Christopher T. Beyers

Chris Beyers, author and longtime professor of English at Assumption College in Worcester, Mass., passed away in early October, at age 57.
Beyers was a vocal champion of the liberal arts, particularly of the study of English, and spent his life encouraging students and administrations to take literature seriously. In his classes, it was said he did not just teach the text, he became the text, so animated he was in sharing his love of the written word.
As steeped as he was in the great books, Beyers was hardly a cloistered academic. He could just as well debate the meaning of a David Bowie song as he could ponder the virtues of artisanal root beers.
Beyers joined Assumption in 1999, and served on numerous faculty and English department committees. He taught a wide variety of classes but always relished teaching freshman English, even to the point of creating and editing an annual compilation of their best writings, called “Fresh Assumptions.”
Beyers authored two books, “The Collected Poems of Wallace Stevens, Corrected Edition,” and “A History of Free Verse,” as well as numerous scholarly papers, essays and other writings focused on poetry and literature. His books now fill the shelves of more than 1,000 libraries worldwide.
Born Christopher Thomas Beyers, he grew up in Columbia, Md., where he graduated Wilde Lake High School and as a freshman was a member of Howard County’s first state champion soccer team. He graduated magna cum laude from Western Maryland College (now known as McDaniel College), where he also played on the men’s soccer team. He earned his master’s and Ph.D in English at the University of Kentucky, and in 1994 was named the school’s most distinguished English PhD candidate.
Prior to joining Assumption. Beyers taught English at Kentucky and Auburn universities.
Beyers is survived by a son Will, his mother Helen Beckloff and stepfather Mark Beckloff, brothers Dan and wife Valerie Beyers, Steve and wife Carolyn Beyers, and Robert and wife Karen Beyers, sister Carol and husband Brendon Hunt, and a niece, numerous nephews and their children.
A memorial service is scheduled for Friday, November 1st at 2 p.m. at the Chapel of the Holy Spirit at Assumption College, 500 Salisbury St., Worcester, Ma.