JOPLIN, MO (SNS) - Missouri Southern State University professor of English Dr. Arthur "Art" Saltzman died suddenly at his home Tuesday, Jan. 8 of an aneurysm. He was 54 years old.

Dr. Saltzman joined the Missouri Southern faculty in 1981. He received his A.B., A.M. and Ph.D. from the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign).

In 2003 he received Governor's Award for Excellence in Teaching. He was popular among students and faculty and was known for his wit and wisdom both in and out of the classroom.

Dr. Saltzman was selected as the winner of the 2003 Victor J. Emmett, Jr., Memorial Prize for his article, "On Not Being Nice: Sentimentality and the Creative Writing Class." The Emmett Prize is awarded to the author of the best article on a literary topic to appear each year in The Midwest Quarterly.

Dr. Saltzman began writing at an early age and his articles, essays and creative works were widely published.

A native of Chicago, Saltzman came to Missouri Southern after graduating from the University of Illinois in 1979. His books including: Nearer; This Mad Instead; The Novel in The Balance; Objects and Empathy; The Fiction of William Gass: The Consolation of Language; Understanding Raymond Carver; and Designs of Darkness in Contemporary American Fiction. A signing was for his most recent book, Solve for X, was held on Dec. 3 at Hastings in Joplin.

His creative writing has appeared a wide variety of journals including Gettysburg Review, Iowa Review, Black Warrior Review, Ohio Review, River City, Fiction International, Gulf Coast and Mid-American Review.

Awards for his writing include the First Series Creative Nonfiction Award (Mid-List Press, 2001), Nebraska Review Creative Nonfiction Award, Roy Ames Memorial Essay Award (Literal Latte), Columbia Nonfiction Award, Victor J. Emmett Memorial Essay Award and six Pushcart Prize nominations.

Dr. Saltzman is survived by his daughter Elizabeth; his mother Marion; his brother Jeff, his three nephews; his companion Joy Dworkin and her son, Jeremy; and his ex-wife, Marla Marantz. Funeral services took place Jan. 11 in Arlington Heights, Ill.

A memorial service is planned early February at Spiva Art Gallery at MSSU.

-WWW.MSSU.EDU-