To commemorate the loss of Arthur O. Lewis Jr., a Penn State faculty member, it seemed appropriate to honor the work that he loved most -- his utopian studies.

A remembrance was held by Lewis' family on Thursday, what would have been his 89th birthday, in the Eisenhower Chapel. Lewis passed away July 18.

Lewis began his career in 1948 as a graduate assistant and was a professor by 1960. He held many administrative titles in the College of the Liberal Arts, the Department of English, and the Science, Technology and Society Program. Lewis retired in 1985 with the rank of associate dean emeritus of the College of the Liberal Arts and professor emeritus of English.

However, Lewis' main interest and focus was on utopian studies. While writing science fiction novels, this interest sparked, and he soon after published "A Directory of Utopian Scholars" in 1976, said Sandra Stelts, curator of rare books and manuscripts for the Paterno Library. This led to the formation of the national Society for Utopian Studies.

In 1984, the society established the Arthur O. Lewis Award in his honor to recognize the best annual paper presented at its convention.

In 2003, the Special Collections Library formed a collection of utopian literature and named it after Lewis, an honor typically given to donors rather than scholars. It is now referred to as the Arthur O. Lewis Utopia Collection and has nearly 5,000 pieces of literature.

Family, friends, colleagues and those who knew Lewis best gathered to honor his work which has made Penn State the "center for utopian scholarship," Stelts said.

"Who my dad was, was very much his work," his daughter Beca Lewis said, adding that the service would allow people to get to know who he is.

The service consisted of five separate speakers, all of whom touched on a different aspect of Lewis' life and career, even joking about his enthusiasm for using current technology.

"He was the quintessential liberal artist," Theodore Kiffer, associate dean emeritus of the Commonwealth Educational System, said in his presentation. "He wanted people to experience their learning, to experience life."

Prior to her tearful presentation, Stelts was able to encompass Lewis' character.

"He was a wonderful person, had a marvelous sense of humor, was never someone to jealously guard his research. He really had a wonderful attitude towards it," she said.

While tears were shed, many were able to remember a funnier side of Lewis, which included a hearty, memorable laugh, said Ron Filippelli, associate dean emeritus of the College of the Liberal Arts.

"I'm happy to report that he laughed often," Filippelli said, smiling.