In Memory
Dr Albert “Bill” Tezla
Dec 13, 1915 - Nov 26, 2006
Dr. Albert 'Bill' Tezla, 90, Duluth, died Sunday, Nov. 26, 2006 surrounded by his children. He was born in South Bend, Ind., to Mihaly and Luca Tezla on Dec. 13, 1915.
He retired in 1982, as a professor emeritus of English after 33 years of teaching at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Dr. Tezla graduated from the University of Chicago in 1952 where he received his B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1942-46 where he received a Purple Heart.
He began teaching at the University of Minnesota Duluth in 1949, where he was instrumental in transitioning the Duluth Teacher's College into the University of Minnesota Duluth. Dr. Tezla was a visiting professor/scholar/advisor at several Universities throughout the country including Columbia University, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, and the University of Wisconsin Madison. His work took him to various parts of the world where he was a Fulbright research fellow in Vienna, Austria, 1959-60 and a research fellow in Budapest, Hungary, 1963-64. Dr. Tezla made numerous trips to Budapest in the 1970's and 80's to continue his research.
As a scholar Dr. Tezla's work was dedicated to opening Hungarian literature and culture to the rest of the world. This was reflected in his published works, which included bibliographies, anthologies and numerous translations of contemporary Hungarian authors, culminating in a documentary history of Hungarian immigration to the United States, 1895-1920 entitled, 'The Hazardous Quest', dedicated to his parents and their generation of immigrants from Hungary and published in Hungarian and English. His publishers included Harvard University Press, Minnesota University Press and predominantly Corvina Press in Budapest, Hungary. To commemorate his 90th birthday, Dr. Tezla was recently awarded the Order of the Hungarian Republic Cross from the President of the Republic of Hungary for his extensive work in building the Hungarian cultural heritage in the United States.The University of Minnesota Duluth has established the Albert Tezla Scholar/Teacher Award to recognize faculty members who excel in bringing a teaching style that emphasizes the worth of research. The Olive Anna Tezla School of Fine Arts Scholarship was established in 1995 which is awarded to an exceptional fine arts student each year. In 2006, the Olive Anna Tezla Memorial Library was dedicated in the Tweed Museum of Art on the UMD campus.
He was preceded in death by his loving wife of 61 years, Olive Anna Fox Tezla, who passed away Jan. 15, 2002.
He is survived by his children Micheal (Janet Oliver) Tezla of Minneapolis, Kathy Tezla of Northfield, Minn.; step grandson, Bryan Oliver (Jennie) Smith of St. Paul; niece, Marilyn Morel of Schaumberg, Ill.; nephews, Jay Fox of Crystal Lake, Ill., Paul and John Keipp of California; and 10 grand nieces and nephews.
CELEBRATION OF LIFE: 5 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 13, at the Tweed Museum of Art on the University of Minnesota Duluth campus. Memorial gifts may be sent to the UMD Development Office to the Olive Anna Tezla School of Fine Arts Scholarship.
Published in the Duluth News Tribune on 11/30/2006.
Sources: Ancestry.com and FindAGrave.com
10/11/2026 EJS
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