Jane Acomb Leake, professor emerita of medieval history at UC's Raymond Walters College, died June 6 at the Alois Alzheimer's Center here.

She was 79.

"She was one of the most intelligent people I've ever known," her husband, Lowell, said. "She loved to teach."

Dr. Leake started out as an instructor of historic literature at UC's College of Design, Art and Architecture in 1959, her husband said. "She taught there for about three years. It was one of her favorite teaching assignments. The students were very, very bright."

From there, she became an associate professor of history at Raymond Walters and eventually became a full professor.

In 1967, her work, "The Geats of Beowulf: A Study in the Geographical Mythology of the Middle Ages," was published by the University of Wisconsin Press.

She wasn't just a fine scholar and teacher, her husband said. "She was a vivacious person - full of fun and enjoyed life," he said. She was also active in community affairs and loved living in Greater Cincinnati.

Through her membership with the UC chapter of the American Association of University Professors, Dr. Leake worked for equal opportunity for women in academia.