Jean-Paul François Xavier Koenig, who taught French in the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures (formerly the Department of Romance Languages), died March 28.
A Madagascar native, Koenig attended the Lycee Gallieni. In his youth, his Malagasy grandmother taught him Malagasy customs, and from 1955 to 1962 he taught the Malagasy language in private schools in Tananarive.
He earned his M.A. from UNC Chapel Hill and his doctorate from the Universite de Toulouse. During his 35-year UNCG career, he and Kathleen Mather Koestler accompanied many summer student groups to France to learn the French language and culture.
His former students recalled him fondly:
“Oh, how I loved M. Koenig´s classes at UNCG. He loved to write extensively on the chalkboard and make sure he talked about what he had written in French, so we didn’t miss a thing. When he retired, our class presented him with a red pen, because we always teased him that it was an extension of his personality – he passionately used a red pen when making his many comments on our papers and exams. He was an enthusiastic teacher who loved to talk about life, French politics, and Madagascar. So sad that he has passed, but he truly left his mark in the teaching world. I will never forget him!”
-Kathy Morton
“Jean-Paul was one of my French professors and I loved his style of teaching and personality. He had a zest for life and always found what was humorous in it. He made us all laugh with his stories of simple toys and games he had growing up in Madagascar. Jean-Paul was always ready to lend a helping hand to his friends.”
-Nicole Seay
“I took my first French class at UNC-G in 1971 from Professor Koenig, and he soon became a mentor and friend to me. I learned so much from him, and I have remembered him fondly for these many years.”
-Sara Conti
