Editor's Note: Obituaries are reprinted from earlier
FOCUS EMU editions this year.
As 2005 comes to a close, Eastern Michigan University
says goodbye to colleagues who passed away earlier
this year. They all made an impact on the University. In
chronological order, they include:
Robert A. "Bob" Blume, a former Eastern Michigan
University professor of education from 1960-69, died May
31 at Florida Hospital in Ormond Beach, Fla. He was 79.
Born Jan. 11, 1927, in Marietta, Ohio, Blume served in
the Army Air Force during World War II. He attended Ohio
State University and the University of Michigan, where
he received his doctorate in education.
Thomas Gwaltney, professor of teacher education, said
he had not spoken to Blume for many years, but had fond
memories of his former colleague.
"He was intelligent and informed about educational
issues," Gwaltney said. "He was courageous, a
champion for human rights, and a champion for students
and new faculty. He stood up for what he believed and was
known for being ethical in his behavior."
In addition to teaching at EMU, Blume taught at public
schools in Michigan; at the National Teacher Education
Center in the Somali Republic, Africa; and at the University
of Florida, where he retired as a professor emeritus.
Blume was active in Democratic politics, an outspoken
opponent of the death penalty, an advocate of public education
and an avid writer of letters to the editor. Blume served
as president of the Humanists of Florida and the Association
of Humanistic Education. He also edited the Journal of
Humanistic Education, was president of the University of
Florida chapter of the United Faculty of Florida, and was
a member of Phi Delta Kappa, the National Education Association
and the Unitarian Universalist Society of Ormond Beach.
Survivors include his wife of 56 years, Delorys; two daughters,
Stephanie Blume, of Gainesville, and Kerry Blume, of Flagstaff,
Airs; and one granddaughter.
Charlotte Marcotte, a student teacher supervisor at Eastern
Michigan University since 2000, was killed in an accident
July 30. She was 65.
Marcotte was riding her bike in Chelsea and was killed
when a car crossed the centerline and struck her.
As supervisor of student teachers, Marcotte helped place
EMU student teachers in Ann Arbor schools.
"She was very dedicated and meticulous in how she
worked with students," said Pat Sullivan, an administrative
assistant in the College of Education's Office of Academic
Services. "She was well liked by her peers. It's a
sad, sad thing."
Marcotte received her bachelor's degree in elementary
education at Michigan State University and had two master's
degrees in education.
She was an active participant in the Ann Arbor Bicycle
Touring Society and Ann Arbor Ski Club for many years.
She also was a member of the Washtenaw Recreation Club,
a local book club and the tango dancing community. She
took tango lessons at Pittsfield Grange and helped form
the Argentine Tango Club in Detroit.
Marcotte was a world traveler and had biked nearly the
entire European continent. Each summer, she would join
her friends from Germany on these excursions.
Other hobbies included card making, knitting, photography,
computers, cooking, camping and kayaking.
Survivors include three sons, Dennis, of Barcelona, Spain;
Kenneth, of Edison, N.J.; and Steve, of Ann Arbor; three
sisters, Janice Zupan, of Manhattan, N.Y.; Madelyn Zupan,
of Brooklyn, N.Y.; and Judy Hickson of Belfast, Ireland;
a brother, James, of Pleasant Ridge, Mich.; and a granddaughter,
Anna.
Dean Rockwell, one of Eastern Michigan University's staunchest
supporters and a World War II hero, died Aug. 8. He was
93.
Rockwell, a fixture at many EMU sporting events and academic
functions, died after a short illness.
 |
Rockwell |
"Dean Rockwell was a legend among the EMU family
and an inspiration for all that knew him. His dedication
to his alma mater was unparalleled," said Vicki Reaume,
director of alumni relations. "He faithfully attended
numerous campus events and was a tremendous supporter of
our University."
Rockwell was born on a farm in Cass County, Michigan in
1912. He graduated from Michigan State Normal College in
1935. While at MSNC, Rockwell served as president of Phi
Sigma Epsilon and the Men's Union. He also competed in
football, track and wrestling. He excelled in wrestling,
winning the campus heavyweight championship and began what
would become a lifelong love of and commitment to the advancement
of that sport.
Following his graduation, he taught and coached football,
wrestling and track at Elberta High School, 1935-36; Flint
Bendle High School, 1936-38; and East Detroit High School,
1938-42.
Rockwell was a part of history, both domestically and
overseas.
He was involved in the historic Flint auto plant strikes
in 1936-37. Dean was among the young workers who faced
tear gas attacks, heat shutoffs and battled with police
and company security guards during the early days of the
labor movement in the U.S., said Mike James, director of
planned giving for the EMU Foundation.
