UCLA professor dies at age 62
By Lee Bialik
Dec. 1, 2004 9:00 p.m.
Albert D. Hutter, a UCLA English professor since 1970 and winner
of the UCLA Distinguished Teaching Award, died at his home on
Thanksgiving of unknown causes. He was 62.
Hutter took sick leave from teaching last spring quarter, but
had planned to return and teach two courses during the upcoming
winter quarter. The courses were canceled on Monday with some
students already enrolled.
His daughter, Katherine Hutter, described his death as a shock.
She said her father was frustrated at not being able to teach and
was looking forward to going back.
“He always told me that he never wanted to retire from
teaching,” she said.
Hutter was very dedicated to his students and even invited some
of his classes over to his house for pizza, his daughter said. She
described her father as incredibly generous, funny and a typical
absent-minded professor.
In addition to teaching, Hutter was a licensed psychoanalyst,
and combined his research to form a psychoanalytic approach to
literature.
Hutter’s many interests included detective fiction, which
he taught at UCLA and did research for with his own police
work.
Among other notable projects, Hutter participated in the
Creativity Study Center, taught at the University of California
Interdisciplinary Psychoanalytic Consortium and wrote the script
for Patrick Stewart’s “A Christmas Carol.”
Peter Loewenberg, a history professor and close friend of
Hutter, had known Hutter for over 30 years and co-taught a course
with him.
“He was a specialist in helping people through their
theses, a discerning critic and very kind and humane,” he
said.
A.J. Braunmuller, an English professor and another close friend,
said the professor was outgoing and frequently told jokes.
“He was very personable and really got into very personal
relationships with his students,” he said.
A memorial is planned for Friday at 5:00 p.m. in the Sequoia
Room of the Faculty Center.
