His father, Harry Klein (Klajnzyngier), was the son of Polish immigrants and spent his life in the women's ready-wear trade.
His mother, Alice Lena Nickell, was the daughter of a Louisville, Kentucky, physician, and sang professionally before her marriage.
His dissertation, done under Professor Bell Irvin Wiley, was a biography of Confederate general Edward Porter Alexander.
He remained at that institution until his retirement in June 2008, teaching a wide variety of courses and writing on a diverse number of subjects.
More than once he said that, once decided on a teaching career, he majored in history because it gave him the most freedom of subject matter in the classroom and fed the broad range of his interests.
He served as chairman of the faculty senate and headed the university’s Honors Program and arts council.