Aldo Bernardo, a long-serving professor of Italian and comparative literature at Triple Cities College, Harpur College and SUNY Binghamton who was recognized as one of the world’s leading Dante scholars, died on Nov. 27. He was 91.
Bernardo’s son, Donald, said his father would be remembered for his compassion.
“My father was well-known and respected for his extreme kindness and consideration for others,” Donald Bernardo said.
Aldo Bernardo was born in Colli al Volturno, Italy on May 17, 1920. He served in the Air Force during World War II, from 1942 to 1946.
Bernardo went on to earn both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Brown University in 1942 and 1947. He then earned a Ph.D. in Romance Philology from Harvard.
He began his career as an academic teaching Italian at Triple Cities College, then a branch of Syracuse University, in Endicott in 1949. Triple Cities would evolve into Harpur College, move to Vestal and eventually become SUNY Binghamton. Bernardo remained on staff throughout decades of the school’s growth.
In 1959, Bernardo became chairman of the Division of Humanities at Harpur College. He helped transform Harpur College into a university center by developing the comparative literature, romance languages and medieval studies departments and hiring many of the faculty that helped shape SUNY Binghamton into the school it is today, according to Marilyn Gaddis Rose, a distinguished service professor of comparative literature at Binghamton University and a colleague of Bernardo.
In 1966, Bernardo co-founded the University’s Center for Medieval and Early Renaissance Studies (CEMERS) with Bernard Huppé. He served as the Center’s director from 1966 to 1973.
A well-renowned scholar, Bernardo wrote many books and articles on the medieval era, including “The Companion to Dante’s Divine Comedy: A Comprehensive Guide for the Student and General Reader,” which came out in 2006.
He retired in 1987 as a “Distinguished Service Professor of Italian and Comparative Literature.”
Bernardo is survived by his wife, Reta; children, Donald and Nancy Bernardo, Joanne and Clark Burr and Adele and William Boyle; grandchildren, Donald and Kathryn Bernardo, Charles and Joy Burr, Adele and Jamie League, William Boyle Jr., Ryan and Laci Boyle, Michael Boyle; six great-grandchildren and numerous other family members and friends.
In 1990, Bernardo and his wife founded the Aldo and Reta Bernardo Fund, which finances an annual medieval literature lecture on campus, medieval-related courses and Excellence Awards for seniors majoring in medieval or early modern studies.
Bernardo’s widow described him as a very humble and loving man.
“He really was a fantastic human being, really a great person,” Reta Bernardo said. “He really loved his students.”
Rose said that to her, Bernardo “personified the University.”
“[Bernardo] truly demonstrated commitment to both his work and his vision for the University,” Rose said.
A funeral service was held for Bernardo on Friday at St. James Church in Johnson City.
BU is accepting donations for the Aldo and Reta Bernardo Fund in memory of Aldo Bernardo.