Graduating magna cum laude in Latin/Classics with a concentration in archaeology from Yale University in 1968, and armed with a doctoral dissertation from the University of Michigan on Greek papyri, Tim’s first job was a one-year instructorship (1972-73) at Lawrence University, Appleton, Wisconsin, followed by another one-year instructorship (1973-74) at Rockford College (now University), at Rockford, Illinois. It was at that point, in September, 1974, that Tim took up what would turn out to be a fifty-one year career at Montclair State College (as it was then), joining a department of one—David Kelly—its two senior faculty members (Doris Kibbe, Carolyn Boch) having just retired.

From 1974 on, Tim would invest all his dogged and indefatigable energies into expanding the department and growing its potential, building it up eventually to twelve tenured faculty. Teaching ancient history and civilization courses was just the beginning of what he did for the Department and University, his contributions to “service” on campus, as well as to his field more generally, being impressively many and varied. At Montclair, he was a member of numerous Department and University committees, the founding force behind the Center for Heritage and Archaeological Studies, enthusiastic promoter of its interdepartmental Archaeology minor, and founder of the local society of the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) and its lecture series at Montclair. He was the Director of the Institute for the Humanities from 1984 to 2008, and Co-Director from 2008-2010. From the late 1980’s onwards, he regularly spent his entire summer “break” digging at the New Jersey Archaeological Consortium excavation at Tel Hadar in Israel, and in more recent years participated with his colleague Professor Deborah Chatr Aryamontri in many seasons at the University’s excavation at the Villa of the Antonines site outside Rome. He was President of the Classical Association of the Atlantic States (CAAS) from 1989 to 1990 and Chair of the Cultural Diversity Subcommittee of the American Classical League from 2005 to 2010. He was President of the American Society of Papyrologists from 1998 to 2002, and for many years a co-editor of this society’s scholarly journal, the Bulletin of the American Society of Papyrologists (BASP).

Many by-now-well-established scholars are grateful to Tim for his friendly mentorship as they were beginning their careers. And all of us will miss his inspiring drive to keep on doing what needs to be done—and more—always with implacable and wry good humor.

The department is planning a celebration of Professor Timothy Renner to be held on campus early in the Spring semester.

Last Friday’s (11/21) Classics Day, the thirty-sixth, welcomed  95 students and teachers from six local high schools (Edison, Franklin, Innovation, Middletown North and South, Montclair Kimberley Academy, and St. Joseph’s). They gathered for a morning of presentations from Montclair faculty on topics ranging from classical mythology to Roman aqueducts, and afterwards took part, via groups representing their schools, in an academic contest involving answering 99 questions on Latin grammar, Roman Civilization, and Classical Mythology in half an hour!  First place was won by Montclair Kimberley Academy, and this year, for the first time ever, three schools tied for second place — Edison, Franklin, and St. Joseph’s!

Christos Hatzoglou, raised in impoverished, war-torn Greece before immigrating to North America, was passionate about learning. In memory of his life’s journey, his daughter – and Montclair staffer – Maria Otto created a scholarship for students majoring in the Classics or Latin.

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Christos Hatzoglou was a toddler when his father was killed during the Greek Civil War. His mother, with four children and twins on the way, struggled financially. “They often went hungry,” Maria Otto, Hatzoglou’s daughter, tells us.

As soon as he was able, Hatzoglou started working as a barber to help his family get by, but the Peloponnese Region in the 1950s offered few opportunities to escape poverty. By 1960, Hatzoglou and his sister followed their uncle to Canada, traveling by ship.

“When they arrived in Canada, they had to let the officials there know how they intended to make a living,” Otto explains. “Since he had been a barber in Greece, he told them that he wanted to apply for a hairdresser’s license.”

Soon after, Hatzoglou met and married Otto’s mother and the couple welcomed their daughter into the world. “My mom’s family, also from Greece, began moving to the U.S., settling in Long Island,” Otto says. “We followed, but when my parents divorced, my dad moved to Jersey City and opened a salon there. After I graduated from high school, I moved to Jersey City to be with him, and to go to college.”

Hatzoglou’s Gazebo Salon served the community for nearly 30 years, but Otto knew that her father had left other dreams behind. “He always wished he had gone to college,” she says. “He taught himself how to read and write, studying the dictionary and geography whenever he had the chance. He loved learning – and playing along with Jeopardy!”

Hatzoglou passed away in 2021, with his daughter by his side. By this time, Otto had already joined Montclair’s Foundation and Advancement Services team and was responsible for managing scholarships that are created through private donations.

“I process a lot of scholarships that are set up to honor loved ones,” she says. “It is such a beautiful way to remember someone special. I started to think about my father’s love of learning, and how I could create a family legacy through a named scholarship.”

“My son and daughter-in-law are both Montclair graduates, which added to the sense of family history,” Otto continues. “But perhaps even more compelling is what I learn every day about Montclair students and their financial struggles. I read their scholarship applications as part of my job and I have to tell you that their situations can be heartbreaking. I wanted to help someone in need.”

By establishing the Christos Hatzoglou Memorial Endowed Scholarship, Hatzoglou’s memory – and Otto’s family legacy – will assist students for many generations to come. Designating the scholarship for students of the Classics or Latin honors her family’s Greek ancestry and acknowledges what her father gave up so that his daughter and grandchildren could know the many benefits of a college education.

