He was an expert in the history of Eastern Europe, especially Romania.

Keith Hitchins was born in Schenectady, New York. He studied at Union College and then at Harvard University. At Harvard, he earned a Ph.D. in history in 1964. A Ph.D. is a very high university degree. He taught at Wake Forest University and Rice University. Later, he joined the University of Illinois, where he taught for many years.

Mr. Hitchins wrote or helped create over 20 books. Most of these books were about Romania. He became an honorary member of the Romanian Academy in 1991. This is a special group of important thinkers in Romania. He also received the National Order of Merit from the Romanian President Klaus Iohannis. This is a high award given by Romania.

Keith Hitchins passed away on November 1, 2020. He was 89 years old. He died in Urbana, Illinois. After his death, the Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu, shared a message.

We pay homage to professor Keith Hitchins, an American voice of immeasurable value to the academic world. Having an authentic interest and expertise in the history of Romania, he was an honorary member of the Romanian Academy. The death of professor Hitchins is a loss to everyone who knew him and knew his work.

—Bogdan Aurescu, 2020.

See also

• List of members of the Romanian Academy