Rolf Kentner Dissertation Prize
The HCA is mourning
Rolf Kentner
The HCA is mourning its faithful friend and supporter Rolf Kentner, who passed away on May 20, 2020, after a prolonged illness. On top of his long career at Mannheim’s BW bank, Rolf Kentner tirelessly volunteered his expertise to many civic endeavors, among them as president of the Schurman Society for the Promotion of American Studies at Heidelberg University and the Jacob Gould Schurman Foundation. Both associations were essential for the creation of the Schurman Library for American History, the establishment of the Curt Engelhorn Chair for American History, and the founding and development of the HCA. Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Detlef Junker, the HCA’s Founding Director, payed tribute to Rolf Kentner’s achievements as a "dedicated friend of German-American relations. Without his support the HCA would not have advanced to one of the most important centers for American Studies in Europe."
Both the Ruperto Carola and the Hochschule Mannheim named Rolf Kentner an Honorary Senator. He was always especially interested in the work of young scholars, which he supported by endowing a prize for an excellent dissertation in American Studies at a German university. After he resigned from the presidency of the Schurman Foundation, it resolved to name him Honorary President and continue to award the Rolf Kentner Dissertation Prize as a tribute to his life time achievement.