John E. Fagg, a retired history professor at New York University and
          an author of books on Latin American and Spanish history, died Oct.
          3 at his home in Austin, Texas. He was 81.

          He was born in San Saba, Texas, and received his bachelor's degree
          from the University of Texas in 1938. The next year he earned a master's
          degree from the University of Chicago and a doctorate there in 1942.

          In 1946, after serving in the Army Air Forces pre-flight school during the
          war, he began teaching at New York University and remained there until
          1981.

          He was chairman of the history department from 1961 until 1969 and
          director of the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies from
          1961 to 1965 and from 1977 to 1979. He was also assistant dean of the
          Graduate School of Arts and Science from 1950 to 1955.

          Fagg wrote numerous scholarly articles about modern Latin America,
          19th-century Spain and World War II. He was best known for "Latin
          America: A General History," first published by the Macmillan Publishing
          Company in 1963 with several later revised editions.

          His other books included "Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic"
          (1965) and "Pan-Americanism" (1982).