Mimi Reisel Gladstein

Professor of English & Theatre Arts  Literary Scholar   

Pioneer in Women’s Studies

Born: 1936, Nicaragua

El Paso High School, Class of 1954

Early Life & Education

  • Born in Nicaragua; moved to the U.S. at an early age.
  • Grew up in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and El Paso, Texas.
  • Graduated from El Paso High School in 1954.
  • Became a U.S. citizen at age 19.
  • Earned her Ph.D. in Contemporary American Literature from the University of New Mexico.
  • Married, with three children.


Academic Contributions

  • Professor of English and Theatre Arts at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP).
  • Pioneer in Women’s Studies:
  • Taught one of the first courses on “Women and Literature” in the early 1970s.
  • Introduced Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged to her classes.
  • Authored one of the earliest scholarly articles on Rand: “Ayn Rand and Feminism: An Unlikely Alliance”

(1978).

Major Publications:

  • The Ayn Rand Companion
  • Feminist Interpretations of Ayn Rand
  • The Indestructible Woman in Faulkner, Hemingway, and Steinbeck (1986)
  • The Last Supper of Chicano Heroes (2009 Latino Book Award winner).


Work on Steinbeck

  • Recognized as a leading Steinbeck scholar.


Awards:

  • John J. and Angeline Pruis Award – Steinbeck Teacher of the Decade (1978–1987).
  • Burkhardt Award – Outstanding Contributions to Steinbeck Studies (1996).


Leadership & Service at UTEP

  • First Director, Women’s Studies Program.
  • Director, Western Cultural Heritage Program.
  • Executive Director, UTEP Diamond Jubilee Celebration.
  • Twice served as Chair, Department of English.
  • Later chaired Department of Theatre, Dance, and Film.
  • Associate Dean of Liberal Arts.


National & International Recognition

  • President, Rocky Mountain Modern Language Association.
  • President, South Central Society for Eighteenth Century Studies.
  • Twice awarded Fulbright grants:
  • Fulbright Professor, Caracas, Venezuela (1990–91).
  • Senior Fulbright Scholar, Complutense University of Madrid (1995).


Honors

  • Burlington Northern Award for Teaching Excellence.
  • UTEP College of Liberal Arts Outstanding Faculty Achievement Award (2003).
  • Inducted into the El Paso Historical Hall of Honor (2011).