Isidore Okpewho, a distinguished professor at Binghamton University and the former chair of the Africana studies department, died on Sunday, Sept. 4 of a stroke. He was 74 years old.
Okpewho graduated from the University of London in 1964 with a degree in classics. From there he continued his education at the University of Denver, where he earned his Ph.D. in comparative literature in 1976.
After teaching English at the University at Buffalo, the University of Ibadan in Nigeria and Harvard University, Okpewho began teaching at BU. He taught classes in English, comparative literature and Africana studies.
In 2004, Okpewho became a State University of New York distinguished professor of the humanities. He held this position until his retirement in September 2015. He also won numerous grants, fellowships and awards for his research on traditional performance in Africa and oral performance in Africa.
His wife, Mary Okpewho, said that even after his first stroke six years ago, he completed a book titled “Blood on the Tides: the Ozidi Saga and Oral Epic Narratology,” typing with only one finger. She attributed this to his work ethic, and said that as a man who rarely spoke without telling a joke, he loved children and people in general.
“His friends and colleagues really admired him for his hard work and devotion to everything he touches,” Mary said.
His daughter, Onome Okpewho, said that although her father had a very commanding presence in the classroom, at home he was gentle and compassionate. She said she and her siblings always kept in constant contact with their father, even when they were not living together.
“He was such a giant in all of our lives; the bedrock of our family,” Onome said. “He FaceTimed each of us every day so that he could see his grandkids. My son is 15 months old, so he obviously can’t hold a conversation, but that didn’t stop my dad from talking up a storm with him.”
Omowunmi Sadik, a chemistry professor at BU and close colleague of Okpewho, said she met him a week after she started working at BU in 1996. When Okpewho and his wife learned that she too was from Nigeria, they knocked on her door and introduced themselves. They remained close friends ever since, and would meet together for runs, but would always just end up talking instead.
“We lost a real gem, a real intellectual,” Sadik said. “He brings to BU the world-class knowledge in his field, a warm individual with integrity and someone you would readily point out in his community, field and the world at large.”
Chiji Akoma, a former BU student and current professor at Villanova University, said Okpewho was a humble man who did take himself too seriously and made anyone feel comfortable in his company.
“He was more than my teacher, he was my mentor,” Akoma said. “By the time I finished, he was very much my father. Really someone who became very dear, very precious to me over the years.”