Rockwell joined the U.S. Navy May 17, 1942, and had a
distinguished career. He was group commander of 12 LCTs
that were part of a group of 36 landing craft assigned
to carry tanks in the first wave of the Normandy invasion
June 6, 1944. Sensing that his orders were a "recipe
for disaster," Rockwell broke radio silence, calling
an Army captain and making last minute adjustments in the
plan of attack.
In his book, "D-Day, June 6, 1944," author Stephen
E. Ambrose wrote, "By using his courage and common
sense, Lt. Dean Rockwell made the single most important
command decision of any junior officer on D-Day by ordering
his landing craft flotilla to keep their ramps up and drive
onto Omaha Beach to deposit their battle tanks." For
his good judgment, Rockwell was awarded the Navy Cross.
He also is the recipient of the French Croix de Guerre
avec Palm (Cross of War with Palm).
Rockwell traveled back to Normandy six times since D-Day.
During his last visit, for the 50th anniversary of D-Day,
he was selected to introduce then- President Bill Clinton
aboard the aircraft carrier U.S.S. George Washington.
"I would want people to remember that Dean Rockwell
truly was a hero. Of all the brave men and women who served
in World War II, he alone was chosen to represent them
at ceremonies commemorating the 50th anniversary of D-Day," James
said. "He introduced former president Bill Clinton
that day and helped cast a memorial wreath into the sea
off Normandy. He was chosen for his bravery under fire
and for a command decision that saved thousands of lives."
Following his discharge in 1945, he returned to his home
in Michigan and went to graduate school at the University
of Michigan, got a job at Albion as the head football coach
and then went on to a successful business career. He retired
in 2002.
Along the way, he served as national president of Phi
Sigma Epsilon from 1950 to 1958.
"The brothers of Phi Sigma Phi are deeply hurt by
the loss of a member of our family. Dean was always there
for the fraternity with advice and wisdom," said Earnest
Wilson, an alumnus of Phi Sigma Phi and a longtime Rockwell
friend. "He is an irreplaceable part of our family
and will be deeply missed."
Rockwell also coached the U.S. Greco-Roman wrestling team
at the 1964 Olympics; served on three Olympic wrestling
committees; founded the Michigan Wrestling Club in 1965;
wrestled professionally; and chaired the National AAU Wrestling
Committee from 1966 to 1968.
Rockwell was an avid collector of antique knife rests,
ceramics and glass. In 2000, he published, "Antique
Knife Rests," the first book to delve into the appearance,
manufacture and use of these unique dining accessories.
Rockwell was inducted into the Eastern Michigan University
Athletic Hall of Fame in 1977. In 1985, he started the "old
schoolhouse project" to raise funds to bring the Geddes
one-room schoolhouse to EMU's campus. He also was inducted
into EMU's College of Education Hall of Fame in 2005.
"Despite all his honors, his demeanor never changed.
He went to the Washtenaw Avenue Big Boy every morning he
was in town for a simple breakfast of toast and coffee.
He was a very humble and generous man," James said. "The
annuity he established while living will benefit men's
and women's athletics at EMU and reflects his interest
in numerous sports and his own accomplishments as a scholar-athlete."
In the final year of his life, Rockwell had said that
two of the highest points in his life were his 56-year
marriage to his late wife and "my relationship with
Eastern Michigan University."
"His love for Eastern was unconditional and centered
on service and philanthropic support. He was the ultimate
alumnus," Reaume said. "We lost a very special
man. He will be deeply missed."
William Francis Shuter Jr., professor emeritus in the
department of English language and literature, died suddenly
Sept. 5, at his home in Ypsilanti. He was 73.
 |
Shuter |
"Those who didn't know William thought of him as
being quiet, but he was just the scholarly type," said
David Teherin, an English professor and colleague.
Shuter was born Dec. 22, 1931, in Brooklyn, N.Y. He received
his bachelor's and master's degrees from Brooklyn University
and his doctorate in English literature from the University
of Wisconsin-Madison.
After teaching at Wayne State University, he came to Eastern
Michigan University in 1968, where he taught for more than
30 years before retiring in 2004.
Shuter was a prolific scholar who wrote and edited several
books and numerous articles on Walter Pater, an English
writer. A man of wide-ranging interests, Shuter also published
or delivered scholarly papers on German mythology, literary
criticism, psychoanalysis and contemporary religion. He
brought an incisive and comprehensive mind to his research
and teaching, and a genuine concern for others in his mentoring
and service to the University.
Shuter was influential in obtaining a $1 million National
Endowment for Humanities grant to establish and maintain
an interdisciplinary humanities program at EMU.
"William had an amazing drive and vision to be able
to get this huge grant for EMU's humanities program," said
Teherin. "He was instrumental in establishing this
program that, at the time it was created, was considered
to be a radically new team teaching approach. I still actually
teach one of the courses from the program today."
