Respected teacher, author Kamal Verma dies

Mar. 8—Kamal D. Verma, 91, a longtime professor of English at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown and critically acclaimed scholar of South Asian literature, passed away peacefully Sunday with his family by his side.

He would have turned 92 in April.

A longtime resident of Westmont, Verma was born in 1932 in Punjab, India, the eldest child in a large family. He was the first member of his family to attend college, having earned a bachelor's degree in 1951 at Dayanand Anglo-Vedic University in Jalandhar, Punjab, India.

He went on to receive a second bachelor's degree in 1953, having majored in teaching at the former Agra University, now Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar University, in Agra, India. From there, he completed a master's degree in English in 1958 at Panjab University in Chandigarh, India.

After working as a principal at a teachers' college until 1963, Verma left India, coming to the United States on a Ford Foundation Fellowship to obtain his Specialist in Education degree at the University of Northern Iowa. From there, he continued his studies in literature, leading to a Ph.D. from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada.

In 1957, he married Savitri Verma, who was a special needs teacher, counselor and social worker in India, Canada and the United States. She preceded him in death in September 2014.

The family settled in 1971 in Johnstown, where Verma joined the faculty of the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown.

He taught there for 42 years, leaving his mark on his thousands of students, on the field of South Asian literature with his extensive writings, and on those he helped guide in their careers and immigrant journeys through his incredible selflessness and wisdom, his family said. He also published three books.

In retirement, he continued to serve as an adviser to Pitt-Johnstown President Jem Spectar and as an editor of the South Asian Review, a publication he founded.

After retiring from Pitt-Johnstown, Verma moved in 2013 to Bethesda, Maryland, where his daughter Amita resided.

Not one for a true retirement, Verma then wrote a critically acclaimed book on noted Indian writer Mulk Raj Anand, a book that also included a series of letters for more than 15 years between Verma and Anand. He released the book in the U.S. and India in 2018 to significant critical success.

He returned to Johnstown in 2017 and gave a presentation at Pitt-Johnstown to preview the book.

"We are celebrating the great legacy of a great mind, a great professor who has touched many, many students," Spectar said at the event.

Verma and his late wife had five children, Rajiv, Roma, Rita, Amita and Richard, all of whom pursued varied careers in business, medicine and the law. Their son Richard is a former U.S. ambassador to India.

Rajiv Verma preceded his father in death in January 2016.

Surviving are his sons- and daughters-in-law, along with nine grandchildren and three-great grandchildren.

"Dr. Verma was a towering figure who had an impact on so many," his family wrote in an email to The Tribune- Democrat. "He fought for Indian independence, paved the way for South Asian scholars and literature in the United States and cared for his family and friends at every turn.

"An amazing role model, with courage and heart, he was a loving and committed husband, father and grandfather, giving everything he had to the betterment and empowerment of his nuclear and extended family and friends."

Service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Gawler's Funeral Home, 5130 Wisconsin Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Verma Family Scholarship at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown.

Randy Griffith is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. He can be reached at 814-532-5057. Follow him on Twitter @PhotoGriffer57.