Harriette Andreadis was born in 1940, the daughter of Greek immigrants who settled in New York city. She received her Ph.D. in English Renaissance Literature from the University of Wisconsin in 1970 and joined Texas A&M University in 1975. Over the course of a distinguished career, Harriette published numerous scholarly articles and a book, Sappho in Early Modern England: Female Same-Sex Erotics 1550-1714 (University of Chicago Press, 2001). She mentored countless students and contributed to the expansion of the curriculum beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries. One of four founding members of the Women’s Studies program at Texas A&M in the early 1980s, Harriette served as its first director and its fiercest advocate. She was instrumental in establishing an undergraduate minor in women’s studies and in bringing together a community of scholars from across the university to offer courses in a highly interdisciplinary, intersectional, and international program, which would eventually offer an undergraduate major and a graduate certificate as well.

After 40 years as a part of the faculty of Texas A&M University, Harriette retired in the Spring of 2014, as Professor Emerita. In July 2016, she spoke at a panel on “LGBT Faculty at Texas A&M: Historical Perspectives,” organized by the Community of Faculty Retirees. In May 2025, she was the guest of honor at a Living Festschrift held for her at the university, at which her colleagues, students and friends spoke about her profound impact on their lives. The festschrift was co-organized by Cushing Library, at Texas A&M, where Harriette’s archives are housed.

On August 1, 2026, Harriette Andreadis passed away, at the age of 86. Her passing coincided with a decision by the then Texas A&M University president to shut down the degrees offered by the women’s and gender studies program. In sharing the news of her passing, the current director of the program pledged to honor and celebrate Harriette’s fortitude and persistent commitment to chart new possibilities for women’s and gender studies courses and research. A steadfast commitment to justice and academic freedom is the legacy that Harriette leaves behind and that those of us who were privileged to know her, but also those who did not know her, will carry forth in her honor.