Marc Blanchard, distinguished professor of comparative literature at UC Davis, died on Nov. 8 after a long struggle against cancer. He was 67.

A professor at UC Davis for 39 years, Blanchard was a groundbreaking scholar, innovative teacher, sailor, masseur, weaver, salsa dancer, devoted father, loyal friend and loving husband. He will be remembered for charting new ground in relations with Cuba.

While that country was off-limits for academic exchanges, Blanchard forged a relationship with the Cuban government and Casa de las Americas, an organization founded by the Cuban government to promote international cultural exchange. He then steered a complicated course through the U.S. State Department to establish a study abroad program in Cuba in 2001, one of only six such programs offered by U.S. institutions at the time. As a result, UC Davis is among a small number of universities that still offer a program in Cuba.

Family fled Nazi threat

Born on Oct. 12, 1942, in Portugal as his French father and French Jewish mother were fleeing the Nazi threat during World War II, Blanchard spent his earliest years in Argentina. From there, the family moved to Egypt. After the war, they returned to Paris. In 1965, he completed his education at the Sorbonne, where he earned that university’s highest degree in romance languages, comparative literature and classics.

Also fluent in Spanish and German, Blanchard became a world-renowned scholar in critical theory in the 1970s and 1980s and, later, a specialist in Latin American literature and culture and Caribbean studies.

He was a founding member of the Comparative Literature and Critical Theory programs at UC Davis, and also taught French, Spanish and courses in cultural studies and community development.

Blanchard is survived by his wife, Raquel Salgado Scherr, and daughter, Lauren Blanchard.

A public memorial service for Blanchard will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. Jan. 7 in the AGR Room at the Buehler Alumni and Visitors Center.