Theodore H. McNelly, professor emeritus, department of government and politics at the University of Maryland, College Park, passed away in February 2008 at the age of 88. Professor Emeritus McNelly was born on December 27, 1919, and received his Ph.D. in 1952 at Columbia University. McNelly joined the faculty in the department of government and politics at Maryland in the fall of 1953 as a lecturer, was promoted to professor in 1967, and retired in 1991.

McNelly studied politics and government in Japan. His most recent publication “Witness to the Twentieth Century,” a personal biography of his life, was published in 2005. During World War II, McNelly served as a cryptanalyst and linguist in the U.S. Signal Intelligence Service and later as an analyst in General MacArthur's Civil Intelligence Section in Tokyo. He has authored numerous articles and books including The Origins of Japan's Democratic Constitution. He analyzed the developments that he observed in postwar England, France, Germany, Japan, and Korea and described his career as an author and college professor.