Shuter was a member of Holy Trinity Student Parish where
he was a lector and, for many years, served on the Peace
and Justice Committee and the Inter-faith Council on Peace
and Justice.
Charles Herbert Brown, a licensed grounds worker and equipment
operator at Eastern Michigan University, died Sept. 11.
He was 41.
Brown was born in Ann Arbor Sept. 4, 1964, and was the
youngest of four sons. He was educated in the Ann Arbor
Public Schools, graduating in 1983 from Ann Arbor Huron
High School. He also attended Eastern Michigan University
and worked for the grounds department in the physical plant
for 20 years.
"Charlie was introspective and deliberative. He thought
before he spoke, and when he did speak, his remarks were
often hilarious," said Melinda Ostrander, director,
grounds, motor pool and custodial services. "He had
a quick, sharp wit and, while I was often flayed by it,
I had to laugh just the same. His sense of humor was keen
and clever. He was deeply knowledgeable with regard to
his work and his expertise was invaluable to the grounds
department."
Brown loved spectator sports, especially football, and
was an avid golfer and bowler. He had an incredible memory
and was a trivia buff. One of his favorite hobbies was
playing Internet chess and Trivial Pursuit. He gained many
friends and admirers through his Internet family; they
often met around the country and shared their love of games.
Survivors include three brothers, Stanley and Roger Brown,
both of Ann Arbor, and Harold Brown, of Ypsilanti; a special
aunt, Hazel Grant, of Ann Arbor; an uncle, James Fields
of Seattle, Wash.; three aunts, Irma Wright and Jennistine
Fields, both of Ypsilanti, and Betty Sue Fields, of Ann
Arbor; three nieces, four nephews, and a host of cousins,
relatives and friends.
Diana L. Clark, a librarian assistant at EMU for the past
35 years, died Sept. 15. She was 53.
Clark was a charter member of UAW Local 1975 at EMU, serving
as president of the union for the last 14 years. She was
vice president nine years prior to that.
 |
Clark |
Her community activities included the EMU Women's Commission
and the Health and Wellness Commission. Her hobbies included
quilting, knitting, crocheting, gardening, cooking and
a variety of crafts.
Survivors include her husband, Keith; a daughter, Briana
Clark, of Ypsilanti; two brothers, Marvin Whiting, of Las
Vegas, and Arthur Whiting, of Crossville, Tenn.; a sister,
Darlene Whiting, of Austin, Texas; and several nieces,
nephews and cousins.
Louis Porretta, an Eastern Michigan University faculty
member in the department of education from 1959-83, died
Oct. 26. He was 79.
After serving as a teacher and principal at Mason Junior
High School in Erie, Mich., Porretta joined EMU's faculty
in the College of Education in 1959. He was a professor
and later served as department head from 1963-65.
 |
Porretta |
From 1967-83, he acted as chief-of-party and as senior
adviser on numerous international project teams. Porretta
developed curriculum in Botswana, Somalia, Swaziland and
Yemen through EMU's cooperative relationship with U.S.A.I.D.
During this period, he also served as director of EMU's
Office of International Projects.
"He was a superb educator, the consummate educator," said
Thomas Gwaltney, an emeritus faculty member who was a longtime
colleague of Porretta's. "He also was probably the most
effective international educator we've ever had at the
University."
When Somalia became independent from Italy in the late
1960s, EMU's College of Education was invited to help Somalia
educate its teachers, Gwaltney said. Porretta, who became
chief of party for the Somalia Project, knew Italian and
that aided communication in a part of the country known
as "Italian Somaliland," Gwaltney explained.
When he returned to the U.S. in 1984, Porretta was granted
faculty emeritus status. He became owner and director of
the first Sylvan Learning Center in Michigan.
Porretta's activities included the Association for Supervision
and Curriculum Development, the AAUP, and the Phi Delta
Kappa and Pi Gamma Mu fraternities. He also was a member
of the Ypsilanti Rotary Club, where he served as president.
Porretta received his doctorate and master's degree in
education, both from Wayne State University. He received
his bachelor's degree from Michigan State Normal College.
Survivors include his wife, Elizabeth; a brother, Marvin
Porretta; two sisters, Victoria and Mary; a daughter, Leslie
Geiser, of Ann Arbor; a son, Paul Porretta, of Bayside,
N.Y.; and five grandchildren.
David Hortin, a professor in the department of political
science since 1967, died Nov. 2. He was 63.
Hortin began his 38-year career at Eastern Michigan University
in 1966 as head adviser of Best Hall. He joined the political
science faculty a year later.
 |
Hortin |
Horton received the Senior Distinguished Faculty Teaching
Award in 1987. In 1991, and again, in 1998, he received
the Alumni Association Teaching Excellence Award.
