Ludwig (Larry) Lauerhass, Jr.

Biography

Ludwig “Larry” Lauerhass Jr. died on December 29, 2019.  A UCLA alumnus and employee as well as a generous supporter of both Spanish and Portuguese and History, Larry passed away in his home, in the company of his daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren.

In addition to a BA in Political Science from UNC Chapel Hill, he earned at UCLA an MA in Latin American Studies (1959), a PhD in History (1972), and a master’s degree in Library Science (1976). In 1968, Larry joined UCLA Libraries as Latin American Bibliographer; after he got his PhD he taught in both the History Department and the UCLA Washington DC program. He directed the Latin American Center (1978-1984), created and chaired the Program on Brazil (1989-1994), and coordinated the UC Education Abroad Program in Brazil (1995). He taught a number of courses on modern Brazilian history, Latin American nationalism, American monuments, and the memory and iconography of Hiroshima and the atomic bomb.

Larry is the author or editor of many essays and bibliographies on Latin American historiography, politics, and education. On trips to Latin America over twenty-five years as UCLA Bibliographer, Larry acquired well over 200,000 items related to Latin America — approximately 40,000 of which are printed in or focus on Brazil, comprising one of the top US university library holdings in the field.

He crated endowments in UCLA’s Special Collections targeting 19th-century visual cultures as well as graduate fellowships in the departments of History and Spanish and Portuguese.

Until very recently, when his health took a turn for the worse, he was a frequent visitor to campus, including Bunche Hall.  We are grateful to Larry for his support of our department and our students.

Read more:  UCLA Newroom In Memoriam Article