Welcome to McKenzie House

is assistant professor of classical studies.
David Ungvary joined Bard’s Classical Studies Program in 2018, teaching Latin and Greek, as well as ancient and medieval history and literature. His research centers on intersections of religion, reading, and writing during the Dark Ages, with a special focus on the ways Romans used spiritual literature to reckon with the fall of the Roman Empire. He earned his BA from Duke; MSt from Corpus Christi College, Oxford; and a PhD in medieval Latin from Harvard.

Ungvary and his wife, Emily, both hail from Buffalo, New York, where they met in high school. They live in Rickman House (behind the Hannah Arendt Center) with their two children, Cassian and Regina, and their seven-year-old field spaniel, Desi. “We maintain an allegiance to the Buffalo Bills and our hometown’s love of blue cheese and wings,” explains Ungvary.

“At McKenzie House I hope to share both these homegrown passions and other hobbies I have developed since moving to Bard.” For example, he plans to introduce students to the natural beauty of the Hudson Valley—through walking the trails of Tivoli Bays, exploring the Catskill Mountains (where Ungvary has “bagged” more than 20 of the area’s 3,500 peaks), and picking fruit at nearby orchards. He also hopes to foster a deep sense of home within McKenzie House. Students can expect regular study breaks with cookies and coffee, a cozy reading group, TV and game nights, and holiday decorating parties. Ungvary and his family hope to cultivate the spirit of strength embodied by Emerald Rose McKenzie ’52. “I intend to use my role as house professor to encourage mutual support among the members of McKenzie House, by rallying for tailgates before matches of its student athletes, and hosting receptions for concerts and plays of its student performers.”
More about David

McKenzie House is named for Bard alumna Emerald Rose McKenzie ’52. 
Emerald Rose McKenzie was one of the first African American women to graduate from Bard. Originally from Nassau in the British West Indies, McKenzie grew up in Brooklyn and went to a school for the blind. She attended Bard College on a full scholarship, majoring in sociology and anthropology. She is remembered by her fellow students as being a beacon of courage and ambition in the face of adversity and for her selfless concern for others. McKenzie became a senior caseworker at the Jewish Guild for the Blind. McKenzie and her guide dog, Karen, were a familiar sight on campus during the early 1950s, and her legacy lives on in the annual Emerald Rose McKenzie ’52 Scholarship. The scholarship, established by classmates as part of the 1998 celebration of “Fifty Years of Women at Bard College,” is awarded to students who display a strong commitment to humanitarian ideals.
 

Cynthia Marris Gross ’54 reads to Emerald McKenzie ’52, 1952.
McKenzie, seen here with her guide dog, Karen, lost her vision as a young girl. Gross acted as McKenzie’s “reader” throughout their shared time at Bard. Photograph by David Brook.