Marvin E. De Boer

Dr. Marvin E. De Boer, former Vice President for Academic Affairs and Distinguished Professor of Speech at UCA, 85, of Conway, Arkansas, died Wednesday, January 5, 2011, at Conway Regional Health System. Dr. De Boer was born October 31, 1925, in Boone County, Indiana, a son of the late John and Sofia Bosma De Boer. He was also preceded in death by his daughter, Sandra Anne. Marvin was a member of First Presbyterian Church in Conway, and a member of the Noon Rotary Club, where he was the Bulletin Editor from 1982 - 1992. Dr. De Boer was President of the Beaverfork Volunteer Fire Department Board of Directors, 1982-2002. He served as a radio operator in the Navy during World War II, from September 1943 – March 1946. Dr. De Boer served 2 terms on the Kalamazoo, Michigan, Board of Education and was Chairman of the Citizens Committee to Study Education and Job Needs in Kalamazoo County, from 1964-1966, and Chairman of the committee that raised the tax allocation to make the Kalamazoo Valley Community College possible. After the death of his only child, Sandra, Marvin worked through Water Aid, a British charity to obtain water for 2 villages high in the Himalayan Mountains of Nepal, as a memorial to Sandy. As the first Distinguished Professor at UCA, he authored Dreams of Power and the Power of Dreams, in 1988, a collection of the inaugural addresses of the Governors of Arkansas. President Bill Clinton, then Governor of Arkansas, wrote the forward. He also edited Destiny by Choice in 1992, which featured the inaugural addresses of the Governors of Texas. Dr. De Boer was recognized by Who's Who in the Midwest, the 1969 edition. He received a Fellowship in Academic Administration, (American Council on Education), for the 1967-68 academic year; and served as the Special Assistant to the President of the University of Connecticut, during that time. In the June 19, 1997, edition of the Log Cabin Democrat, Dr. De Boer was named distinguished professor emeritus of speech at the University of Central Arkansas, as the feature recalled his accomplishments while there, as well as his career at other noted colleges and universities. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Carolyn (Scudder) De Boer of Conway; his brother, John De Boer of Beech Grove, Indiana; his sister, Thelma (Mrs. Robert) Brown of Avon, Indiana; and several nephews and nieces. A memorial service will be announced at a later date. Arrangements are by Roller-McNutt Funeral Home of Conway. 501-327-7727. Online guestbook: www.rollerfuneralhomes.com.