In Memoriam
Disaster Research Center Co-Founder
Enrico L. Quarantelli

Dear Colleagues,

We are writing with some very sad news.  We are sorry to tell you that Enrico L. (Henry) Quarantelli passed away on Sunday, April 2, 2017, at the age of 92.

Henry was a very private person, and, as his health declined over these last few years, he stopped coming regularly to DRC.  He suspended contacts with all but a very few people in town, mainly his caregivers and those closest to his personal affairs.

It would be difficult in this limited space to describe the magnitude of his influence on the disasters field, of which he is one of the founders, or his influence on his vast circle of friends, students, and colleagues around the world.  You all know that, and we think that each of us will reflect personally on his effect on us.  Henry devoted his entire life to our field, sparing little for pursuits outside those of scientific inquiry.  Truly, we are in his debt for the careers he helped to launch, for his lineage of scholarly descendants, and for the intellectual legacy that has sustained us over these last five decades.  Perhaps his main gift to us and to the world was the gift of clear thinking about disasters.  He gave us methods and an art for seeing through the myths and misconceptions of these events and for developing better understanding of causes and consequences.

His research covered nearly every topic that is presently studied, sometimes only in a nascent form, but it is easy to see the intellectual origins of many ideas that we pursue now.  Organizational change, emergence, volunteers, disaster mental health, emergency operations centers, warnings, evacuations, and emergency medical care among other subjects all form part of the vast corpus of research that undergirds modern disaster science.

His last work remains in progress, a broad survey of the popular culture of disaster that he worked on with Ian Davis.  He was long interested in the representation of disasters in music, art, folklore, and film. His theoretical approach in symbolic interactionism was on display: how did these representations reflect how a local population understood the disaster and drew it into their collective experience?  How did it shape the awareness of those who weren't there?  He always hoped that someone would tackle popular culture in more detail.  Perhaps someone will.

His research is widely known, but some of his work is known only in a smaller circle, such as his development of cooperative relationships with scholars in Japan, beginning some thirty years ago and persisting to this day.  The field is young enough that today's senior scholars were around for much of its development, but newer scholars may not know the provenance of certain fixtures of our intellectual lives.  His work with colleagues in establishing the International Research Committee on Disasters, part of the International Sociological Association, and the founding of the International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters have provided an important infrastructure for scholarly communication.  Because IJMED is freely available online, it serves as a vital resource for the practice and policy communities.

His lifelong collaboration with Russell R. Dynes, of course, is a part of that personal and professional history and part of the history of disaster research, a unique partnership that is a preeminent example of teamwork in science.  In today's age of micro-measurement of "impact" and "productivity," where collaboration is simultaneously encouraged and undervalued (What was your percent contribution to that article?), their collaboration points to an overall benefit of intellectual partnerships and a testimony to discovery as a social enterprise.  Indeed, perhaps as much as their scientific findings, their work together should stand in importance as a caution against the onslaught of metrics of scientific output.  Would the disaster field be better off—would the world be better off had they had to consider such matters at earlier points in their careers?  Not likely.

Henry was quite explicit about limiting memorializing on his behalf.  We are still considering next steps that will best allow those of us who want to remember and honor him to do so while still respecting his requests.  Please bear with us.  Over these next few days we will publicize additional details, which will also be found on our website.  An "In Memoriam" page will also be posted to the DRC website.  We are sorry to pass along this sad news, but we hope that we will all reflect on Henry's life devoted to our field and—as much as it is possible within one person's power—to the well-being of so many people.

Sincerely yours,
Jim Kendra and Tricia Wachtendorf

To read the final "In Memoriam" entry, click here

Pages: Close full text, Read full text

Gilbert Siegel Obituary

Good friend and colleague.  His daughter, Holly, was a student of mine.

Sol Golomb Obituary

SOURCE: USC Trojan Family, August 2016, p. 71.

In Memoriam: Mark Kann, 68

SOURCE: USC News

A specialist in early American political thought and gender studies, Kann was a revered scholar and dedicated teacher:

(Photo courtesy of USC University Archives)

Mark Kann, Professor Emeritus of Political Science and History and associates chair emeritus in social science at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, has died.  He was 68.  Kann died of causes related to multiple myeloma on January 5 at his home in San Pedro.

A political theorist specializing in early American political thought and gender studies, Kann was a recognized expert in the field, authoring seven books and co-authoring or editing several more, contributing numerous book chapters and publishing more than 30 essays and peer-reviewed papers.  He was active within professional organizations such as the Western Political Science Association and served on several journal editorial boards.  He also consulted with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs from 2006–07, helping to develop the "E-Participation Readiness Module" for the UN's annual government report.

Kann brought his unique perspective on current political issues to the general public as well, penning commentary and opinion pieces for various media outlets and serving as a monthly columnist for the Los Angeles Herald Examiner in the mid-1980s.  He was involved in USC's Thematic Option and gender studies programs.  He also founded the Center for Excellence in Teaching and served as its director for three years.  He was one of the first faculty members to participate in the Institute for Multimedia Literacy at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, and he established an academic culture initiative to encourage students and faculty to interact and learn outside the classroom—the initiative's catchphrase was "learning has no boundaries."

Revered by students and colleagues as an exceptional instructor, Kann was recognized with several of USC's most prestigious teaching honors during his 38-year career at the university, including the USC Associates Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1978, the USC Social Sciences Award for Distinguished Teaching in 1981 and two USC Innovative Teaching Awards, one in 1985 and the other in 1999.  He also was selected as one of "The 10 Best Teachers in California" by California Magazine.

"He really was a lifelong teacher in all aspects," said his son, Simon Kann '95, "not just in dealings with students, but with me as his son, my friends and others."  Simon Kann, who graduated from USC with a degree in civil engineering, found that his father's dedication stemmed from a genuine passion for the profession.  "He had a lot of pride, enthusiasm and enjoyment in that process of teaching others, not just providing information and lecturing, but teaching people how to learn, how to critically think about things.  He challenged your brain to figure things out."

Nora Hamilton, Professor Emerita of Political Science, admired Kann's commitment to his work.  "He very early on established a rapport with students, and he had many, many students that were really devoted to him," she said.  "He was very thoughtful and dedicated, and I think that showed in both his written work and his teaching."

Judith Stiehm, formerly a political science professor at USC and now at Florida International University in Miami, met Kann when he was an undergraduate in her course at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.  In 1975, after he earned his PhD, she happily welcomed him to USC.  "He was an exceptionally conscientious teacher—and creative.  Those two things don't necessarily go together," she said.  "He was definitely both of those."  She also praised his distinctive approach and perspective on political theory.  "[His writings] were really much more contemporary than most.  Many political theorists write about Aristotle and Plato, but he used the techniques of political theory to look at more contemporary issues."

USC Associate Vice Provost Robin Romans studied under Kann, who was his PhD dissertation adviser.  Romans, who later became an academic colleague with Kann, reflected on Kann's contributions to the university, its students and the field of political theory.  "Mark Kann was a brilliant political theorist and an amazing teacher," Romans said.  "He felt political insight grew out of experience and political action far more than from theory itself, which is why so much of his scholarly work is grounded in social history and often drew on literature."  Romans said Kann looked for novel ways to help students learn.  "Mark loved students and rewarded them for creativity and for questioning his authority in the classroom.  He dared them to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  When I directed the Thematic Option program, he sent me a syllabus in which the final exam was worth 5 percent of the final grade.  He understood most thematic option students were great test-takers and needed to be challenged in different ways.  So he changed the rules by putting more value on collaborative group projects throughout the semester."

Romans extolled Kann's love of family as well as his strong sense of humor.  He cited a "What Matters to Me and Why" presentation in which Kann, a former gymnast, told students a story of how he met his wife in high school.  Said Kann, with deadpan seriousness: "One day while working out in the gym, a freshman yelled, 'Nice bod!'  I immediately concluded she was a woman of great intelligence and subtle insight.  Eventually, we were married."

Simon Kann, who is now an attorney with the Port of San Diego, summed up his father's lifelong love of—and approach to—teaching others as an effort with continuing impact.  "He would guide you through the process of coming up with answers yourself, which is a replicable skill.  So the next time something comes up, you have that ability because your teacher—or mentor or father—is not always going to be there with you. I know that his students, who have moved on to their careers, took that with them and continue to pass it on to other folks.  My father started something that will continue to expand out and assist people well beyond his time."

Mark Kann is survived by his wife of 46 years, Kathy, son Simon, daughter-in-law Melissa Kann and grandchildren Shane, Andrew and Emma.

Kann requested that no memorial service be held for him. Funeral services were held at a private location.

BY: Darrin S. Joy  JANUARY 21, 2016

John A. Mowder Obituary

John A. Mowder, age 88, of Westerville, Ohio, passed away peacefully November 12, 2015.  Attended a one-room schoolhouse in Alledonia, Ohio; graduated from Beallsville High School, Muskingum College, and received a Master of Arts degree from The Ohio State University.  U.S. Navy veteran of World War II.  Retired from Westerville City Schools as an administrator.  A 50-plus year member of the Church of the Messiah United Methodist and member of Westerville Rotary Club with 54 years of perfect attendance.  Survived by his wife of 62 years, Donna Jean; daughters Jane Mowder of Reynoldsburg, OH, and Susan Mowder of Chicago, IL.  Preceded in death by son Mark.  Visitation held November 16 at the Moreland Funeral Home, 55 East Schrock Road, Westerville.  Funeral service held November 17 at Church of the Messiah United Methodist, 51 North State Street, Westerville, with Reverend Jim Wilson officiating.  Interment Blendon Central Cemetery.

[The Columbus Dispatch, November 14-15, 2015.]

David Mars Tribute

"David Mars of Redondo Beach, CA, died peacefully on August 12, 2015, in the presence of this family.

"Mars was Professor Emeritus of the University of Southern California Sol Price School of Public Policy.  Born February 21, 1927, in Philadelphia, PA, to Joseph and Sarah Mars, David was raised in Trenton, NJ, where his parents owned and operated a bakery.  His scholarly nature was recognized when young, and he went to study at Yeshiva in Brooklyn, NY.  He graduated at 16 from Trenton High School and enrolled at Rutgers University.  In 1945 he volunteered for the U.S. Navy, returning to Rutgers in 1946.  He earned a B.A., an M.A., and a Ph.D. in Political Science.  His first academic position upon graduation was at the University of Connecticut at Stors.  At Rutgers, David met Marien Weisser.  They married in 1954.  Their son, Robert, was born in Connecticut, followed by their daughter, Betsy.  In 1960, David became Research Director for the Milwaukee Metropolitan Commission in Madison, WI.

"While at the naval training school in Monterey, CA, sitting on the sunny beach in January, David had decided that he must relocate to California, and in 1962 he joined the Faculty of the School of Public at the University of Southern California.  The school had a program in Rio de Janeiro, and David moved there with his family.  In 1965, they returned to Los Angeles where he remained until retirement.

"David was a memorable teacher, a passionate scholar, and a creative leader.  As its Director in 1969–1971, he led the school safely through a particularly difficult time when there was great student unrest through opposition to the war in Vietnam.  His ability to ease discussions and his abiding sense of fairness meant that, when no longer Director, he was still often asked to chair meetings.

"He was also committed to public service, serving on the Torrance Human Resources Commission from 1977–1981, followed by the Torrance Planning Commission from 1981-1987. In 1991, he retired to care for his ailing wife but remained active in the USC Emeriti College, giving highly-attended lectures.  He was an involved parent and grandparent, providing a role model for everyone by remaining physically and mentally active.  He played tennis six times a week until the age of 84 and completed the New York Times Sunday crossword puzzle in ink every week.  He loved opera and classical music, and he read avidly and widely.  He was also a charismatic storyteller, often entertaining audiences of family, colleagues, students, and friends, and he loved amusing his grandchildren.

"After Marien's death in 2000, David found new happiness with Joan Neild Banes.  They married on his eightieth birthday in 2007.  He is survived by her and his two children, their spouses Melanie Mars and Jim Naphas, and three grandchildren, Daniel and Katie Naphas and Montana Mars.  David was respected and loved by all who knew him and will be deeply missed.  His remains will be cremated following his wishes, and a later memorial will celebrate his life."

SOURCE: NYTimes.com from August 26 to August 28, 2015.

DAVID MARS

"The portals of heaven are hushed to greet humble David Mars, a modest man who never sought the limelight, polite, mild in manner, wise and shrewd in advice, a learned person devoted to social justice, tolerance, peace and goodwill.  He did not seek riches or fame or publicity but got on with the job, a dedicated teacher and thoughtful scholar.  He was a blessing to every gathering, one of those whose loyalty and reliability were guaranteed, a respected figure to one and all, one of the old school devoted to public service and communal welfare.  He was a quiet witness to events, a pragmatist with firm principles who stood his ground against unfairness.  Unfortunately, declining health marred his aging.  Fight as he did, his strength was eventually exhausted, and he came to accept his inevitable fate with courage.  He will be sorely missed by all those whose lives he impacted.  He had no enemies.  He goes with grace, resounding to the blessing of the Cohanim.  Shalom.  Salut.  Fond Farewell."

SOURCE: Naomi and Gerald Caiden, Los Angeles, CA, August 2015

David Mars Celebration of Life

Alec McEachern Obituary

 

My friend and former colleague who encouraged me to take up computer programming and then website design.