by John R. Brooks, ELCA News Service
William O. Rieke, who served as president of Pacific Lutheran
University (PLU), Tacoma, Wash., from 1975 until he retired in
1992, died April 22 of cancer. A service of remembrance and
celebration was held April 28 at PLU, one of 28 colleges and
universities of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. A
memorial service is planned for April 29 at St. John Lutheran
Church, Lakewood, Wash.
Rieke, 74, was a physician, research scholar, teacher and college
administrator. As a physician and researcher, Rieke was well-
known in the field of transplant biology, and his research helped
make heart transplantation possible, according to a PLU news
release. As PLU president, the university gained recognition as
an institution with a strong liberal arts program, with five
professional schools. An Exxon Educational Fund survey in 1986
named Rieke among the top 5 percent of effective college and
university presidents in the United States. His efforts in
strengthening international ties led to his being named Knight
First Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit by King Olav V
in 1989. Rieke spent 10 years as executive director of the Ben
B. Cheney Foundation, Tacoma, after he left as PLU president.
Rieke was born in Odessa, Washington. He graduated in 1953 from
PLU with a bachelor's degree. In 1958 he completed an M.D. degree
from the University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle,
and later joined the faculty. He was professor and chair of the
anatomy department at the University of Iowa, Iowa City, and
acting medical school dean. In 1971 he was appointed vice
chancellor for health affairs and professor of anatomy at the
University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kan., where he
also directed the medical school. Rieke is survived by his wife,
Joanne, their three adult children and eight grandchildren.
William O. Rieke
http://news.plu.edu/node/843
Pacific Lutheran University (PLU)
http://www.plu.edu/external
28 colleges and universities of the Evangelical Lutheran Church
in America
http://www.ELCA.org/colleges/college.html
Ben B. Cheney Foundation
http://www.benbcheneyfoundation.org
University of Washington School of Medicine
http://www.uwmedicine.org/Facilities/UWSchoolOfMedicine
University of Iowa
http://www.uiowa.edu
University of Kansas Medical Center
http://www.kumc.edu
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
