Tulane Department of Classical Studies

Joe Park Poe, Professor Emeritus of Classical Studies at Tulane University, died on Saturday, May 23, 2026, at the age of 89.

As a scholar, Joe was recognized internationally among Classicists for the breadth and originality of his work. He published important monographs and articles on Greek drama, Latin elegiac poetry, the Aeneid, Senecan tragedy, and Roman topography.

Joe’s teaching style was exemplary of the “old school.” He always wore a coat and tie when he taught and never called a student by their first name. He painstakingly explained ablative absolutes, gerunds and gerundives, passive periphrastics, and futures less vivid as though such concepts really mattered, and to him they did. He was demanding but compassionate, serious but funny. He cultivated an atmosphere of mutual respect in the classroom, which made his students want to do their best.

Joe Poe Obituary - New Orleans, LA Celebrate the life of Joe Poe, leave a kind word or memory and get funeral service information care of Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home & Cemeteries.

Classics in Motion
By Cameron Todd
Thursday, April 30, 2026

Classics in Motion : School of Liberal Arts at Tulane University Classical Studies at Tulane connects ancient texts, artifacts, and performance with contemporary scholarship and public engagement.

2,000-year-old Roman tombstone found in New Orleans returns home to Italy: ‘We are delighted’
BY POET WOLFE | Staff writer Apr 30, 2026

https://www.nola.com/news/ancient-roman-tombstone-returns-home/article_2730c55e-6443-4e21-9659-01c05b0de510.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=2%2C000-year-old%20Roman%20tombstone%20found%20in%20New%20Orleans%20returns%20home%20to%20Italy%3A%20‘We%20are%20delighted’&utm_campaign=tulanetoday-6may2026-fsa -source=featured-3

https://youtu.be/TxIzAfdJReo?si=DOa16TXTr6P3qK2J

Susann Lusnia at the Tulane Research Innovation and Creativity Summit Tulane professor gains worldwide attention after Roman artifact discoveryhttps://news.tulane.edu/news/tulane-scholar-gains-worldwide-attention-after-roman-ar...

The Department of Classical Studies at Tulane University presents the annual Classics Colloquium, featuring the keynote lecture, “A Haitian Oedipus in New Orleans” by Tom Hawkins (The Ohio State University) presented by The Classics Club.

Date ~ Thursday, April 9, 2026
Time ~ 5PM – 7PM
Location ~ Jones 108

Undergraduate students will present their presentations related to the ancient Mediterranean in a professional, but friendly environment of peers and professors while experiencing antiquity from different perspectives.

Keynote lecture, “A Haitian Oedipus in New Orleans” by Tom Hawkins (The Ohio State University) presented by The Classics Club:

New Orleans native Victor Séjour’s 1837 short story Le Mulâtre reimagines the Oedipal myth in the brutal context of the slave economy of Saint-Domingue (now Haiti), fundamentally reframing the traditional themes of patricide and recognition. The narrative follows Georges, who unknowingly executes his father in a gothic spin on Sophoclean tragedy, where the final recognition is a visceral climax rather than an intellectual epiphany. Séjour uses the myth’s fascination with epistemological fallibility to confront the dehumanizing logic of slavery.

This in-person, non-ticketed event is free and open to the public. There will be no zoom component. Tulane University is committed to providing universal access to all our events on site. Please contact Elizabeth M Reyna ([email protected], 504-865-5719) the event organizer for accessibility accommodations. Please note that advance notice is necessary to arrange some accessibility needs.