Panagopoulos, Beata Kitsiki
Date Updated
10-20-2019
Department
Humanities & Art
Academic Rank
Professor
Year Retired from SJSU
1988
Educational Background
University of Paris, Sorbonne, 1970 Ph.D
University of Calif., Berkeley, 1968
Stanford University, 1964
University of Chicago, 1954 MA
University of Athens, 1946 BA
.
Teaching Experience
San Jose State University, 1968-1988
University of Paris (Sorbonne) (Visiting Prof.), 1961-1970
Foothill College (evenings), 1979-1980
Fremont High School, 1959-1967
Administrative and Professional Experience
Director of the Gennadius Library in Athens, Greece, 1982‑1986.
Kress Professor at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens，1982-1986.
Selected Publications
Cistercian and Mendicant Monasteries in Medieval Greece, University of Chicago Press, 1979.
Many articles in Greek and American periodicals on architectural subjects and art education.
Encyclopedia Americana (articles on Greek art).
Collier's Encyclopedia (articles on Greek art).
Files
Personal Commentary
I was born in Athens, Greece, in 1925. I had a marvelous childhood until the war in a family that was financially comfortable and with parents that were, up to their death, in love with each other. My father was a professor of engineering, and a senator until Greece became, unfortunately, a kingdom again.
The Second World War started for Greece when I was 15. I had a wonderful education, but the war years and the after the war period were even a greater experience.
My first language was French, then Greek and when I was 6 years old I started German. When I was 14 I learned English. At the end of the war, after one year at the University of Athens as a student in Archeology, I had a choice between continuing my studies in France or in the U.S. I came with a scholarship to the University of Chicago, where I received my BA and MA degrees and met my husband, whom I married in 1949. We had two children. Now we also have a grandson, also a student at the University of Chicago.
From Chicago we went to Detroit where I did not work or pursue my studies. I stayed home with our two children. In 1956, we came to California and bought a house in Santa Clara. I went back to school at SJSU to receive a teaching certificate in Art and French because I could not teach at SJSU, which had nepotism at the time.
I got my first job teaching at Fremont High School in Sunnyvale in 1959. In 1961, I started also teaching Art History at Foothill College, evening classes. In 1962, I registered at Stanford University for a Ph.D. in Art Education as I continued teaching at Fremont and Foothill. In 1964, however, my advisor, June McFee, left for Arizona and her students remained stranded at Stanford with no advisor and high tuition. So I left Stanford and was accepted for the Ph.D. degree at the University of Calif., Berkeley Art History Dept., continuing my teaching at Fremont High School and Foothill. In 1968, I took a sabbatical from Fremont and taught for a year at SJSU. I needed, however, my Ph.D. degree as soon as possible to continue being employed at SJSU, so I transferred to the University of Paris in 1969 and with my credits from Berkeley, I received my doctorate in 1970. I taught from then on at SJSU until 1988. I took part in the SJSU teaching program at Bath, England, and for 4 years I was Kress Professor at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, Greece (1982‑86). We have traveled all over the world, to all continents. We visited China and Africa twice, Australia, and South America.
Date Completed: 11/96
Adapted from: Biographies of Retired Faculty San Jose State University 1997: A Project of the Emeritus Faculty Association of San Jose State University. San Jose, CA: The University, 1997.