Education:
A.B. Harvard, 1936; A.M., 1938; Ph.D., 1942.
Dissertation:
"De Metaphonia Latina" (Harvard, 1942).
Professional Experience:
Master, Loomis School, 1938-47; instr. to asst. prof, class. Cornell, 1947-51; asst. prof, class. U. Washington, 1951-52; asst. prof, to prof. Lat. U. Chicago, 1952-1979; chair, class, dept., 1973-5; Fulbright fellow, 1961-2; asso. ed. CJ, 1947-9.
Publications:
"Plautus Mostellaria" (trans, with L. Jarcho) in The Complete Roman Drama, ed. G. E. Duckworth (New York, 1942) 1:622-72; "The Genitive Absolute in Latin," CP 40 (1945) 108-14; "Silius Italicus in England," CP 48 (1953): 155-168; "Regulus the Serpent in the Punica," CP 50 (1955): 1-20; "Silius Punica 6.1-53," CP 54 (1959) 10-24; "Scipio and the Ghost of Appius," CP 58 (1963): 73-92; "Hercules and the Hero of the Punica," Studies Caplan, 258-73; "Silius Italicus," with J. Delz and A. J. Dunston, in Catalogus Translationum et Com-mentariorum, ed. P.O. Kristeller et al. (Washington, 1976) 3:341-98.
Notes:
A Latinist of extraordinary precision and learning, Bassett was something of a perfectionist in all his work: it was said that as an associate editor of Classical Philology he would confirm every reference in every contribution that appeared in the journal. He published relatively little; his scholarship was expressed above all through his teaching, in which his gentleness, generosity, and uncommon courtesy coaxed several generations of students to share his delight in language.
Sources:
Chicago Tribune (13 Sept. 1984) 4:11; DAS 1978 29.
