Dr. Stephen G. Rabe
- Emeritus Professor of History
- Ashbel Smith Professor (Former)
The University of Texas at Dallas supports the Ashbel Smith Professorship. Dr. Ashbel Smith was the first president of the UT System Board of Regents. He had a long and distinguished career in medicine, education and public service. During his term on the Board of Regents, Smith was dedicated to recruiting the best faculty members available and to developing a curriculum befitting a “university of the first class.” Smith became known as both the “father of Texas medicine” and the “father of The University of Texas.”
“The growth and transformation of the University during my 35 years at UT Dallas has been both astounding and gratifying. And the future holds bright promise for the students, staff, and faculty of our University. I could not be prouder than to have spent my academic career at UT Dallas and eagerly anticipate our University’s continued growth and intellectual development.”
Stephen G. Rabe specializes in U.S. foreign relations, with a particular interest in U.S. relations with Latin America. Rabe has written or edited 10 books and has published scholarly articles, numerous book chapters, book reviews, and encyclopedia articles on U.S. and Latin American history. His most recent books are: U.S. Intervention in British Guiana: A Cold War Story (2005); John F. Kennedy: World Leader (2010); and The Killing Zone: The United States Wages Cold War in Latin America (2011), which was published by Oxford University Press.
He has commented on international relations on numerous radio and television programs in the United States and in Europe and Latin America. He has also led seminars on U.S. history in Argentina, Brazil, and Ecuador. The Southwest Council on Latin American Studies awarded him the Harvey O. Johnson Prize for his study on U.S. relations with Venezuela. His book Eisenhower and Latin America won the Stuart L. Bernath Prize from the Society of Historians of American Foreign Relations (SHAFR). In 1988, SHAFR also recognized Rabe with the Bernath Lecture Prize, which is given to an outstanding young scholar working in international history.
Since arriving at UT Dallas in 1977, Rabe has taught perhaps more undergraduate students than any other professor in the history of the University. He has won three awards for distinguished teaching.
Rabe earned his doctorate from the University of Connecticut. He is also a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and serves as the faculty adviser to the Veterans Club at UT Dallas.
Rabe is married, with a daughter. His wife, Genice A.G. Rabe, is an attorney specializing in labor law and employment discrimination. His daughter, Elizabeth R. Rabe, is an assistant U.S. attorney in Laredo, Texas.