August 29, 2010

A Professor Goes Home to Haiti After 35 Years

5 Minutes With a Professor Who Led a Relief Effort in His Native Haiti 2

Courtesy Claude R. Malary

Claude R. Malary, visiting his native Haiti from Saint Mary's College of California, applies Neosporin to a child's hand.

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close 5 Minutes With a Professor Who Led a Relief Effort in His Native Haiti 2

Courtesy Claude R. Malary

Claude R. Malary, visiting his native Haiti from Saint Mary's College of California, applies Neosporin to a child's hand.

By Michael Sewall

Since leaving Haiti, in 1975, Claude R. Malary had been itching for a return visit. But the modern-languages professor at Saint Mary's College of California had to meet his professional aspirations first, which included getting his Ph.D. in Hispanic studies from Brown University, in 1998, shortly after landing a job at Saint Mary's, and then securing tenure.

Issues of safety and the political climate in Haiti made going back more difficult as the years wore on. But when a