On April 23, 2020, Dr. Jay L. Halio was presented with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award by Marquis Who’s Who, the world’s premier publisher of biographical profiles. An accomplished literature and language professor, Dr. Halio’s journey in academia began in 1955 as an instructor of English at the University of California, Davis. Becoming a full professor after a decade on campus, he was subsequently offered a position at the University of Delaware in 1968 as a Shakespearean scholar. Over the next 35 years, Dr. Halio’s career continued to blossom, during which he advanced to become the director of the Center for Teaching Effectiveness, an associate provost for instruction and the director of humanities. He also served on numerous academic committees and chaired the board of editors for the University of Delaware Press. Having earned the distinguished title of a professor emeritus in 2003, Dr. Halio continues to guide groups of students on their annual study trips abroad.
A talented writer and editor, Dr. Halio has written or edited over 40 books. His first monograph was on Angus Wilson in 1964. He also wrote Philip Roth Revisited, Understanding Shakespeare’s Plays in Performance, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Performance among other works. Besides these he has edited a number of collections of essays on Shakespeare and on contemporary authors and contributed chapters to various books by others. He has edited The Merchant of Venice and Henry VIII for Oxford University Press, and two versions of King Lear for Cambridge U.P.
Dr. Halio received several fellowships, as well as grants for teaching seminars to school teachers. A celebrated Marquis listee, he has been showcased in over 40 editions of Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in American Education, Who’s Who in the East and Who’s Who in the World.