Joseph B. Board Jr., the Robert Porter Patterson Professor of Government Emeritus, died this morning after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 76.
Board, who taught in the Political Science department from 1965 to 2003, was known not only for his high level of scholarship but for his warm and interactive teaching style.
“Without question, I always learn a great deal from the students I teach,” he once said. Indeed, he truly enjoyed his time with students, and he remained close to a number of alumni who regarded him as a mentor.
In 1999, the College dedicated the Joseph B. Board Jr. Seminar Room in the Social Sciences building. The richly appointed room is not only a state-of-the-art facility for the kinds of exchanges Joe relished. It is a tribute to him from the many alumni who donated to make it possible.
“I’m terribly proud of the students I’ve had at Union,” Joe said at the dedication. “This … is really a reinforcement of what I’ve done as a teacher. My feelings are beyond description.”
From the late 1960s to early 1970s, Joe was instrumental in the expansion of the Political Science department from three to 10 faculty who had what he called “a strong mix … in both research and teaching.”
Joe lived in Arlington, Vt. with his wife, Dr. Mary Squire. Born in Princeton, Ind., he received an A.B. in Government, Highest Honors, from Indiana University; a B.A. and M.A. from the Honours School of Jurisprudence, Oxford University; a J.D. from Indiana University School of Law; and a Ph.D. from Indiana University.
A Rhodes scholar, his other honors include a Fulbright Fellowship to Sweden, Phi Beta Kappa, The Scientific Society of Lund University, and Ph.D. Honoris Causa, Umea University (Sweden).
Besides Union, he held teaching positions at Indiana University, Elmira College, Cornell College, Albany Law School, the London School of Economics, the University of Umea, the University of Paris, and was a guest lecturer in numerous locations worldwide, including Oxford, London, Nottingham, Costa Rica, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Lund, and the University of California (Berkeley).
His committee and consulting work has included chair positions with the United States Selection Committee for NATO Fellowships; The Political Science Committee, Council for the International Exchange of Scholars; as well as membership in the Rhodes Scholarship Selection Committee for Iowa and Nebraska, the Indiana Bar, and the NAACP, among others.
Funeral arrangements have not been finalized.