He was born in Beaumont, Texas, on March 11, 1932, the son of Lamar Cecil and Mary Reed Cecil.

He was a graduate of Episcopal High School, Rice Institute, and Johns Hopkins University and served in the U.S. Army for two years. He taught for 40 years at Johns Hopkins, Princeton, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and at Washington and Lee University where he retired in 2004 as the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of History. He was the author of four books in the field of modern German history.

Mr. Cecil is survived by his wife, Geri L. Cecil; his two daughters, Mary Robinson Cecil Heermance of Glendale Calif., and Emma Reed Cecil Malik of Atlanta; a sister, Grayson Reed Cecil of Austin, Texas; and four grandchildren, Alexander and Marina Malik and Grayson and Ruby Heermance. He is also survived by four stepchildren, Peter and Matthew Leggett of Washington, D.C., Ann Leggett of Richmond, and Katherine Mabry of Atlanta.

A memorial service for Mr. Cecil will be held on Friday, July 28, at 11 a.m. at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 7th and Clay Streets, Lynchburg.

For memorial contributions, please consider Episcopal High School, 1200 N. Quaker Lane, Alexandria, VA 22302, or Opera on the James, 701 Main St., Lynchburg, VA 24504. N-G