Webster Remembers Professor John Joseph Pirri

It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of our colleague and friend, John Joseph Pirri, who passed away on Aug. 6, 2023, in Aubonne, Switzerland, after a three-year battle against cancer.

He was a gifted teacher and beloved mentor to hundreds of Webster Geneva students over the years, as well as the founder of the Webster Humanitarian Association (WHA), a nonprofit humanitarian Swiss Association with by-laws, registered under Swiss Foundation Law in Geneva, since its creation.

Joe Pirri was born in June 24, 1936, in Endicott, New York, USA. Pirri was adjunct professor in human rights, literature, and communications at Webster Geneva Campus.

He earned his PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with a dissertation on the plays of W. B. Yeats. He also served as a professor and academic administrator at universities in Jordan, Lebanon and Switzerland, including as chairman of the humanities department at the Lebanese American University and as dean for academic affairs at the American College of Switzerland. His most recent areas of scholarship and teaching were cinematic depictions of genocide and ethical decision making.

If you wish to pay tribute to Pirri, his family asks you to consider making a donation to the Webster Humanitarian Association (WHA): IBAN CH42 0021 5215 1663 6140 N. If you wish to contact Teny Pirri, you may send an email to tpirrisimonian79@webster.edu.