Dr. Julia L. Shear has honored the memory of Ronald S. Stroud with a generous gift of $400,000 in support of an endowed fellowship in his name, building upon the initial contributions from his family and friends. This fellowship will support an academic-year Regular Membership, with a preference for students specializing in epigraphy - a field deeply connected to Ron’s legacy.


Chair of the Managing Committee Mark Lawall, Director of the School Bonna Wescoat,
Dr. Julia L. Shear, Senior Associate Member, and Executive Director George Orfanakos
2025 Annual AIA Meeting in Philadelphia

Explaining her motivation for the gift, Dr. Shear recalled, “Ron and my parents met in 1959-60 when they were all Regular Members at the School and they became 'friends for life', as Ron would have put it. I grew up knowing Ron, Connie, and their children, who are very close to me in age. I started my doctoral dissertation in Athens just as Ron became Mellon Professor at the School and Ron then also became my friend. He kept an eye on me as I worked on my dissertation, and I could not have done it without his help and advice. For this reason, Serving Athena, the book that was based on my doctoral dissertation, was dedicated to my parents and to Ron: I could not have done it without all three of them. Connie and I managed to keep the dedication a secret from Ron, and he did not realize that he was the RSS of the dedication until Connie told him! He was extremely moved and sent me the most wonderful e-mail in response. I will always miss him and making this contribution is the least that I can do to pay it forward.”

George Orfanakos, Executive Director at the American School, who announced this extraordinary gift at the recent AIA meeting in Philadelphia, remarked, “This gift from Dr. Shear is a profound testament to the deep respect and admiration Ron inspired in all who knew him. With the support of additional matching contributions, this fellowship will ensure that Ron’s remarkable legacy continues to thrive for generations to come.”

The American School invites matching gifts to help reach the $610,000 needed to fully endow this fellowship, ensuring that Ronald Stroud’s contributions remain an inspiration for the future.

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The Legacy of Ronald S. Stroud

The late Ronald S. Stroud (1933–2021) was Klio Distinguished Professor of Classical Languages and Literature Emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley. He earned his B.A. in Classics from the University of Toronto in 1957 and his Ph.D. in Classics from Berkeley in 1965. Stroud was one of the world's leading Greek epigraphists. He was awarded a prestigious John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship in 1977 and the Berkeley Citation in 2006. The Berkeley Citation is the highest award the Berkeley Campus can confer, and it was presented to Stroud for his lifetime of distinguished contributions as a scholar, teacher, and member of the Campus community. He was also the Archaeological Institute of America's Norton Lecturer in 2010–2011.


Ron Stroud in Thessaly, 1960 (photo by Patricia Lawrence, American School class of 1959–1960)

At the American School, Stroud was a Thomas Day Seymour Fellow (1959–1960), Secretary of the School (now called "Assistant Director of the School"; 1960–1963), Whitehead Professor (1993–1994), and Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Classical Studies (1996–1999). During his tenure as Secretary, Stroud excavated a small stele shrine at Corinth and began his excavations of the Sanctuary of Demeter and Kore, which he actively directed until the fall of 1965. Stroud met his future wife, Helen Conrad (Connie) Mitchell, a Regular Member of the School, in 1962–1963, while excavating in Corinth.

By supporting this fund, donors will ensure that Ronald Stroud’s name and his scholarship will inspire generations to come. For additional information about Ronald Stroud and his remarkable legacy, please [click Inspiring Generations: Ronald Stroud and the American School’s Academic Program | American School of Classical Studies at Athens] to watch a short film celebrating his life and contributions.

About Dr. Julia L. Shear

Dr. Julia L. Shear, born in Athens to a family deeply rooted in archaeology, specializes in the social and cultural history of the city, with a focus on collective memory, religion, and identity formation. Her ties to the American School of Classical Studies at Athens span over a century through her family's deep involvement.


Dr. Julia L. Shear, Senior Associate Member
Gennadius Library of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens

Her father, Professor T. Leslie Shear, Jr. of Princeton University, served as Director of the School’s Agora Excavations, while her mother, Dr. Ione Mylonas Shear, conducted excavations at both Mycenae and the Agora. Dr. Shear’s maternal grandfather, George Mylonas, also worked at the American School, first as the assistant to Stuart Thompson during the construction of the Gennadius Library, and later as Bursar, among other roles. After he became a professor at Washington University in St. Louis, he served for many years as the first Vice-Chair of the Managing Committee. Her paternal grandfather, T. Leslie Shear, Sr., directed excavations at Corinth in the 1920s, which led to the construction of Shear House at Corinth. He was also the first Director of the Agora Excavations from 1931 until his sudden death in 1945. Immersed in this rich heritage, Dr. Shear developed a lifelong connection to the American School, which she now calls home.

Dr. Shear’s  research integrates literary and epigraphical evidence, material culture, and social science theories. Her notable works include Serving Athena: The Festival of the Panathenaia and the Construction of Athenian Identities (2021) and Polis and Revolution: Responding to Oligarchy in Classical Athens (2011), the latter shortlisted for the Runciman Award. Dr. Shear has held prestigious fellowships, taught at leading institutions worldwide, and excavated extensively in Greece, Cyprus, and Italy.

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For more information, please contact Andrew Federico, Stewardship and Events Manager at afederico@ascsa.org