Virgil Seth Lagomarcino (1921-2009)
LAGOMARCINO, SCOTT, BAIRD, ANDERSON, GLEASON
Posted By: Ames Tribune
Date: 7/22/2009 at 20:33:40
THE AMES TRIBUNE, Ames, Story County, Iowa, Wednesday, July 22, 2009.
Virgil Seth Lagomarcino of Ames, one of Iowa’s leading educators in a career spanning more than four decades, passed away peacefully in his sleep Tuesday, July 21, 2009, with family members at his side. He was 88.
Virgil Lagomarcino was born March 23, 1921, in Plainfield, Iowa, the son of John James Lagomarcino and Cora Alice Scott Lagomarcino. He attended Waverly High School, graduating in 1939. He attended Coe College, Cedar Rapids, earning his B.A. in political science in 1943; Drake University, earning his M.S. in education administration in 1948; and Iowa State University, earning his Ph.D. in education in 1955. In 1944, he married Neva Dorothy Baird, also of Waverly, at the Little Brown Church in Nashua, and on July 29, 2008, they celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary.
Dr. Lagomarcino taught high school in Vinton in 1944-45 and served as superintendent of the Keystone Consolidated Schools from 1945 to 1949, and Anamosa Public Schools from 1949 to 1951. He became a regional consultant for the Iowa Department of Public Instruction in 1951, and a research associate at Iowa State College (now University) while attending graduate school. In 1954, while still a graduate student, he was named Director of Curriculum and Supervision and Director of Public Junior Colleges for the Iowa Department of Public Instruction. In 1955, he joined the faculty in education at Iowa State, advancing to the rank of professor; was appointed Director of Teacher Education at Iowa State in 1961; and, upon formation of the College of Education at Iowa State in 1968, was named its first dean, a position he held until his retirement in 1990. Upon his retirement, he was named Professor and Dean Emeritus.
As Dean of Education, Dr. Lagomarcino oversaw the development of the new college and, in the mid-1970s, the remodeling of the former Veterinary Medicine Quadrangle into a home for the College of Education and Department of Psychology. In 1986, that complex was named Virgil S. Lagomarcino Hall in recognition of his contributions to Iowa State and to education.
He is the author of several professional publications on decision making processes, bond elections, and teacher preparation for Iowa school districts. He was a consultant to several colleges and universities, and an examiner for the North Central Association (NCA) Commission on Colleges and Universities, including serving as chair of numerous NCA accreditation teams. He was a member of two U.S. State Department educational missions to Egypt, and several education seminars in Europe.
In Iowa, Dr. Lagomarcino served as chair of the Governor’s Task Force on Teacher Preparation/Participation and the Iowa Commission for the Study of Teacher Excellence; was charter president of the Iowa Association of Colleges for Teacher Education; a member of the Iowa Legislature Excellence in Education Study Committee and Iowa Professional Teaching Practices Commission; and led numerous Board of Regents task forces and committees, including serving as chair of the Iowa State University Presidential Search Committee in 1985.
He was a member of several academic and educational honor societies, including Phi Kappa Phi, and he received Phi Kappa Phi’s Outstanding Educator Award.
His community service included service on the Mary Greeley Medical Center and Ames Public Library Boards of Directors. He was a member and past president of the Ames Kiwanis Club, and he was a lay teacher for adult Bible study classes for First Baptist Church of Ames much of his more than 50-year affiliation with the church. He had many interests, including golf, and the study of American and Biblical history.
Dr. Lagomarcino led an active retirement, authoring three books: “A Window on Main Street,” about growing up in Waverly, Iowa; “The Owl, the Elephant and the Other Side of the Mountain,” a reflection on his years in education and at Iowa State University; and a children’s book “Life With Santa and Sarah Claus,” a collection of Christmas stories he told his children when they were growing up.
Survivors include his wife, Neva Dorothy, children: Mary (John) Anderson, Ames; Mark (Teresa) of West Des Moines; and Martha (Tom) Gleason, Boone; grandchildren Scott (Gretchen) and Michele Anderson of Ames, and Justin, Jared and Sarah of West Des Moines; and great grandchildren Tyler and Lucas Anderson of Ames. He was preceded in death by his parents.
A memorial service will be at 3 p.m. Friday, July 24, at First Baptist Church, 200 Lynn Avenue, Ames, Iowa, with the Rev. David Russell officiating. Private burial will be at the Ames Municipal Cemetery. Adams Funeral Home of Ames is assisting the family with arrangements. The family requests that memorials be designated to the Virgil and Dorothy Lagomarcino Scholarship Fund in care of the Iowa State University Foundation.
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