Dear Colleagues,
I am sharing sad news of the passing of two members of our UWM community, from colleagues in the Department of Sociology and the Department of History.
Mark R. Mantyh
Dr. Mark R. Mantyh, a former Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, passed away on August 12, 2021. Mark received his MA in Sociology in 1988 and his PhD in Urban Studies in 1994, both from UW-Milwaukee.
Mark taught sociology at UW-Milwaukee for 30 years before retiring in 2015. During his time at UWM, Mark helped scores of sociology majors connect their sociological knowledge and passions to the job market and potential career paths via his internship courses. A colleague of Mark’s shared that “he brought so much energy and enthusiasm not only to his teaching, but also to so many different pursuits around the community, both before and after retirement.” Mark loved music and was very active in the Milwaukee jazz scene, and he also enjoyed travel.
For additional information, please see Mark’s obituary online.
Walter Irwin Trattner
Dr. Walter Irwin Trattner, Professor Emeritus in the Department of History, within the College of Letters and Science, passed away on August 24, 2021. Walter received a BA in history from Williams College, a Master’s in Education from Harvard, and a Master’s in History and a PhD in Philosophy from UW-Madison.
Walter taught American History and Social Welfare courses at UW-Milwaukee for 36 years. Among his many books and articles, his Crusade for the Children: A History of the National Child Labor Committee and Child Labor Reform in America (1970) and, especially, his From Poor Law to Welfare State: A History of Social Welfare in America (1974) were especially influential. From Poor Law to the Welfare State went through six editions and was the standard textbook in the field.
For additional information, please see Walter’s obituary online. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the American Cancer Society.
Our condolences to Mark’s and Walter’s families and to the many others whose lives they touched.
Take care,
Johannes
Johannes Britz
Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs