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In Memoriam: Norman Fogel

By Dave Larsen

Norman Fogel, a political science professor at the University of Dayton for 30 years and director of UD’s Survey Research Center, died April 9. He was 88.

Fogel taught political science at UD from 1971 to 2001, when he retired at the rank of professor emeritus. In 1976, he was appointed director of the University’s Survey Research Center, which performed opinion research for governmental bodies, public service agencies and schools seeking to improve their services.

Fogel often served as a UD faculty expert for media outlets covering political campaigns and elections. His research also included downtown Dayton’s retail strategy during the 1990s, when the city considered reopening the Arcade.

Fogel was well-liked by students, said Rick Ghere, professor emeritus of political science.

“Norm had an especially formative influence on those who became leaders in the Dayton-area local government and nationally prominent academicians in public administration,” Ghere said.

Kevin Kearns ’77, professor emeritus of public and nonprofit management at the University of Pittsburgh, recalled taking several of Fogel’s courses during his time at UD. He also worked in the Survey Research Center.

“Both of those experiences had profound effects on my learning and greatly influenced my subsequent commitment to scholarship and teaching at the University of Pittsburgh,” Kearns said. “I remember in particular a course on the political process in which we studied the complex and sometimes convoluted process by which a bill becomes a law — ‘how the sausage is made’ — which was eye-opening for me and for every other student in the class.

“Norm Fogel was a superb political scientist and his curiosity was infectious. I was very pleased to see him again after many years when I returned to UD several years ago to give a talk as part of the Pi Alpha Alpha induction ceremonies. He was, as always, gracious and warm in welcoming me ‘home’ to the campus. I will be forever grateful for the knowledge Professor Fogel passed along and especially for his example of fine scholarship and teaching.”

Fogel was born April 9, 1935, in Philadelphia to the late Rosemary and Nathan Fogel. In 1956, he enrolled at Millersville State Teachers College, where he spent four years in student government before graduating in 1960 with a Bachelor of Science degree. He taught junior high school social studies for two years before pursuing a master’s degree at the University of Delaware. He returned to public school teaching for three years before enrolling in the political science doctoral program at the Ohio State University, where he received his doctorate in 1975.

After his retirement from UD, Fogel served for nine years as a special projects coordinator for the Washington Township Fire Department, where he wrote grant proposals and proofread operations manuals.

Fogel is survived by Lucette, his wife of 53 years. He also is survived by his sister, Nathalie Kulesa, and his brother, Larry, in addition to five nieces, two nephews, six grandnieces and three grandnephews.

Visitation will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 29, at St. Leonard’s Church, 8100 Clyo Road, Centerville, Ohio. A funeral mass will follow at 11 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Fogel’s name to the Dayton Foodbank or the St. Vincent DePaul Society. Online condolences to the family may be made on Newcomer Funeral Home’s website.

Fogel will be remembered at 12:30 p.m. Monday, May 3, during the May Memorial Mass in the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception on UD’s campus. The Mass can be viewed online on UD Campus Ministry’s YouTube channel.

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