The Passing of Dr. Samuel Hux

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of York College Professor Emeritus Samuel Hux, who taught at York for decades.

Dr. Hux, a founding professor of the College, reportedly passed away on Thursday, May 4, 2023. He spent much of his career in the English department, teaching courses such as Understanding Poetry, Old and New Testaments, Tragedy, Shakespeare, and the "great books" course Foundations of Western Literature. He also taught “more than half his schedule each semester “in Philosophy” (Introduction to Philosophy, American Philosophy, Aesthetics) and the Western Civilization survey governed by the History and Philosophy Department.

His students in the English department will recall Professor Hux as someone who read with vigor to them from the classe texts. He cared about their wellbeing and kept up with state and CUNY news as they pertained to possible tuition hikes – and this was before the advent of the Internet. He would walk into class and announce, “Hurry up and finish your degree because they are planning to raise tuition again.”

His friend and colleague, Dr. James Como, himself an early York faculty and Speech Professor emeritus, knew Dr. Hux well; and for a time, with him in the History, Philosophy and Anthropology department, remembers their time with the legendary professor well.

"A charter member of the York faculty, Sam Hux was a teacher of literature, philosophy and the touchstones of Western Civilization. His enjoyment of the act showed, and so his students enjoyed him. He was, as well, a prolific and elegant essayist on topics ranging from baseball to Existentialism, and his conversation (informed by an astonishing memory) was as rich, making for an engaging and generous colleague. Ever-supportive and good-humored (often wickedly so), he was also a friend, tried and true." 

Dr. Linda Grasso, a former chair of the English department remembers their time working together quite fondly.

"Sam Hux was charming, kind, and put everyone he interacted with at ease," she said. "He had a wonderful sense of humor. Someone we interviewed once said he was like a character in a 1940s movie. Sam was on the search committee that hired me and I will always remember that he immediately made me feel comfortable by asking me about the Georgia town where I had been teaching. It turned out he knew the area well because he had been stationed there when he was in the military. Sam was interdisciplinary in his passions and interests. He taught philosophy as well as English courses and in his later years, he taught exclusively in the History, Philosophy, and Anthropology Department."

Dr. Robert Parmet, a fellow-founding faculty with Dr. Hux, added, "Sam Hux was a great colleague and vital charter faculty member of York College.  A scholar noted for his abundance of knowledge and wit, he was also a classic humanist who taught English, Philosophy and Cultural Diversity.  He will be sorely missed."

York College extends condolences to the Hux family and feels gratitude for his service as colleague and teacher to thousands of students.

Learn more about Dr. Hux from York’s Faculty Experts Guide Hux, Samuel — York College / CUNY