Colleagues remember Professor Amy Richter
Stylish. Witty. Caring. Brilliant.
Those are just a few of the adjectives used by colleagues to describe Amy Richter, chair of the History Department and academic director of the Worcester chapter of The Clemente Course in the Humanities, who died on June 2, 2025, after a brief illness.
Richter, who specialized in 19th- and 20th-century American and cultural history, with an emphasis on women’s and urban history, joined the History Department in 2000 and was recognized across the University for her leadership, service, and scholarly work. She was beloved by students and honored during her tenure at Clark as the Outstanding Academic Advisor of the Year, Distinguished Academic Advisor of the Year, and Outstanding Teacher.
“Everything she did was excellent,” says Dean of the College Laurie Ross, “whether it was writing a request for a faculty position or advising a student. She was a deep thinker who could offer an insight or a different way of considering something that was extremely valuable.”
History Professor Ousmane Power-Greene remembers Richter as a teacher who always injected humor into the classroom and managed to set a high bar for students and challenge them while being endlessly supportive. She was a fierce intellectual and extraordinarily supportive colleague, he says.
“She was one of those rare people who would always try to understand what she could do to help you find success in your teaching, scholarship, or community-building,” Power-Greene says. “She always would be problem-solving, and she was a great networker, trying to help colleagues collaborate across the University and in Worcester. She was the least pretentious person I know and so selfless.”
Richter and Power-Greene were both instructors of The Clemente Course in the Humanities, which provides free education for adults facing economic hardship and adverse circumstances. Richter began as a U.S. History instructor for Clemente and then became the academic director of Clemente’s Worcester chapter. The program thrived under her leadership, and after her first year as director, 17 students graduated and 14 found jobs or pursued further study. She started a new tradition of holding the Worcester chapter’s graduation ceremony at the American Antiquarian Society.
“She jumped right into that work, and it was really important to her,” says Power-Greene, noting that Richter was eager to resume in-person Clemente courses as soon as it was safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. “She was a true advocate for ensuring everyone had the opportunity to be educated at the highest level they desired.”
Richter directed the Higgins School of Humanities (now the Alice Coonley Higgins Institute for Arts and Humanities) from 2013 to 2017, hosting a series of speakers who challenged the Clark community to think deeply about pressing issues.
“She was magical — brilliant and so funny, and she was a master problem solver,” says History Professor Elizabeth Imber. “There was nothing she could not think through. And she was the most deeply kind person you’ve ever met.”
“Her problem-solving wasn’t just academic — she also gave great life advice,” notes History Professor Nina Kushner. “And as someone who studied material culture, she had a real appreciation for things. If you had a new shirt, or mug, or backpack, she would notice and admire your choice.”
Richter was deeply committed to Clark and the History Department, Kushner says. During her various tenures as department chair, she would spend her winter break writing cases for faculty reappointment, a long and cumbersome process.
“She told us she was grateful to be able to write about the members of the department she loved,” Kushner recalls. “In a room full of smart people, she was the smartest — both as a scholar and administrator. And she had a way of sharing and lifting up other people through profound, deep kindness. She was caring and concerned that everybody else was doing well.”
“It’s hard to put into words how magnificent Amy was. She was the best role model, best colleague, best mentor,” Imber says. “I was happy every time I walked into the department and saw the light on in her office.”
In 2023, Richter received the John W. Lund Community Achievement Award for her dedication to The Clemente Course and her involvement with Simon Says Give, a national organization that provides school supplies to new middle-schoolers and birthday parties for younger children. The Worcester chapter of Simon Says Give was founded by Richter’s son, Simon, and her husband, Jim Eber. As a family team, Amy, Simon, and Jim spent thousands of hours recruiting volunteers, procuring donations of supplies and food, networking with school administrators and local organizations to identify youth with unmet needs, hosting events, and organizing parties.
When Political Science Professor Kristen Williams joined Clark in 2001, she introduced herself to Richter in the back staircase of Jefferson Hall. Williams and Richter had adjacent offices on the fourth floor of Jefferson that shared an adjoining door, which they often kept open to chat throughout the day. The two became fast friends, and their families grew close, sharing dinners and holiday celebrations and traveling together.
“Our families meshed really well,” says Williams. “One of the things that I’ll always remember about Amy, especially watching our kids grow up being so close, is all the times we played games like Telestrations and Cards Against Humanity and so forth.” Amy and Jim were godparents to Williams’ children Anne and Matthew.
Williams recalls that students often lined up outside Richter’s office, eager for guidance and conversation. “She had a lot of advisees,” Williams says, “and whether it was undergraduate, master’s, or doctoral students, she was always available, and students gravitated to her.”
Richter authored “Home on the Rails: Women, the Railroad, and the Rise of Public Domesticity” (2005) and “At Home in Nineteenth-Century America: A Documentary History” (2015), as well as many chapters and articles about women’s studies and 19th- and 20th-century American and cultural studies, and was an affiliated faculty member with the Urban Studies and CGRAS programs. Her doctoral work earned her the 2001 Lerner-Scott Prize for Best Doctoral Dissertation in U.S. Women’s History from the Organization of American Historians. She received her Ph.D. in history from New York University in 2000 and a bachelor’s in urban studies from Columbia College, Columbia University, in 1991.
A New York City native, Richter made Worcester her second home and was named a Worcester Magazine Hometown Hero in 2023, highlighting her commitment to The Clemente Course and Simon Says Give. Richter told Worcester Magazine that while it was lovely to be recognized, “It doesn’t seem heroic to do something that is so personally satisfying.”
“She was irreverent and witty and fun and kind with a great sense of humor, which I always liked,” says Williams. “Maybe that was from being a New Yorker.”
Richter’s greatest legacy, Williams says, was simply being a good human.
“She left an indelible mark and so many people will miss her. I will be forever grateful that I had her in my life.”
