Professor of English
Elbin Library 20A, Main Hall 219
304-336-8901
Education
Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison, English Literature to 1500
M.A., University of California-Riverside, English Literature
B.A., Mercyhurst College, Erie, PA, English and Business
Biography
Born and raised in Erie, Pennsylvania, Gerard NeCastro, after graduating from Mercyhurst college, was an accountant and bookstore manager in Cranberry, Pennsylvania, and Redlands, California. While working as a bookseller by day, he returned to school at night, studying languages part-time and eventually joined the master’s program in English at the University of California – Riverside, where he began his long involvement with Chaucer, Dante, and Medieval and Renaissance Drama. When he completed his MA, he continued his studies in Medieval Literature at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. While he was there, he taught in the legendary Integrated Liberal Studies program where he developed his love of Art History.
Upon completion of his Ph.D., he taught for two years at the University of Maine – Orono, and then for many years both on the graduate faculty at Orono and the regular faculty at Machias, where, after teaching hundreds of classes and editing dozens of publications, he was named as Emeritus Professor of English and Humanities. After his retirement there, he began his second career at WLU in July 2017. He and Vicki, his wife of 30+ years, live in the quiet town of Bethany. When he is not serving as dean or teaching his classes, he spends his time reading, editing, gardening, and writing fiction and poetry. He is now revising his novels Columbine AS3 and The In-Law.
Areas of Interest
Medieval and Renaissance Drama
Chaucer
Ancient and Medieval Literature
Creative Writing
Art History
Business and Economics
Miscellaneous
- Has served for over ten years as Newsletter Secretary for the Medieval and Renaissance Drama Society.
- Founded the organization Medica: The Society for the Study of Healing in the Middle Ages, and served as secretary for eighteen years.
- Translated the entire (more or less) works of Chaucer.
- Transcribed the entire corpus of the Middle English Drama, and continues to edit it.