June 24, 2015

Louisiana State University Professor Dies In Tragic Accident


Louisiana State University Professor of English Elisabeth "Lisi" Oliver died in a tragic accident earlier this month while walking along a rural road in East Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, on June 7, 2015. Dr. Oliver was a much beloved member of the LSU Department of English and had recently received the title of Distinguished Research Master. Dr. Oliver was known for her research and publications in the area of literature, law, and linguistics and for her devotion to teaching. Her publications included The Beginnings of English Law (University of Toronto Press, 2002), The Body Legal in Barbarian Law (University of Toronto Press, 2011), "Protecting the Body in early Anglo-Saxon England," in Peace and Protection in the Medieval West 60-77 (Pontifical Institute for Medieval Studies, 2009), "Royal and Ecclesiastical Law in Seven-Century Kent," in Essays in memory of Patrick Wormald 97-114 (Ashgate Press, 2009), and "Documentary Culture and the Making of English Law," in Cambridge History of Early Medieval English Literature, 500-1150 599-529 (2012). See a list of her publications here.


The University will hold a memorial service to commemorate her life on June 27 at 3 p.m. at the LSU Faculty Club.

Below are excerpts from a message published on the LSU College of Humanities and Social Sciences website.

The LSU community is mourning the loss of Elisabeth “Lisi” Oliver, Alumni Professor, who was tragically killed June 7 in an accident in East Feliciana Parish.

“Lisi was larger than life, and her loss is inconceivable. She was an intellectual force among scholars, nationally and internationally,” said Dean of Humanities & Social Sciences Stacia Haynie.  “She was beloved by students, faculty and staff.”

Oliver joined the LSU faculty in 1996, a year after she received her doctorate from Harvard University.  In 2011 she was named as the Greater Houston Alumni Professor and most recently was named as a Distinguished Research Master in spring of 2015, which is among the highest distinctions awarded for faculty research.  
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Oliver was on the board of the Early English Laws Project, an international collaboration to re-edit the laws of early English, supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council of Great Britain.
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A memorial service to honor the life of Elisabeth “Lisi" Oliver will be held on Saturday, June 27 at 3:00 pm at the LSU Faculty Club. The service will be followed by an open house.

Because not everyone will be able to attend the service during the summer, the English department plans to have a ceremony memorializing Lisi in the fall after school has started.

In the next few days the Oliver family will announce a charity to which you can make contributions in Lisi’s name.

I knew Lisi; she was funny, smart, and insightful. Her death is a great shock and her loss is incalculable.

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