"The combination of the practice of law and dedication
to his students gave him the ability to make his classes
come alive with theory and practical examples artfully
intertwined," said Raymond Rosenfeld, a professor and head
of the department of political science. "Dave helped to
create our Public Law and Government major/minor and became
EMU's preeminent pre-law adviser. He counseled hundreds
of students who have gone on to become successful lawyers
all across the state of Michigan and beyond."
Hortin also served as faculty adviser of the Legal Careers
Association and, since 1986, he had been the EMU's Club
Hockey Team's faculty adviser. He was a member of the State
Bar Association.
"It is hard to imagine anything that happened in political
science during the past four decades in which David Hortin
did not plan an important and consistently constructive
role," Rosenfeld said.
Hortin received his Juris Doctorate from the University
of Michigan and his bachelor's degree in political science
from Southern Illinois University.
Hortin is survived by multitudes of students, colleagues
and friends.
Joyce Billings, a career services assistant II in Eastern
Michigan University's Career Services Center from 1991-2002,
died Nov. 3. She was 68.
"Joyce was a whiz with the Internet and did a wonderful
job locating online sources for career information and
data," said Sarah Kersey Otto, manager, career planning,
Career Services Center. "When faced with a topic that
we had little to no information on, she would attack the
Internet with determination and almost always come up with
information to help the student or faculty/staff person
in need. Another one of her strengths was in paying attention
to details and, as a result, did a great job of tracking
and documenting expenditures for the career planning and
resources area."
Before coming to EMU, she taught in Silver Bay, Minn.,
and Ann Arbor Public Schools. She also worked at the University
of Michigan.
Billings received her bachelor's degree in elementary
education from Macalester College in 1959.
Her hobbies included sailing from Sarnia to Mackinac Island
with her children and
former husband, and enjoyed exploring the North Channel
and picking wild blueberries with her family.
She had a deep love of music and played the trombone in
the Meridian Community Band with her daughter. Billings
also had a deep compassion for animals and always adopted
her pets from animal shelters. Art and knitting were other
hobbies.
Survivors include her former husband, Rolland G. Billings;
two daughters, Elizabeth Billings-Cerny and Anne Billings;
a son, Christopher Billings; a brother, Richard Meyer;
and three grandchildren.
Rosemary Russell, an instructor of music
at Eastern Michigan University from 1964-66, died Nov.
12 at St. Joseph Hospital in Ann Arbor. She was 70.
Russell was born May 5, 1935, in Bauxite, Arkansas. She
received her bachelor's and master's degrees in music from
Westminster Choir College. She also received another master's
degree in music from the University of Michigan.
She was an instructor of music at EMU before she joined
the faculty at the University of Michigan in 1965 as a
lecturer and rose through the ranks, becoming an associate
professor in 1972. During her tenure there, she served
as coordinator of the department of voice from 1986-99
and chair of the department of voice from 2000-2002. She
also served as administrator of the all-state program and
was a faculty member and performer at the Interlochen Center
for the Arts.
In addition to her dedication and superior performance
as a teacher of undergraduate and graduate students of
voice, she had a successful career as a professional singer
and performed as a soloist in major symphonic works and
oratorios.
Russell was an avid sportswoman and was a member of the
Racquet Club of Ann Arbor and Radrick Farms Golf Course.
She also was a member of the Women's City Club.
She is survived by a nephew, Gilbert Thompson, and many
friends.
A memorial service is scheduled Saturday, Dec. 17, at
1 p.m. in the Britton Recital Hall at the School of Music,
1100 Baits Drive. Contributions may be made to the Rosemary
Russell Endowed Scholarship Fund. For more information
about the scholarship fund, call (734) 764-4453.
Normajean Anderson, associate professor emeritus in Eastern
Michigan University's business education department, died
Nov. 24 at Medilodge of Yale. She was 91.
 |
Anderson |
Anderson was born April 19, 1914, in Imlay City, Mich.
She received her bachelor's degree from Eastern Michigan
University and her master's degree from the University
of Michigan.
She joined the EMU faculty as an instructor of business
education in 1948, after 11 years of teaching in Michigan
high schools, one year at the Oakland (Calif.) U.S. Army
Base and one year at the Lansing Secretarial School. She
retired in 1979.
In 1989, she established the Normajean Anderson Graduate
Award Scholarship for business education students. The
$3,000 endowed fund provided a $250 annual award to an
outstanding graduate student currently enrolled in the
master's of business education program at EMU.
Anderson was a member of the First Presbyterian Church
of Ypsilanti and the Presbyterian Women.
Survivors include her sister Margaret; a niece, Karen;
and a nephew, Thomas, all of Imlay City.
