Passing of Louis Cantori, Professor Emeritus of Political Science

Fr: Cheryl Miller, Associate Professor and Chair, Political Science
It is with great sadness that I inform you of the passing of Louis Cantori, Professor Emeritus of Political Science. Lou passed away on Monday, May 12.
Provost Arthur T. Johnson said, “Lou will be remembered fondly for his gregariousness and kindness; his love of scholarly discussion and debate and his contributions to the field of comparative politics; and for his support of UMBC and its students, especially members of the UMBC crew. UMBC owes Lou much and will miss his presence.”
Lou joined UMBC’s Department of Political Science in 1972, and served as Chair from 1979 to 1985. He was an internationally recognized expert on Middle East politics and policy, and over the course of his career he lived in the region for a cumulative total of seven years. Lou was the author, co-author or editor of four books and over 40 articles on the Middle East and other subjects. His Op-Eds and commentary appeared on NPR, C-SPAN, and Salon.com, and in USA Today, The Baltimore Sun, and other media outlets.
Lou was a Sergeant of the U.S. Marine Corps from 1951-55, an affiliation in which he took great pride. He was a Distinguished Visiting Lecturer on the Middle East at the U.S. State Department and Adjunct Professor at Marine Corp University in Quantico, Virginia. Lou also taught at West Point, the U.S. Air Force Academy and the U.S. Marine Corps University. He founded or was heavily involved with various Middle East policy groups, including The American Council for the Study of Islamic Societies and The Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy.
Lou received his Ph.D. and M.A. in Political Science from the University of Chicago, and his B.A. in Political Science from University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He studied Islamic philosophy at Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt.
Lou was one of the greatest gifts to higher education UMBC and the Department of Political Science have provided. His scholarship, teaching, and mentoring had enormous impact on the lives and careers of hundreds of UMBC students. Lou received UMBC’s annual teaching award in political science for the academic years 1979-80 and 1981-82. He spearheaded some of the department’s most successful initiatives. Under his chairmanship, UMBC became part of a select number of colleges and universities that annually send delegates to the annual Student Conference on United States Affairs (SCUSA) at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Lou also conducted the Department’s first study-abroad course, to Egypt in 1984.
No matter the length of time anyone spent in Lou’s orb, it readily became clear that he cast a giant shadow. Lou’s zest and love for life, teaching, politics informed by rationalism and fairness, and UMBC are the stuff of legend. He also served as faculty advisor to the UMBC Crew team with gusto. He thought these scholar-athletes epitomized the exceptionalism of UMBC. After his retirement in 2005, in addition to his ongoing service to the UMBC Crew team, Lou continued to write and present papers internationally.
Without a doubt, Lou’s greatest love was for his loving and supportive family. Lou is survived by his wife, Joan; sons Greg and Eric, who are UMBC alumni; a daughter, Nadia; and nine grandchildren. The family requests that flowers not be sent; condolence letters may be sent to the family in care of Joan Cantori at 716 Dryden Drive, Baltimore, Maryland, 21229.
There will be a private family ceremony with interment at Garrison Forest
Veterans Cemetery, Owings Mills, Md on Friday, June 6.
There will be an open house to celebrate his life on Sunday, June 8 at Nadia’s home near Laurel, Md. We would be honored to have you attend. Please RSVP by e-mailing cantorifamily@gmail.com.
Exact details on time and directions will be available soon at http://rememberlou.blogspot.com
Please check back soon. We will be updating and checking this site frequently.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to either of the following:
Lou Cantori Scholarship Fund
c/o Kim Robinson
UMBC
8th Floor, Administration Building
1000 Hilltop Circle
Baltimore, MD 21250
(Please make checks payable to the UMBC Foundation)
or
Kidsave c/o Lou Cantori Memorial Fund
PO Box 277587
Atlanta, GA 30384-7487
www.kidsave.org/