Vernon Detweiler Gotwals came to Smith College in 1952 as an instructor in music and College organist. He earned his AB degree at Amherst College, and an MFA from Princeton University in 1951. He progressively rose in the ranks and was appointed a full professor in 1966. He also served as Secretary of the Faculty (1960-1963), and Chair of the Department of Music beginning in 1962.
Gotwals most celebrated work was on Haydn, Joseph Haydn: Eighteenth Century Gentleman and Genius published by the University of Wisconsin Press in 1963. He produced numerous scholarly monographs, articles, and reviews ranging from Haydn to Bach, the relationship of music to church liturgy, and folk songs and women's voices. He taught courses in harmony and counterpoint, and gave organ lessons to a countless number of students.
In 1984 Gotwals retired from Smith College and enjoyed emeritus status. He spent the remaining years in Deer Isle, Maine with his wife and family. Gotwals died on January 12, 2002.
From the guide to the Vernon Gotwals Papers RG 42., 1810-1984, (Smith College Archives)
