Stefan Panaretov made a lasting contribution to education, both as an educator during the Bulgarian Revival period and a diplomat and public figure in independent Bulgaria. Originally from Sliven, he graduated from a Bulgarian school in Constantinople (present-day Istanbul) and then from Robert College, where he later taught Bulgarian. He went on to become minister plenipotentiary of Bulgaria in Washington, DC and a delegate to the League of Nations. He was also a member of the Bulgarian delegation that signed the Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine. After 1925, he was a tenured faculty member teaching Slavic linguistics and literature at the University of Washington. He published many articles, the book Near East Affairs and Conditions, and an English-Bulgarian dictionary.
Panaretov willed his entire fortune, around 5 million Bulgarian levs, to Bulgarian education. The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and the National Library in Sofia were beneficiaries. His scholarships supported students of Bulgarian linguistics at Sofia University and high school students and teachers in need.
Read more about Stefan Panaretov (in Bulgarian only) HERE.
