Dr. Herbert J. Kuehne, Ph.D. 1940 - 2017

KUEHNE, MEYERS

Posted By: Connie Swearingen- Volunteer (email)
Date: 7/30/2017 at 21:06:06

Sioux City Journal
19 July 2017

Dr. Herbert J. Kuehne, Ph.D., of Sioux City, died Saturday, July 15, 2017, at the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, due to complications following heart surgery.

Herb's final act of generosity was the gift of his body to the Nebraska Medical Center so medical students could learn from his body, just as he had once learned during a University of Kentucky anthropology class. A memorial service will be held at a later date.

Herb was born in Chicago, on Sept. 22, 1940, to Herbert W. and Irene (Meyers) Kuehne. He attended high school at Holy Cross Seminary on the campus of Notre Dame University and began preparation to become a priest in the Congregation of Holy Cross. He resigned the priesthood, married the love of his life, Rosemary Bohlen, and devoted his life to family, education, and community action. Herb and Rosie raised two children of whom they were very proud, Bob and Jen.

Herb Kuehne earned a Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Kentucky and taught at Briar Cliff University from 1973 to 2001. From 2001 until he retired in 2011, he served as a crime analyst for the Sioux City Police Department.

Prior to his tenure at Briar Cliff, Herb studied in Ireland with the help of a 10-week National Science Foundation grant. Shortly into his career at Briar Cliff, Herb won a National Fulbright Fellowship and taught two graduate courses at the National University in Montevideo, Uruguay.

During his tenure at Briar Cliff, Herb taught a wide range of courses and helped institute a Freshman Liberal Arts curriculum. He organized and conducted many student and community tours to central Mexico to promote intercultural education. For several years, he and his students offered before-school Spanish instruction at several Sioux City elementary schools. In his last years at Briar Cliff, he promoted the use of Geographic Information Systems for local governmental services.

Over the last 44 years, Herb served the Siouxland community in many ways. He helped found the first Sioux City Recycling Center (closed in the late 1970s), served as a member of LULAC, a group that provided scholarships to Hispanic students, was appointed to and served on the Sioux City Human Rights Commission, served several years on the Sioux City Community Mental Health Center Board, and was elected for two terms to the Sioux City Community School Board. After retirement, he volunteered his time for many organizations, including VITA, a program to assist low-income people with income tax filings, the Sioux City Public Museum, Meals on Wheels, Iowa's Senior Health Insurance Information Program, the Soup Kitchen, the Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center, Art Splash, and the Missouri River Clean Up.

He is survived by his wife of almost 48 years, Rosie; his children, Bob and his wife, Kim Bayer, and Jen and her husband, David Willmore; (in Herb's words) three really cool grandchildren, Amanda Tsang, James and Sarah Willmore; his sibling, Alice Kuehne Finn and her husband, John Patrick Finn.

Herb wrote the above autobiography as a short summary of a full life well-spent.

We as his immediate family would like to add a few things, among which is that he forgot to mention he planted thousands of trees in his lifetime. Herb was incredibly generous with time, talent, and treasures, and he thoroughly enjoyed the people who he encountered while serving them. He was an amazing husband, dedicated father, and fun grandfather. He was a scholar and a gentleman who loved teaching as well as continually learning. Herb was a thoughtful man and delightful company. He loved spending time with family and friends, and played a mean board game. We are fortunate to have loved and been loved by such a wonderful man.

If you wish to honor Herb, please consider a donation to the Arbor Day Foundation (arborday.org) or an extra hour of volunteer service in your community.