Stanley H. Hoffmann, Dillon professor of the civilization of France, was awarded the Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit at a small-scale ceremony earlier this month.

The Commander's Cross is a distinction given by the president of Germany to a non-German citizen in appreciation for and recognition of accomplishments and service to Germany.

Hoffmann's accomplishments as a scholar, teacher, administrator and all-around guru in European studies leave no doubt as to why he was bestowed with the honor, German Consul General Walter Gerhardt said in his speech awarding the Cross to Hoffmann.

Gerhardt, who spoke on behalf of President Roman Herzog, cited Hoffmann's academic credentials, his "immense erudition and competence, enthusiasm and humanity, pedagogical skills and modesty, and...great sense of humor."

Gerhardt described Hoffmann as a "critical but always fair observer of the role of Germany in Europe."

Hoffmann has taught at Harvard for 40 years. He has served as chair of the Social Studies Committee and director of the Center for European Studies.

Hoffmann, who has also been honored by the French government, has written several books on French history, American foreign affairs and the development of the modern state.

But the professor, who is a dual citizen of France and the United States, said the award means more than just recognition of Hoffmann's achievements.

When Hoffmann was a young boy in the 1940s, he and his family were uprooted from their home in Austria, as Gerhardt recounted in his speech.

For four years, Hoffmann and his mother hid from the Nazis in France, hopping a perilous route towards the south of France, from Paris to Nice to a small Mediterranean coastal village, according to an article in the Harvard Gazette.

As a man who once fled from the forces of the "old Germany," Hoffmann said receiving the red-and-gold cross symbolized a restored Franco-German cooperation.

He praised Germany as "a model of stability and democratic practices" since 1949, noting that the new Germany is very different from her ancestor from the first half of the century.

"I am very happy to accept [the award] on these grounds," he said.

University Marshal Richard M. Hunt, a friend of Hoffmann's and a guest at the ceremony, described the affair as "a very nice, warm and friendly occasion."

"We were moved by the ceremony and the recognition that the German government gave him," Hunt said.