2008 Woodie Awards
Funeral for Joe Board to be held Friday
Erika Schnitzer
Issue date: 10/18/07 Section: News
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This past Friday, October 12, Joseph B. Board Jr., Robert Porter Patterson Professor of Government Emeritus, died at the age of 76, after battling cancer.
His funeral will be held on Friday, October 19, at 11 a.m. at the Zion Episcopal Church in Manchester, VT.
Board taught in the Political Science department from 1965 to 2003. From the 60s to the 70s, Board worked to expand the department from three to 10 faculty members.
A colleague of Board's, Professor of Political Science Byron Nichols recalled Board's commitment to the department. Nichols stated, "By 1970, Joe had built the Department to 10 tenure-track lines, with a solid balance among the various sub-fields. Joe was willing to take risks, primarily because he trusted people to rise to their best. That was true of the colleagues he hired and the students he taught."
Trustee Larry Pedowitz, '69, a former student of Board's, explained that "as a department chair, [Board] attracted a fabulous group of professors and built a department that was the envy of any small college in the country."
Board was known by many for both his warmth and his interactive teaching style. Pedowitz recalls Board as "a dream Professor. Everyone who attends Union should be privileged to find a teacher like him. In the classroom, he was a first-rate teacher. He was brilliant and loved the subject matter he taught."
Nichols, recalling Board's status among his students, stated, "Coming from a very modest family background in southern Indiana, Joe reached out to students of a similar socio-economic background here, challenging them to excel as both students and leaders, and many of the students who remained close to Joe after they graduated were those who benefited most from his nurturing and support."
Board once said of his students, "Without question, I always learn a great deal from the students I teach."
In 1999, the Joseph B. Board Seminar Room in the Social Sciences building was dedicated to Board. The room is a tribute to Board from many alumni. At the dedication, Board stated, "I'm terribly proud of the students I've had at Union. This…is really a reinforcement of what I've done as a teacher."
His funeral will be held on Friday, October 19, at 11 a.m. at the Zion Episcopal Church in Manchester, VT.
Board taught in the Political Science department from 1965 to 2003. From the 60s to the 70s, Board worked to expand the department from three to 10 faculty members.
A colleague of Board's, Professor of Political Science Byron Nichols recalled Board's commitment to the department. Nichols stated, "By 1970, Joe had built the Department to 10 tenure-track lines, with a solid balance among the various sub-fields. Joe was willing to take risks, primarily because he trusted people to rise to their best. That was true of the colleagues he hired and the students he taught."
Trustee Larry Pedowitz, '69, a former student of Board's, explained that "as a department chair, [Board] attracted a fabulous group of professors and built a department that was the envy of any small college in the country."
Board was known by many for both his warmth and his interactive teaching style. Pedowitz recalls Board as "a dream Professor. Everyone who attends Union should be privileged to find a teacher like him. In the classroom, he was a first-rate teacher. He was brilliant and loved the subject matter he taught."
Nichols, recalling Board's status among his students, stated, "Coming from a very modest family background in southern Indiana, Joe reached out to students of a similar socio-economic background here, challenging them to excel as both students and leaders, and many of the students who remained close to Joe after they graduated were those who benefited most from his nurturing and support."
Board once said of his students, "Without question, I always learn a great deal from the students I teach."
In 1999, the Joseph B. Board Seminar Room in the Social Sciences building was dedicated to Board. The room is a tribute to Board from many alumni. At the dedication, Board stated, "I'm terribly proud of the students I've had at Union. This…is really a reinforcement of what I've done as a teacher."
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