“A lot of emotions go along with seeing my father’s name attached to something so valuable,” Otto says. “That was especially true when the very first Christos Hatzoglou scholarship was awarded on April 13, which is my father’s birthday.”

For the first recipient, Frank Wietry, a senior majoring in Filmmaking and Latin, the scholarship is an honor and a source of relief. “I greatly appreciate having been selected to receive this scholarship,” he says. “The scholarship has been a tremendous financial help… it really means a lot to me and I can’t say thank you enough!”

“Students send us thank-you notes expressing their appreciation for scholarship support,” Otto adds. “Even the smallest scholarship gifts make a big difference in their lives.”

Antonine artifacts were found in that area as early as 1701, when several marble busts of Antonine family members were unearthed. The busts are now in the Capitoline Museums in Rome. This led to the name “Villa degli Antonini,” or “Villa of Antonines.” Dr. Renner, a professor in Classics and Humanities and director of the Center for Heritage and Archaeological Studies, explains that “the name Villa of the Antonines is justified… We have an amphitheater that we discovered, and we know that one of the Antonine emperors, Commodus… the supposed emperor in Gladiator, fought wild animals at an arena in Lanuvium, and this is the only arena in Lanuvium that we know of.”

Members of the 2023 Villa of the Antonines archaeological team with Professor Chatr Aryamontri and Professor Renner.

This amphitheater is mentioned in a few ancient texts, and to find something that lines up so well with written evidence is very exciting, as Dr. Chatr Aryamontri, an associate professor in Classics and Humanities and a research associate in the Center for Heritage and Archaeological Studies, notes. She also emphasizes, “When we started the project, [the area] was not even a real site.”

Today the site is one of the least investigated Roman residences in the area. While it has been neglected and underappreciated for its historic significance, in 2010 the Center for Heritage and Archaeological Studies began investigating small sectors within the Villa. “We decided it would be a great idea to continue an investigation that never really started,” Chatr Aryamontri says.

The excavation work initially focused on unearthing the amphitheater, although a residential area and bathhouse have also been discovered. The imperial villa itself was massive, as it was meant to entertain hundreds of people. “It’s a place where the emperor resided, but at the same time also entertained his entourage,” emphasizes Chatr Aryamontri.

There have also been various archaeological finds, including glass mosaics. “We found some nice mosaic flooring with Medusa designs… we found some fragments of wall paintings, wall fresco, that kind of thing,” says Renner.  In 2014, the program expanded to two areas on site, allowing for more excavation and examination of these fascinating relics.

Students drawing fresco fragments uncovered at the Villa of the Antonines site.

When conceptualizing the project, Chatr Aryamontri and Renner always intended it as an experience for students, and the program sees students from Montclair as well as other institutions apply for the trip. Often American universities will join with Italian universities, but this archaeological excavation is run entirely by Montclair.The trip, open to students in all majors, seeks to demystify the archaeological process for its students, and brings the glamorized field back to reality.

“It’s not just ‘let’s go and dig holes,’” says Chatr Aryamontri.“Since the very beginning, it was open to everybody, any kind of student. The idea was… to make this excavation a lifetime experience… We really believed in having this program for any kind of student.”

Chatr Aryamontri encourages all students, regardless of major, to apply. The program offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that fosters teamwork, flexibility and provides a real look at an archaeological site. It also leaves a lasting impact on students. “A student told us, ‘I’m holding history in my hand,’” says Chatr Aryamontri.

From left to right Amie Sexton (Montclair student), Restorer Roberto Civetta, Alex Counter

For Amie Sexton, a student who participated in the Villa of Antonines project, this trip was “a lesson in self-realization.” Sexton hopes to go into archaeology professionally, and found the project to be an excellent way to gain work and life experience. She also suggests that any students looking to go on the trip prepare for heat and dust, as students spend hours in the sun at the excavation trenches. Sexton emphasizes the novelty of the excursion, saying, “It’s cliche to say that you can do anything you put your mind to, but having actually seen this program through, it feels like a whole world has opened up to me.”

Students interested in learning more or participating in the Villa of the Antonines Field School can visit the website or contact or .

Written by Faith Monesteri, Fulcomer Intern

On Friday, October 20, 2023, we at the Institute for the Humanities and Department of Classics and General Humanities at Montclair State look forward to welcoming high school students who are studying Latin, together with their teachers, to our annual Classics Day, a morning of presentations, discussions and academic competition (maximum six students per school may enter the contest).

Classics Day will begin at 9:00 a.m with welcoming remarks and orientation. The presentations will begin at 9:30 a.m. and occur in two sessions. Following these, at 11:20 a.m., students who are participating in the competition will go to the assigned room for the half-hour contest.  An awards ceremony will take place at 1.00 p.m.

Please complete the and return with registration fee no later than Friday, October 13, 2023.  We hope to see you there!

According to Dr. Gill, “It is crucial for fans to actually grapple with these situations themselves and not have their positions decided for them by political or religious leaders and organizations.”

Read the rest of the article and Dr. Gill’s thoughts .

Written by Donaelle Benoit

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