Gerard J. Brault, Ph.D., 90, passed away on February 5. A graduate of Assumption Prep and College, Brault earned a master’s degree in French from Laval University in Quebec City and a doctorate in Romance languages from the University of Pennsylvania.
A veteran of the Korean War, Brault taught French at Bowdoin College, the University of Pennsylvania, and Penn State before retiring in 1997. He wrote numerous books and articles about medieval French literature and served as president of the Société Rencevals, an international organization for the advancement of Romance epic studies. The author of several important works, Brault was awarded the Riquer Prize of the Académie Internationale d’Héraldique and the Bickersteth Medal of the Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies. His book, The French-Canadian Heritage in New England (1986), demonstrated his great interest in his forebears and their descendants in the Northeast.
Brault, who was awarded France’s Ordre des Palmes Académiques and Ordre National du Merite, both at the rank of officer, received an honorary degree from Assumption in 1976 for his contribution to his field. He was an ardent supporter of Assumption’s French Institute.
