By Staff
The late Joseph L. Peyser, Indiana University South Bend professor emeritus of French and education, and local expert on Fort St. Joseph, Niles, will be remembered at a memorial celebration from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 6, in Room 225, Student Activities Center, IU South Bend.
Professor Peyser, 79, died Jan. 1, in South Bend. He retired from the university in 1994.
The memorial will bring local historians, IU South Bend faculty, colleagues from across the country, family and friends to the campus to celebrate his life and his varied interests.
Members of Support the Fort will dress in period dress from the 17th century and one member will sing a French voyageur song. Refreshments will be served at 1 p.m. and the celebration will begin at 2 p.m.
At IU South Bend, Peyser was a full professor of French having joined the university in 1973 as dean of faculties and chairman of Department of Foreign Languages.
In 1977, Peyser began translating French documents for the Niles Historical Commission relating to Fort St. Joseph. The documents led to the publication of "Letters from France: The Upper Country 1686-1783."
His work continued over the years and he later found a map in the National Archives of France that located the fort. The fort location was highly disputed. This find prompted archaeologists from Western Michigan University to search the east bank of the St. Joseph River, where the remains of the fort were located and documented. The site continues to be excavated.
Memorial contributions may be sent to Indiana University Foundation, c/o Jan Halperin, Director of Development, Indiana University South Bend, P.O. Box 7111, South Bend, IN 46634, or Support the Fort, Inc. 210 E. Main St., Niles, MI 49120-2376.