The Metropolitan State University of Denver community mourns the loss of Charles Angeletti, Ph.D., a beloved professor known for excellence in teaching and embracing uncomfortable conversations since his tenure began amid the Vietnam War. He died June 4 at the age of 87.
Angeletti joined MSU Denver’s faculty (then known as Metropolitan State College of Denver) in 1967 and taught until he retired in 2017. His legacy includes the creation of an African-American History course and the Urban Interface class, where he would send students into the streets to survive with $1 in their pockets. He also served as an exchange professor for the Fulbright Commission in Turkey in 1997-98 and 2003-04.
Angeletti took pride in teaching first-generation college students, veterans, working adults and the children of immigrants, as well as the parents and grandparents of some. In courses including American Civilization, he is remembered for championing the perspectives and dignity of ordinary people.
Family, friends and former students said Angeletti inspired those around him to “question everything and never stop asking why.”
“I’m not objective,” he told his students at the beginning of each semester. “You can be objective with the things you’re not passionate about.”
A self-described cynic, socialist, atheist and the self-proclaimed No. 1 admirer of the late historian Howard Zinn, an obituary shared by his assistant, Gamze Kalay, described his teaching philosophy as “history told from below, from the margins, from the mouths of those the textbooks forgot.”
His use of a rewrite of the Pledge of Allegiance, which he distributed in classes beginning in the early 1990s, earned him national attention and controversy.
A lifelong reader, Angeletti applied themes in literature by Zinn, Ted Conover, Walter Mosley and Mark Twain to his teaching. His interests included history, social justice, sports, music and art, and he built a personal library and collection that reflected his curiosity about the world. A devoted fan of Denver sports and the blues, he was also known for his affection for cats.
Angeletti was born on Sept. 4, 1938, in Greenwood, Arkansas. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Tulsa and went on to receive his doctorate in American Studies from the University of Denver in 1968. His scholarly interests focused on history, world religion and higher education.
Angeletti had a reputation for keeping strong relationships. Several of his friendships spanned decades, and he maintained connections to the children of friends who had died.
Angeletti is survived by his sister, niece, nephew and cat, Wolly.
No funeral services are planned, in honor of his request.
