Joseph (Mr. Lumberjack) Rolle |
| Posted 2011-02-15 by Sharla |
| Arizona Daily Sun, Flagstaff, AZ Tuesday, February 15, 2011 Joseph Rolle, a retired Northern Arizona University administrator who remained a vital force in Mountain Campus life for 60 years, died Sunday in Flagstaff at the age of 93. Rolle graduated from NAU in 1941 and retired as dean of students in 1973. He and his wife, Marie, then volunteered for leadership roles in the alumni association, appearing at countless events locally and throughout the state on behalf of NAU. In 1989, they established the Joseph and Marie Rolle Award for Excellence scholarship, the same year that the south activity center, which houses physical education classrooms and a recreation facility, was renamed the Joseph C. Rolle Activity Center. Rolle received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from NAU in 1980, and in 1981 was inducted as a charter member into the NAU Athletic Hall of Fame -- he was a star basketball player as well as a two-time student body president, winning both the Gold Axe and the President's awards. In 2009, the Rolles received the Arizona Board of Regents Award for Outstanding Service to Higher Education. "Joe Rolle has been a mainstay at this institution since the 1940s," said NAU President John Haeger in a prepared statement released Monday. "Few people have had the impact on Northern Arizona University as Joe and Marie Rolle. Joe remained active on campus throughout his life, and while he is no longer with us, his legacy will last as long as there is a Northern Arizona University." EMPLOYED 36 YEARS Joseph Rolle was born Sept. 5, 1917, in Bisbee, and attended Central Grade School and Bisbee High School. He earned his bachelor's degree in 1941 from NAU -- then called Arizona State College -- before serving as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army during World War II, where he was stationed in the South Pacific. After military service, Rolle returned to the university to work, completing his master's degree in 1950. He held several roles during his 36 years of employment and retired in 1973. "Joe was the quintessential dean of students," said President Emeritus Eugene Hughes. "Both by the example of his own life and through his actions as dean and, like a dad, 'saving' many students rather than to see them dismissed from the university. Joe truly exhibited the power that one individual can have on the lives of others." Rolle is survived by his wife, Marie, a graduate of the University of Arizona, who also retired from NAU as director of the Career Planning and Placement Center after more than 15 years of service. "We were all so fortunate to have him with us this long," said Ernest Calderon, a Board of Regents president emeritus and NAU alumnus. "To many he was a caring uncle or father figure who gave us comfort ... and sometimes redirection ... when we lived so far away from home. He never forgot his Bisbee roots, his mother's love or his work ethic that Mother Hanley instilled as she refined his busing skills. Our hearts go out to Marie and the family, but Dean Rolle's legacy will live on for generations." MOST VALUABLE PLAYER AWARDS The university named the men's and women's basketball teams' most valuable player awards in his honor in 1950, and NAU's basketball teams currently use the Rolle Activity Center for games while the Skydome is under renovation. "Joe Rolle was one of the most distinguished gentlemen I have ever met in my lifetime," said Mike Adras, NAU men's basketball coach. "Whenever I speak of alums, the conversation never goes far without mentioning Dean Rolle. The impact he had on this university is tremendous." When the Rolles were named homecoming dedicatees in 1956, Dean Rolle's longtime friend and fellow NAU alum, Sam Borozan, drove their car in the homecoming parade. "What I remember most about Joe was that he taught us the value of discipline," said Borozan, retired faculty and staff member and NAU supporter. "He was like a beacon that came into our lives and we are better with his guidance. I love the man, he changed our lives." SPIRIT AND DEVOTION TO NAU The Alumni Association created the Joe and Marie Rolle Spirit of NAU award to recognize a graduate who radiates the spirit of and devotion to the university as inspired by the Rolles. "Northern Arizona University has lost one of its greatest assets," said Kimberly Ott, NAU Alumni Association board president. "Joe played a significant part in the history of NAU and our Alumni Association. He and Marie helped create and maintain that special feeling of family that NAU is to so many of us. We will miss Joe's leadership, compassion and love of NAU, and especially that smile and the twinkle in his eyes when he would say, 'It's great to be a Lumberjack.'" He is survived by his wife Marie; son Charles (Julie) Rolle; daughters Jo Anne (Steve) Rolle Harper and Randi (Doug Ulmah) Rolle. He was preceded in death by his son, Lawrence "Murph" Rolle. The NAU Office of Public Affairs contributed to this story. Services for Joseph Rolle A rosary will be recited at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 17, at the Church of the Nativity, 16 W. Cherry Ave., Flagstaff. Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Friday, Feb. 18, at the Church of the Nativity, with a reception to follow at 1:30 p.m. at the NAU Rolle Activity Center on Flagstaff's south campus. Campus signage will direct guests to parking for the reception. View a campus map here. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations are made to the Joseph C. and Marie M. Rolle Award for Excellence scholarship through the NAU Foundation or to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Flagstaff. See Also: Find A Grave |
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