Dr. Antoine E. Spacagna

Dr. Antoine E. Spacagna, in his 82nd year, passed away peacefully, surrounded by family and friends, at his home in Tallahassee Florida on July 29, 2011. Antoine was born to the late Antoine Spacagna and Marthe Spacagna, née Speicher, in Paris, France. In the United States and is survived by his first wife, Betty Jane Spacagna, née Anderson, and daugher,Valerie Spacagna of Rome GA. He is also survived by three grandchildren Megan Willis of Rome, GA; Gilles Willis of Oakwood, GA; and Amber Willis of Sugarhill, GA. He is predeceased by his eldest daughter, Laura Willis. He is survived by his second wife, Danielle McKenzie, and her daughter, Alexandra Spacagna of Bradington, FL. Outside the USA, he is survived by his sister, Colette Decaux Spacagna, Betphaget, France and he is predeceased by his other sister, Antoinette Spacagna. Antoine received his Ph. D. From Ohio State and taught for 33 years in French Department at the Florida State University. He specialized in 18th-century French and 20th-century Francophone literature. He is the co-author of Entre les oui et le non: Essai sur la structure profonde du théâtre de Marivaux and co-editor of Intertextuality in Literature and Film (University Press of Florida, 1994). He has published several articles on Marivaux, Gide, Ionesco, Gilles Hénault, Saint-John Perse, and Romain Rolland and attended many coloquia. He was the only teacher of French phonetics for many years at FSU and for most of his tenure, he was the only native speaker in the French division. Together with Dr. Elaine Cancalon, he originated the French Song Course which was taught for many years. He also taught the French Cinema Course which was very popular, appealing to both French majors and non-majors. He also organized the showing of French films at local cinemas every year for the French Film Festival in Tallahassee. Antoine so loved teaching that after he retired from FSU, he joined the faculty at FAMU as an adjunct professor in the French Department. Among his many accomplishments, Dr. Spacagna played a key role in helping to establish the Ada Belle Winthrop-King program in France which provides financial assistance to undergraduate students so they can live and study in Paris. Beginning in 1972, as the Director of the program, Antoine worked diligently every summer to organize the French Department's summer in Paris at l'institute Catholique. At least 35 students participated every year. But his involvement in the francophone community didn't end with yearly trips. He was always willing to assist any student who wanted to relocate to France, helping them with visas, passports, references, finding host families for exchanges, college applications, etc. For his many years of service, Dr. Spacagna received a Teaching Award in 1994. For more than twenty years, and well after his retirement, he served as judge for the Congrès de la Culture Française en Floride, the only state-wide French competency test in the nation. Dr. Spacagna was also very active in the Francophone community in Florida and abroad. He served as the faculty advisor for the FSU Haitian Cultural Club and for the Multicultural Arts Society. For his many years of service, the French government promoted him to the rank of Commandeur de l'Ordre des Palmes Academiques , the highest rank in the Ordre des Palmes Academiques (created in 1808 by Napolean's Imperial Decree as the Legion of Honor for Professors and Teachers), by French Minister of Education Francois Bayrou. The ordre's medallion was presented by Francois Bujon de l'Estang, the French Ambassador to the United States, at the French Consulate General, Miami, November, 1996 and it was given for his many efforts to promote French culture locally, regionally and internationally. A second award, L'Ordre du Merite National, was presented to Dr. Spacagna for his service in the French Military. In addition, he was an ex-officio member of the Board of Directors of the Association Française de Tallahassee (AFTally) after the Alliance Francophone, which he founded, merged with AFTally. Antoine was very active in his Catholic parish church as a Eucharist Minister. In his free time, he adored all kinds of music--from classical to jazz--and he was quite an accomplished dancer. He was unabashedly in love with the tango and would listen to tango music and go see tango dancers whenever and wherever he could find them. There will be a funeral Mass for Antoine Spacagna on Tuesday August 9, 2011 at 11 a.m. at the St. Thomas More Co-Cathedral, 900 W. Tennessee St. in Tallahassee. A memorial service that celebrates Antoine's life and accomplishments will take place at St. Thomas More Co-Cathedral, 900 W. Tennessee St. in Tallahassee on September 10, 2011. In addition, a webpage has been set up individuals who are unable to participate so they too can offer their condolences and share memories of Antoine with the family. More details about the time of the memorial service and how to sign up as a speaker can be found at: http://antoine-spacagna.forevermissed.com . In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be made to either the American Cancer Society or the Co-Cathedral of St Thomas More Haiti Program. More information on how to contribute can be found on the website. Antoine's ashes will be returned to France and he will be interred, together with his family, at the Cimetière Parisien D'Ivry.

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Dr. Antoine E. Spacagna

July 29, 2011