Emmanuel Vincent Seko, Ph.D.

Emmanuel Vincent Seko, Ph.D., 89, of Spartanburg, died on Friday, October 13, 2023, at Spartanburg Medical Center.  He was born on August 8, 1934, in Pietersburg, South Africa. Dr. Seko was married to the late Mildred Setlogelo Seko and was also predeceased by a son, Joseph Seko; a daughter, Joyce Seko; and two sisters and two brothers. 

Dr. Seko was a member of St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church. 

After graduating from college in South Africa, times were very troubled there, and it was unsafe to continue living there. He moved his family to Nigeria to teach there for 10 years until the civil unrest there became unbearable. At the urging of members of the Peace Corps, Dr. Seko moved his family to the United States. 

Dr. Seko was a retired Distinguished Professor Emeritus from the English Department at the University of South Carolina-Upstate. His education included studies at University of South Africa, Pretoria, and Rhodes University, Grahamstown, both in South Africa. Dr. Seko’s Masters and Doctoral degrees were awarded by The University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI. His doctoral dissertation was titled: The Tragic Movement in Shakespearian Tragedy. He was exceptionally talented in languages, speaking nine different languages and had reading knowledge of three additional. 

If one ever wished to bring a smile to his face, one simply had to ask him for a round of chess or golf. 

Surviving is a son, Maurice Benjamin Seko, and a grandson, Jeremy Vincent Seko, both of Glastonbury, CT. 

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held 10 a.m. Tuesday, October 31, 2023, at the Historic St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church, 161 N. Dean Street, Spartanburg, SC 29302, conducted by the Rev. David R. Whitman. Burial will be in Westwood Memorial Gardens, 6101 Reidville Road, Moore, SC 29369. 

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church, 161 N. Dean Street, Spartanburg, SC 29302. 

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